Philosopher-King

-White male from Long Island
-SATs (will submit fall scores, which will hopefully be higher): CR 770, math 630, W 800
-Average: 94%
-Editorial Editor on school paper

I've heard that the drinking scene at Connecticut is particularly intense. I'm sure there's certainly a group of people who avoid alcohol altogether, but how large is it and how much pressure is there to drink?

CamelMan21

While most people drink, I would hardly call the drinking scene "intense." There are no frats, and there is both a substance-free dorm (Blackstone) and substance free floors in two other residences. There are many individuals who binge drink but most drink casually and many do not drink at all.

Philosopher-King

OK, thanks for the input.
My other question would be how easy it is to find "the life of the mind" there - intense intellectual discussions, etc. I was very impressed when I visited.

CamelMan21

As one who also values what you call "the life of the mind," my response is that this atmosphere does not "smack you in the face," so to say. That being said, there is a vibrant intellectual life at the college. Coffee Grounds Cafe is a focal point for open intellectual discussion; residences such as Abbey Cooperative House and Earth House frequently host various challenging events; and there are a host of clubs that would also suit your interests. Like any college, much of your initial experiences involve crucial luck. For example, you could easily end up in a dorm with people who are intellectual, are filmmakers and musicians, are philosophers and environmentalists, etc.--however, you could also end up next to binge drinking lacrosse bros and vapid Greenwich girls (excuse the generalization, I'm doing it for the sake of simplified description).

Case in point, Conn has very strong arts programs and a location near cities that appeals to those who value culture. These aspects, coupled with strong academics, makes for an intellectual community, however, it may be a community that you have to seek-out since the general student body is not exceptionally intellectual.

casaverde

CamelMan (or anyone else out there who knows Conn College), do you know why Conn Col is ranked three in the Princeton Review's list of those most unhappy with financial aid? What's the scuttlebut around campus? From the stats, it looks as if Conn gives about the same amount of aid as peer institutions, so what gives? Do they sharply decrease aid after freshman year or replace grants with loans? My son loves Conn College and wants to major in architecture, but financial aid will definitely enter into our decision.

casaverde

CamelMan (or anyone else out there who knows Conn College), do you know why Conn Col is ranked three in the Princston Review's list of those most unhappy with financial aid? What's the scuttlebut around campus? From the stats, it looks as if Conn gives about the same amount of aid as peer institutions, so what gives? Do they sharply decrease aid after freshman year or replace grants with loans? My son loves Conn College and wants to major in architecture, but financial aid will defitely enter into our decision.

CamelMan21

There's no outcry on campus, that I've heard of, regarding financial aid. The college is not as generous as very wealthy schools like Williams but, as far as I know, is also not particularly cheap about financial aid. From what I understand, financial aid is a quarter of the college's operating budget. Princeton Review rankings are based on student surveys. Perhaps, this year, a large number of Conn students who were unhappy with their packages filled out those surveys... who knows. In short, there is no inside scoop about shady financial aid policies... it may just be that questioned students were those not receiving as much money as would be suitable for them. If large financial aid packages are important to your son's decision I would encourage him to apply to Conn and see what sort of package they offer him, and go from there. Rest assured that the college has no well known problems within the college regarding financial aid. I cannot explain the rankings other than the fact that Conn, along with Bates, have significantly smaller endowments than their "peers" in the NESCAC.

morning_glory

I wasn't aware of this either. I thought Conn gave pretty good aid. Many people I know came to Conn largely because of the financial aid. I'm not sure about how much the aid changes after the first year though.