<p>Hi everyone -</p>
<p>I am currently deciding between Skidmore College, Franklin & Marshall, and Trinity College (CT). I am so lost and have been unable to make a decision, and I am running out of time.</p>
<p>I plan on studying government/political science.</p>
<p>I would really appreciate any advice anyone could give me! I have visited all the schools, yet I'm still unsure.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>The schools have somewhat different vibes and reputations. I visited both Skidmore and Trinity with my daughter. She didn’t end up applying to Skidmore. She applied to Trinity at the last minute, and only visited after having been accepted.</p>
<p>F&M is known for being very pre-professional and academically rigorous, and having grade deflation. I think of it as the academically strongest of the three.</p>
<p>Skidmore is more artsy and much less pre-professional. I felt, during my visit, that the college wasn’t really trying to prepare students for career success, but had a greater emphasis on personal growth during the college years. There was a lot of talk about self-designed majors, and not a lot of talk about the career center and alumni. As a parent, I disliked that, since I want college to do more to prepare my daughter for a career. The campus and location in Saratoga Springs seemed very attractive.</p>
<p>Trinity has more of a greek and party school vibe than the others. It has a word hard/play hard reputation. Even more so than other schools that I visited with my kids, it seemed to be a rich kid’s school. I read somewhere that the average student looked like he just stepped off a yacht, which seemed to be accurate. While the campus itself is beautiful on the outside, we weren’t as impressed by the insides of the buildings when we visited.</p>
<p>It really comes down to what you are looking for in a school. Are there any cost differences between them?</p>
<p>I haven’t visited the other two, but we really liked F&M when we visited. FWIW, Terry Madonna of their Center for Politics and Public Affairs is a regular commentator on a number of national news programs. He’s a pretty successful pollster, so I would think that would be great to be around for someone with your interests. We know a number of F&M grads who’ve been very successful.</p>
<p>Any other advice would be greatly appreciated! Also, I am gay, so this does somewhat factor into my decision on where to go (being accepted, not feeling threatened or disliked, etc.)</p>
<p>Trinity is in a city, which is also the state capitol. It might be a plus for politics. </p>
<p>Trinity College is on Princeton Review’s most LGBT unfriendly schools.<br>
<a href=“http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2013/08/princeton-review-rates-20-most-lgbt-friendly-unfriendly-colleges/”>http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2013/08/princeton-review-rates-20-most-lgbt-friendly-unfriendly-colleges/</a></p>
<p>They are all pretty academically equivalent schools. We visited all three with my D (although she is at another LAC). My D felt that Trinity was very preppy (and she didn’t love the location), Skidmore was very artsy, and she liked F&M the most out of the group. But she knows people at all three schools who are extremely happy.</p>
<p>This is a very individual choice. What is right for one person could be wrong for another. Where did YOU feel most comfortable? Where did YOU find students you can best relate to? That should be how you choose.</p>
<p>Skidmore definitely is the most LGBT-friendly of the schools you listed.</p>
<p>So what did you choose, 11???</p>
<p>I decided to enroll at Trinity!</p>
<p>Thanks for letting us know. Can you explain your reasoning process?</p>
How has your first semester at Trinity gone?
This post is from 2014.
Then, how have your first three semesters at Trinity gone? (The principle behind post 11 seems valid.)