I am a senior at a private school on Long Island and at this point I am trying to figure out where I need to go. I love the NESCAC and am planning on playing lacrosse there. Unfortunately, due to an injury, my recruitment to these schools was sort of limited. I have and had offers from several division 1 schools but decided I would go the more academic route in Division 3. The problem here is that because of the injury I only have an offer from Conn College. From everything I have read Conn is the lower tier in the NESCAC in almost every way. I plan on going the business/Wall Street direction. I’m hoping someone can let me know if Conn is worth going to and if it has the type of alumni I can use to suceed in business. I am a fairly intelligent kid and have already passed through admissions at Conn but I am not sure if I could get into other NESCAC’s without lacrosse.
We looked at this school, and I liked it. It is one that seems to take a variety of kids – some preppy, some sporty, some artsy. The academics are very good, the profs are accessible, it’s on the NE corridor line (and a ferry ride to LI) and they have been creative with their internship programs (including payment by the school for unpaid internships) so you could be enterprising with interviews and internships. One of the things that caught my attention is that a couple of professional college counselors I know had kids who went there. My sense is that this is a very good school and if you work hard there, you’ll have people in your camp as your try to move on to the next thing. I think that part of the reason that it feels a little “left out” is that it was originally a women’s college, and the impact of this – from lack of storied alums to a lower endowment – remains.
To be fair, the path to Wall Street is a tough one, even for a kid from a “feeder” school (where the competition is intense.) It’d certainly be easier if you were a top student from Yale, but if you like Conn and are only waffling because of reputation, I wouldn’t worry too much. I am assuming that you have visited, sat in on classes, etc.
Conn is a good school. You will have good opportunities if you work hard and take advantage of all that is available to you. It’s a selective school, even if it isn’t as selective as other NESCACs. I thought the kids seemed very friendly and there is plenty going on. Have you visited yet? Lovely campus. You should visit if possible.
Agree with everything @Lindagaf and @gardenstategal said. There will be plenty of very smart kids at Conn. Maybe not as strong as Amherst, but strong . It’s certainly not a school for slackers. All the Nescacs have lots to offer. Not a bad one in the bunch.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I have visited and love most things about the school. I am just worried that since it is such a low key school with not much of a reputation, it may be harder to get jobs and internships.
not Williams or Amherst, but Tufts, Hamilton, Weslyan, and Bates may be a step up from Conn.
Haven’t seen anyone on this thread mention Colby yet. Colby is pretty wired on Wall Street and they’re trying to rebuild their lacrosse program. Their new coach may just be willing to take a chance on an injured D1 recruited lacrosse player. And, the application is free. Getting late for a senior, but reach out to the coach to see how he responds and then proceed accordingly. Good luck
Are you saying that Williams and Amherst are or aren’t a step above conn because as far as I know they are by quite a bit
By some standards, Conn’s really not in a different figurative league than some of the other generally top-notch NESCACs. As just one, but quantifiable, example, CC reports a slightly higher ACT range than Bates:
Connecticut College: 30-33
Bates: 30-32
https://www.conncoll.edu/admission/apply/admission-statistics/
https://www.bates.edu/admission/student-profile/
Though these figures should be regarded as somewhat inflated as a result of test-optional policies at both of these colleges, it seems fair to conclude that Conn and Bates perform about equally when measured by the standardized scoring of their students. The same could be true in comparisons using less quantifiable factors, and in comparisons with other NESCACs.
No college can guarantee you connections on Wall street. If you loved he school, there’s your answer. Work hard and you will get what you want from Conn or any other school.
poorly worded what I was trying to say while the following schools don’t have the top notch reputation of Williams and Amherst, they may still be above Conn: Weslyan, (add) Colby, Bates, Tufts, Hamilton
I’m not sure I understand @Lindagaf. Are you saying that since no school can guarantee a result, then any school you love will work?
All the NESCAC’s are strong colleges. The slight culture differences among them are probably more important in determining “fit” than slight differences in ranking; truly, they are all schools where you would get a fantastic education.
In terms of recruiting and internships, Connecticut College has one of the better developed school-to-career preparation programs, with workshops for their students and paid internships for those who attend the workshops. It is also a gorgeous campus. If you have the opportunity to attend, you are lucky. Congratulations and good luck.