Hi, my daughter has been accepted to both schools for nursing. We visited Fairfield and she fell in love with the campus but is now questioning if it too small for her. We haven’t visited Uconn yet but have a visit scheduled in April. Both have excellent nursing programs so it really comes down to fit. Any input on either school would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
My spouse and I attended Fairfield years ago and have only good things to say. Yes, it is fairly small, and you will recognize faces as you walk around the campus, but it is big enough that you will always be meeting new people. The education was excellent. The Jesuit values and the focus on educating the whole person are something you won’t get at UConn. Another plus is the location. You are a short train ride from NYC whereas UConn is not near a major city. Good luck!
I agree with all your points! Thanks for responding.
I’m on the same boat as your daughter. I got into Fairfield’s nursing program and into Uconn. I love both schools but I’m not sure yet. I have yet to visit both campuses. I’ll be visiting Fairfield tomorrow and Uconn in two weeks. I hope all goes good!
Good luck to you as well !
My aunt went to Fairfield. She met my uncle there. They loved it and stay involved as alum. I haven’t been to the campus but we’ve driven by and it’s beautiful and small.
I drove around UConn with my mom last year and it was massive - way to big for me - I realized a campus that size with that many people is more than I’m looking for in a school. We didn’t get out of the car though since it was basically closed in May 2020 for safety. One of the things that stood out to me was the size of the pasture for the agricultural students that we passed on the way into campus. It just speaks to the resources available to students. (and the pasture is probably bigger than the entire Fairfield campus).
It’s funny because some students complain of how far the walk is from one part of campus to the other. Fairfield has a strong sense of community. Housing is guaranteed and required all 4 years with students being able to enter a lottery to live off campus senior year. You can walk to everything, you don’t need to take a shuttle for 10 minutes just to get to your dorm. Because of that you get to know a lot of students. The houses on/near the beach are beautiful and amazing. Even if you live on campus all four years in the warm months you can visit the beach and hang out. The townhouses they built on campus for seniors are amazing. They are also building a new sports arena for sports, concerts and other events. The town of Fairfield is quaint with shops and restaurants and very safe. My son did not want a big school at all. In fact we didn’t even make it to the tour of U Conn because he knew it was too big. He also wanted a town they could go to and they’ve taken the train into NYC and even to a Yankee game. The beach was also a big plus.
I know nothing about Fairfield, but UConn was one of my daughter’s top picks. It’s out of the running now due to cost, but we all loved the campus. Definitely a big school, but we took an unofficial tour with a friend’s daughter and we absolutely loved it. There’s a newer downtown area with shop and restaurants that you can walk to. Greek life seemed much more inclusive than other schools we’ve looked at. Tons of school spirit, basketball arena right on campus.
I think visits will help narrow down what your child wants. Mine was sure she wanted a larger university.