I’m just wondering which other colleges you guys were deciding/applied to when you guys chose Conn or if you are still deciding then what other colleges are you considering with Conn! If you could give me reasons as to why you chose Conn it’d be amazing as well!
I’m choosing between Vassar, Trinity and Conn! 
I chose Conn over Whitman, Colorado College, Trinity and Dickinson.
I loved the location because it is near NYC and Boston, the fact that it seems so innovating (it’s not stuck on a traditional curriculum) and loved Conn’s career program. For me, Whitman was too remote, Colorado College did not seem diverse, Trinity seemed too traditional and preppy and I felt like Conn gave me an edge for prestige compared to Dickinson.
I’m a freshman at Conn and although I am remote I already feel like I’m a part of such a welcoming campus, I already made friends who I can facetime for hours, was nominated to be a mentor, a student advisor, and was asked if I wanted to do a summer research with my professor. There are tons of opportunities to do what you love at Conn, and I can truly feel that they are trying to be a more inclusive place. The students are welcoming and there are many interesting discussions in classes so I am always excited to go to class.
I had a few personal problems earlier this year but the Deans was so accommodating and resolved all of it for me (when they didn’t have to). Conn really wants you to succeed.
I find my Conn friends to have cross applications/admittance with Dickinson, Bard, Vassar and UVM.
But, you have 3 great choices so good luck with committing to one - you can’t go wrong with any of them.
My daughter is between Dickinson, Conn (and maybe Union but I think that is out, maybe too Greek and she is not interested in that). But I think she is leaning towards Conn, she is interested in Psychology. Dickinson is very pretty too and everyone was so nice there also, but I think maybe Conn might be more accessible to different things to do, like Mystic CT, looks like there is a beach in New London, concerts at Mohegan Sun/Foxwoods, ferry to Block Island, train to Providence, NY and Boston. I really wish we could have seen inside of buildings and dorms though. I am hoping that Conn is also in good financial health as well.
Thank you so much for your reply! I was wondering if you could clarify what you mean by “financial health”! thank you so much!
College Financial Health has been researched and assessed heavily by Scott Galloway of NYU. Basically he analyzed data and grouped 436 schools into “Thrive, Struggle, Survive & Challenged” categories. Here is a visual of how some schools were evaluated in his study:
You can review the details of his extensive research at:
Based on Scott’s research and assessment, Conn is in STRUGGLE. Dickinson is CHALLENGED and Union is THRIVE.
I think the way I read it, it is better to be in “struggle” than “challenged”? Not sure how much stock to put in this whole thing though?
In regards to financial viability the best is THRIVE, followed by STRUGGLE, the SURVIVE. The ones at risk of closing are CHALLENGED.
There is a really good and lengthy explanation on the Google file. Apparently this guy from NYU is highly respected.
As I recall, when that came out, it was criticized for lots of reasons, including that it was viewed as a promotion for his consulting business.
I found it not particularly useful since one of the metrics was the number of google searches . . . .
Absolutely agree. The methodology behind these classifications is seriously flawed.
believe it was criticized because it has the potential to put certain schools in a downward spiral.
I was just sharing information I found when researching the schools my daughter applied to. A school she applied to was labeled for DEAD… but I assure you it is financially stable and his a higher endowment than most schools in higher quadrants.
I agree that his assessment methodology may be wrong… but the work in accumulating the data makes the raw data valuable.
My daughter will be choosing Conn over Dickinson and Lafayette. She is visiting the campus on Monday for the tour and if all goes well we will put our deposit it.
There was a thread from the time this was published – it was not criticized for being a self-fulfilling prophecy but for being superficial and trite in the factors it weighed.
I will have to read through that thread. IHED wrote on how bad those lists are because they have the potential to kick schools when they are down, and put the nail in the coffin of some that are having financial challenges.
You’ve got the order wrong. It’s THRIVE, SURVIVE, STRUGGLE, CHALLENGED
Didn’t mean to start anything and I am sure it all needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I hope all the schools come out of this ok!
My son is choosing between Conn, Trinity, URI and Colgate. Leaning more towards Conn. They offered him reasonably good merit. URI offered full ride but he really wants a small LAC experience. We didn’t get a great vibe at Trinity. Colgate was beautiful and impressive but my son is definitely not into greek life, sports or the party scene. He was pretty hot on Colgate, I think because of the academic and research opportunities, but we’re not so sure about the social fit. Really hoping that he will find his people at Conn. He’s WL at Bates, Colby & Wesleyan which would all probably be a good fit for him but unlikely to get off of the WL.
From what we have read on here, it sounds like Conn is a pretty accepting place particularly for LGBTQ+ students. It’s so hard to get a great feel from any of the schools with the current restrictions in place. Anybody have any thoughts or advice for a LGBTQ+, pretty introverted but wickedly funny kid?
So has anyone committed yet? Where’s everyone going? I think my daughter will be committing to Conn this week.
It is interesting to see the significant overlap of schools.
My son chose Conn over Skidmore, UConn, Dickinson, UVM and Union.
