I see my kid struggling to figure out these colleges. Visited them all. Entire family liked them all. Understood the usual differences, summarized thus - Skidmore has the best walkable town, access to horses which is pretty cool, but the worst campus architecture among almost any LAC, and terrible winters, Trinity had the best architecture and amazing housing for seniors, but seems not to be investing much of its huge wealth in its arts programs (the programs seem fine for a LAC, just not as layered and deep and endowed with great arts facilities as at the other two), and Hartford seemed like an attraction to our family, not a place to avoid. Connecticut College felt like a very beautiful college on a hill with a very awkward layout, but with very thoughtful classroom teaching and really compelling arts programs (notably in theatre) that maybe outdo Skidmore, but the town of New London is certifiably depressing and even worse is the way the college seems to be stubbornly and totally disconnected by foot, bike or quick mini-shuttle ride from the town/Amtrak station. (there is a shuttle to a mall, which is sad, and common to many colleges we visited, and not the college’s fault for bad urban planning in New London).
Lesson is clear, there is no perfect college and we liked the various potential majors and programs and opportunities each offered. But here is the mystery: what about the social scene at these places? How do they compare in their dating scenes (is it all done through Tinder?). Is it all a hook-up culture? What do kids do for fun on the weekends if they are not busy writing papers? Is there a sense of community in the dorms? How would students improve the social life on these campuses? How active are the student clubs? At Trinity for example, I got the vague unscientific impression (totally not verified by any level of real knowledge) that a lot of the clubs at Trinity were just pre-professional clubs for networking/internships, specialized sports clubs, or else just identity clubs, rather than clubs that organize activities on campus for students to get to know each other. Would love to hear some reality from parents whose kids went to any of these schools, or anyone who has spent time on any of these great campuses.
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I know that this is not really helpful at all, but maybe it will bump the discussion up. My son is considering Skidmore, and a friend’s son who is in his freshman year there isn’t very happy. Says there is “not much to do.” (Now I know this is one kid and it very much depends on the kid). My friend (not the family with son attending) visited during the summer and said the town was lovely and bustling, but not sure how that would translate in the off-season and for college students. She got a good impression of it from the visit but her DD was turned off by someone she knows who goes there and is super preppy. I know there are posts on this board about Skidmore and the artsy vs jock crowds, check those out.
I am going to bring this thread to the attention of @NEPatsGirl, who is the parent of a very satisfied Skidmore student. Maybe she can comment more knowledgeably than I can.
But honestly, I think if someone thinks there is “not much to do” at Skidmore, they probably would think that at any college! It has a lively theatre and arts scene, with cool events like Beatlemore Skidmania where the staff and students perform Beatles songs, as well as having the full spectrum of clubs, activities, sports, and events that every top college offers. Plus, it is in a charming and indeed bustling town, Saratoga Springs, and a short trip from the gorgeous Adirondack Mountains and all their outdoor opportunities!
Our family was very impressed by the enthusiastic students we met when we visited Skidmore, and there definitely was a sense of warmth and community. My son and spouse liked Connecticut College a lot, too (I missed that trip, due to work.) We did not visit Trinity, but there are people who love Trinity, too.
I would say the big difference between Trinity and the other two is that Trinity has a big fraternity presence and the other two have no fraternities altogether. Another difference is that Trinity is the most urban, which might appeal to someone who wants opportunities to be in a city and intern with the government or one of the many insurance companies, etc., based in Hartford.
Skidmore and Conn have more similar appeals, with an artsy component but all types of students, and fun traditions from the afore-mentioned Beatlemore Skidmania at Skid to the Camelympics at Conn, where dorms compete in a variety of normal and quirky events, athletic and otherwise. Conn also has a great internship preparation program and funded internships.
Good luck to your kid during the college search! Three great choices to explore!
Hi, parent of a Skid student finishing up her last year and sad that she has to leave! My D visited all three of these schools and applied to two. She did not apply to Trinity as I nixed it d/t the area and crime stats. In the end, we both knew it wasn’t the right feel anyway.
While I believe my D would have made any school a “fit”, Skidmore more than exceeded our expectations. I’ll admit that in 2015 it was one of her “safety” schools and was on the list more for potential merit money than being a top pick. It is no longer a safety school for her application stats and is now more selective than ever, I think hovering around the 27% mark?
D had a tough time the first few months freshman year, first with her roommates and then just finding her tribe. Again, this might have happened anywhere. Lots of kids were doing lots of things but she hadn’t found a way to be included. That is a all a distant memory now. She belongs to several clubs, uses the gym often, does Zumba, works in the box office and attends nearly all the shows which she loves!, is a math tutor to freshman calc students, and lives in a great apartment on campus. Her first two years she lived in Substance Free Housing by choice. The dining hall is great and the cafes and coffee bar are places she likes to hang (she also worked at the cafe) with friends.
Saratoga Springs has a concert venue SPAC where she has seen many shows. She also attends shows in Albany, which is only a 30 minute drive. During her two summers there doing research she and her friends would head to Lake George for the day or the Six Flags there, also only 30 minutes away. NYC is 3 hours by bus, a straight shot and another day trip.
Saratoga Springs is a little pricey but the kids figure out the places to go, a great cinema, a great brewery pub for every kind of mac and cheese you can think of LOL, a crepe place for dessert. All within walking distance. There are bars for 18+ but honestly she didn’t really start going into the clubs until this year. There is drinking and weed in the dorms but it isn’t as prevalent as one might think.
My impression is that the students at Skidmore are there because they want to be there. The theatre and arts programs are fantastic, the shows well worth seeing. I’m not sure about the sports but I do know that there are hockey games that my D has attended. There is a great mix of nerdy and intellectual but I don’t see or hear much about a preppy factor. There are lots of full pay kids and so one could assume from high earning households. That is not our case but its never been an issue.
My D was offered paid research opportunities each summer, starting freshman year. She presented at Bucknell that summer with her team. She did research after her sophomore year as well. Last summer, she interned in a software development role. She studied abroad at AIT-Budapest in a Computer Engineering program. The academics at Skidmore have been good, if not great. Her classes are small, she has close rapport with most of her professors, enough so that she is asked to babysit and dogsit for several, and can always get extra support when needed.
Honestly, we were a bit anxious that attending Skidmore would not provide D with the upper level classes that we felt she could manage. I don’t think that is the case now. She took advantage of everything offered to her, both academically and socially. And like I said, she is sad that she has to leave in just a few months.
For fine arts, most students would look to Skidmore or Connecticut College.
Long Walk is indeed cool – reminiscent of Oxford, but on a more accessible scale.
Both CC, and Skidmore have far more women than men students. Trinity has less women than men. Anecdotal evidence tends to suggest that women will be treasured more where there are less of them. Not sure if the OP’s child is M or F.