<p>We have a quandary. My daughter is choosing been Union and Connecticut College. I believe she prefers Conn but the complicating factor is that Union is offering her a very nice scholarship and Conn is not. We just visited both (again) but are still weighing pros and cons and feeling pretty stressed. Can anyone weigh in on differences between the two concerning the type of students, social life, quality of academics. My daughter is under the impression that Conn College is slightly better academically and this has been echoed by her guidance counselor. She is also concerned about the social scene and thinks it might be better at Conn. anyone? Thank so much!</p>
<p>Well, all I can tell you is that my son is about to graduate from Conn. Both he and we have been very very happy with his experience there. The study abroad opportunities are awesome, and the internship after junior year is terrific. What I['m most impressed with , though, is CELS -- not sure what it stands for, but it helps the kids with their resumes, helps them figure out an approach for a career. It's been extremely helpful. </p>
<p>I really really like it. </p>
<p>I can't speak about Union.</p>
<p>Thank you, Very Happy. I really appreciate the feedback.</p>
<p>My son will be attending Union in the fall. Conn. College is a little higher in the rankings, but only to the point where it strikes me as a virtual wash and I do not thnik their reputations in the real world are significantly different. Socially, Union is known as very active and is rated very highly for on-campus activities. For what it is worth, Union is getting roughly 50/50 male/female (still slightly more males), while it is my uderstanding that Conn College is 60 female/40 male.</p>
<p>i looked at both seriously, and found conn to be friendlier, more socially aware, and better in the social sciences.
union has a big frat scene, and is probably less liberal than conn. just didnt get a good vibe on campus. </p>
<p>but if the financial situation is significant, go to union.</p>
<p>I have a daughter finishing up her junior year at Conn (presently living in Kenya for the semester on a study abroad semester). I heartily agree with everything VeryHappy said in regard to Conn. D has a paid internship @ Mystic Aquarium this summer. Her experience has also been socially rewarding, and she has been challenged in her Bio major. She is extemely involved, which she was not in HS, at least not in the traditional sense. She has close relationships with many profs and deans that she has worked with. As parents, we could not be happier, it's been worth every penny. She passed up a couple of full merit scholarships and we are paying full boat at Conn, which was hard. But for this particular child, the financial sacrifice was worth it. If she had gotten merit $$ from a school she loved as much as Conn, we may have felt differently. But it would have had to be significant. I'm glad she followed her heart, she has truly loved every semester of every year there, and gets sad when senior year comes up, bc she knows it will be her last year there. We are also over 1,000 miles away, and she became very sick w/a flu that hospitalized her freshman yr, and they could not have been more generous and concerned, keeping us posted and offering whatever help they could until we could get on a plane to get to her that night. The Dean of Freshman even gave me her cell and home phone in case we needed anything. An extreme example, I know, but I feel like the people at Conn really care about 'their' kids. Comforting.</p>
<p>I think that Conn used to have an edge in terms of quality of students, but now they are comparable. Union has seen a real increase in applications recently. Union is stronger in engineering and Conn in the arts, but they are both sort of middle of the road in terms of culture -- broadly appealing, not too preppy or too far-left for most students. Locations are relatively similar, and both have strong faculties...</p>
<p>its tougher to get into conn</p>
<p>Union
SAT - Verbal Range (25-75%): 550-650
SAT - Math Range (25-75%): 580-670
Average Math SAT: 630
ACT Composite Range (25-75%): 24-29
Average ACT: 26
Average High School GPA: 3.50
Students in top 10% of HS class: 64%
Students in top 50% of HS class: 98%
Total applicants who are accepted: 43% </p>
<p>Conn
SAT- (25-75%): Reading 650-740
SAT- (25-75%): Math 640-710
SAT- (25-75%): Writing 660-730
ACT (25-75%): 27-30
Acceptance rate: 33%</p>
<p>those numbers sound right, but it is not a very significant difference, and the strengths vary by department. I'm not shilling for Union, and I think Conn has more to offer in many areas (in the arts esp) but I know that 10 years ago they weren't considered in the same league, and now attract a very similar student profile.</p>
<p>Thank you so much to everyone who so generously weighed in. We ended up choosing Connecticut. It will be harder for us financially, but I believe it's the right place for her and after reading the posts am further convinced of it.
Thanks again!</p>