<p>after reading about trimesters vs. semesters the trimester system seems to be great and i'm excited to try it. i was wondering though...even though you only have to take 3 classes at once is there a bigger workload since you get through the same material as another school on a semester system? if you're in the scholars program you can take a 4th class or even if you have at least a 3.3 gpa you can take an extra class but would that be a lot? 4 classes doesnt' seem like a lot compared to some kids who take 5 or even 6 classes a semester at other schools...</p>
<p>What I see with my son is that there are many short papers due. Often times only 1-2 weeks to put out a 4-6 page work. There never seems to be that week with nothing due. I guess this has it's plusses and minuses depending on you like to work. The papers seem more middle distance than marathon; at least on the freshman level.</p>
<p>My son was at accepted students day. A professor gave advice - ASK QUESTIONS - do NOT allow yourself to fall behind, because with only 9 weeks per trimester you will not have time to catch up. Union classes move fast. (Of course, you can handle this or they wouldn't have admitted you!)</p>
<p>I would have to agree with that last comment. Often times you're revising one paper while working on the next. There can also be a Quiz the same week as a paper. Falling behind would create huge problems.</p>
<p>I can see with the trimester system how it could be disastrous to fall behind. A bad cold/flu could potentially ruin a semester! How understanding and supportive are professors with illness?</p>
<p>Son had mono one term and profs were very understanding, gave him extra time, etc. Something else to remember about the terms: students are only taking three classes at a time. On most semester system, they usually have five. I think it balances out.</p>
<p>Thanks for some new things to consider. My daughter received a call from the Admissions office last night informing her that she was selected to receive one of 10 CT(Converging Technology) scholarships, in addition to the Presidental scholarship. This was a very nice financial insentive to seriously reconsider Union. Her issues/concerns include
1. location- she liked the campus but isn't sure she can handle the immediate environment. She thought it could become claustrophobic.
2. Trimester - on a different schedule than the important people in her life
3. She really liked the student body and thought that they were a very focused group of kids. But she thinks that she is more of a true liberal arts student. She describes Union as "an Engineering/technical school pretending to be a liberal arts college"</p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>i'm almost "more of a liberal arts student" but i've chosen union for next year...i guess i don't know from personal experience but even though engineering is the second most popular major, social sciences is the largest (30% of the student body according to college board) also, a lot of common liberal arts majors seem to be big there too. so really i think it's more like a liberal arts schools WITH an engineering technical school rather than the other way around</p>
<p>Union is only 15% engineers. I think they said their biggest major for this year is biology.</p>
<p>BTW, my son has made his final decision to attend Lafayette. Union came in a very close 2nd, though. Ironically, had my husband and I not been Lafayette alumni my son never would have looked at Laf, because it's a little further from home than he wanted to go. He would be enrolling at Union and be very happy about it! I think either school would have been a good fit for him.</p>
<p>Congrats and best wishes to the Union Class of 2011!</p>
<p>My son will be attending Union in the fall. We know of quite a few people who have gone to Union (though no one who is there now) and he did an overnight. Our impression is that it is very much an LAC that also has engineering. In fact, I have never heard anyone refer to it as an "engineering school" per se (although people are aware that it is one of the relatively few LACs that offers engineering). My son appears to have no interest whatsoever in engineering, by the way.</p>
<p>Jelomom2003, on the point about Union being too claustrophobic, I assume you are referring to Schenectady, as opposed to Union just being a small school. When we looked at Union, we braced ourselves for a slum. While Schenectady is nothing beautiful (although some of the architecture is) and one should take some common sense precautions at night, the city has more to it then you might think. Many restaurants have opened in the past few years and a brand new six screen movie theater (supposedly very upscale) will be opening downtown this summer (as well as a couple of large night spots and a Hampton Inn hotel). Also downtown is Proctor's Theater, which has been restored and now hosts a regular schedule of big Broadway musicals and concerts at far lower prices than one would pay in NYC. Downtown is about a 10 - 15 minute walk from campus, as are many of the restaurants (behind Proctor's is a very upscale bakery called Villa Italia -- great cannolis). In addition, if students or their friends have a car (which they can have after freshman year), the Capital District/Saratoga Springs is all within a 20 minute drive and it has a lot to offer. I am not trying to argue that Schenectady is a vibrant and quaint college town, only that tens of millions of dollars are currently being pumped into its downtown and it has more to offer than one might think at first blush.</p>
<p>The trimester system seems like a mixed blessing to us. On the one hand, your schedule is definitely different from eveyone else's and you are in school until mid-June. On the other hand, you only have to focus on three classes at a time and you get a really great winter break. My son thought that regardless, it was not something that was going to guide his decision (he was much more interested in the opportunity to attend Division I college hockey games!).</p>
<p>The choice of college is highly individualized, including finanial incentives. Jelomom2003, I wish your daughter all the best in her decision, although I think she should take a closer look at some of her reasons for hesitating on Union. Lafalum84, best of luck to your son. Lafayette is a great school. Getting to choose between it and Union is a pretty nice position to be in!</p>
<p>I love CC! People share so much helpful and insightful information.</p>
<p>Yes, it was the surrounding area that she felt could feel claustrophobic. This is the only urban campus she is considering. The others are suburban or rural. So, freedom to move easily into a natural setting seems important to her. </p>
<p>I agree that the trimester is a mixed blessing. Working on only 3 courses can be a very significant plus, however it could be challenging getting excited about starting a series of new courses in April when siblings and other friends are winding down their course work.</p>
<p>Clearly she was looking at the influence that Engineering has on the campus incorrectly. I am afraid that this happened in a luncheon for CT scholars.</p>
<p>I have to say that she really enjoyed the student body, thought they were friendly, focused and very regular (as compared to elitest).</p>
<p>I spoke with the Director of Campus Security today to answer some of those nagging parental questions. I liked his answers and the ability the security has to lock down all buildings from a central command point. Given that it is an open campus and there is a central N-S route, he also described the security as very perseptive and aware of patterns. He said that they tend to handle things aggressively, however as security officers, they are not police and do not have the authority to arrest or carry a weapon. This, he explained is an important fact to the LAC maintaining its open learning environment.</p>
<p>Gosh this decision making is tough, especially for a LAC kid who likes EVERYTHING!</p>
<p>That is interesting about the campus security conversation. I know that some of their officers are now permitted to make arrests (and they say they are training more), but they do not carry guns. I also have read that they have trimmed some trees and are increasing lighting as a safety measure. However, things still happen, although the chances of anything happening to any specific student are still very low. Here are a couple of links you might look at if safety is an issue:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.union.edu/personalsafety/%5B/url%5D">http://www.union.edu/personalsafety/</a></p>
<p>These alerts and stories obviously are all focused on the "concern" side of the issue and may make things seem worse than they really are. However, I thought they would be of interest. Here is something I wrote as part of a posting after my son's first visit to Union:</p>
<p>"For what it is worth, I asked our tour guide whether she felt safe on and off campus. We were alone with her and it turns out we knew some common people, so I think she was leveling with me. She said she definitely feels safe using common sense precautions she would use anywhere (do not walk around at midnight by yourself, etc.). She said security is quite visible around the campus in the evening and that she was unaware of any of her friends feeling unsafe. I also asked a group of three freshmen boys if they felt safe and they said absolutely yes. Again, this is just for what it is worth."</p>
<p>I have also spoken with quite a few people who have recently sent kids to Union or who know kids at Union. All of them said the kids loved it there and that none felt unsafe, although the students are aware of their surroundings. I think there is always a risk anywhere you go (college students think they are impervious to harm) but that realistically, safety is more of a concern at Union than it would be at schools like Hamilton or Skidmore.</p>
<p>If your daughter just prefers a more rural setting, none of this will really matter anyway. I know my son did not want to be out "in the middle of nowhere," but many other kids would love that.</p>
<p>Great research! I appreciate the transparency that the campus has on safety issues/concerns.</p>
<p>If I recall correctly,the Director I spoke with said that training people to handle a gun would make them a "police officer" and carry those responsibilities. It is a dilemma for the College because this could affect a long history of freedom of thought and ideas that is important to the atmosphere of a college campus. He didn't think the policy would change unless there was a strong influence from parental or campus groups.</p>
<p>I have called the Office of campus safety at several schools to hear their personal viewpoints. I can only say that these people REALLY like hearing from parents and respect the questions being asked. At every school, I have heard them say, "if it was my child, I would be calling".</p>
<p>Over the past 2 weeks, I have listened to enough slick admissions people that I want to have some REAL answers to my parental questions and concerns.</p>
<p>Boy, you really diligent! Here is more on the new "Peace Officer" designation, which has now taken effect:</p>