@merc81 Thank you got your kind words of sympathy. And thanks for the helpful info on Conn.
@Helen13. Yes. My husband went UMass Amherst and I went to Smith. We love the valley and all it offers. My DS just would prefer a smaller LAC. He’d go to Smith if he was female. His stats weren’t high enough for Amherst without the hook we thought he had a Bowdoin. This is why he’d love to be in a college town. It’s all he really knows and knows we loved it. He’s just not feeling a big university.
@suteiki77 Thank you as well for all your kind words. We don’t know how our appeals at Muhlenberg and Union will go. No package from Trinity yet. So far Conn is the least expensive. Less excited than UMass
@taverngirl Actually, though Muhlenberg have more merit Conn’s bottom line is less currently.
@blossom My mom looked up Muhlenberg. She knows all about it. She says it’s too far. Too small. Too much emphasis on theatre such that he won’t stop performing as she wants him too. Not ranked high enough. I could go on. ( insert eye roll)
I agree kids transfer for your listed reasons. He just doesn’t know anyone who didn’t attend college in a college town so he’s hesitant. His aunt went to Smith like I did. Uncle and father to UMass. Grandpa to Bowdoin. Grandma to Northeastern ( Boston is the biggest college town). He probably won’t get into NU bc even though Grandma went there and I for law school they don’t count legacy. He just loves the idea of a college town.
I don’t feel like any of these schools are more like Bowdoin than the others. I have to think on that hard. He does as well. But he liked Bowdoin’s semester system, he liked that one dorm housed the dining hall, he liked their classes, he liked that each student is assigned a “house” like a fraternity or sorority but coed and no rush. ( Smith was similar). And part of it is Grandpa. I can’t deny that. Other schools might be more like Bowdoin but he didn’t get in. I think though Bowdoin is somewhat unique with its no Greek life but house system.
@Charlie2772 We looked at Muhlenberg and felt the same way, too small. My d was only interested in small LACs, but Muhlenberg felt especially small. I wouldn’t say any of his options (we visited all of them) have a real “college town” feel. I love the campus of Trinity - it’s beautiful - but the neighborhood is a dump, and I wouldn’t feel safe with my kid there. Plus, it’s got a reputation for drugs. We live very close, and d swam there throughout high school. It was a no go for her. Union also has a nice campus, but we saw a lot of non students walking through it. Not sure if it’s a short cut from one area to another?? Didn’t like that. Plus it seemed very fratty, which d wasn’t looking for. I think Conn would be your best bet. Pretty campus, nice area. Close to Providence if he wanted proximity to a city. Not too far from Boston either. Long Island sound. Plus offers the academic experience he’s looking for.
I might be wrong, so please do your own research, but I thought I had read, maybe on here, about students transferring out of Mulhenberg because they couldn’t get the drama classes they wanted.
Conn has some agreement/ connection to the Eugene O’Neil theatre centre doesn’t it?
Conn seems like a fantastic school and so does Trinity. Both impressed me tremendously. When we looked at Trinity the student working in admissions told us she already had a paid internship in Hartford and I think she was a second semester sophomore or that she got a paid internship from the time she was a second semester sophomore. Many nice opportunities at that school. Conn has a beautiful campus and students seem super friendly. Both stood out to us on our college tours.
@Jon234 I don’t know about kids transferring out of Muhlenberg bc they can’t get the theatre classes they want. I have heard that the theatre major is very large and the performing arts majors in general are and that getting parts (they want) in productions can be difficult. It is a consideration. Not to mention unless they come down closer to Conn’s offer its a no go.
@taverngirl I did read something about Trinity and drugs. I also read Conn has somewhat of the same issue. Maybe not as bad.
@suteiki77 I feel like both Trinity and Conn stand out (I liked Union, too, though). I’m afraid if he goes to Conn he’ll miss out on the government connections Trinity has. This is so tough.
@Lindagaf I’ve read Union, Trinity AND Conn are pretty preppy. He says he can fit in anywhere. I don’t know which one is the MOST preppy and with the MOST spoiled kids.
Muhlenberg probably the most down to earth, but again there’s Grandma and financial issues (at this point) and it IS kind of small. Gotta check each schools’ enrollment.
D applied ED to Colgate, which was her top choice from the minute she stepped out of the car on her first visit when she was a sophomore. She is not into Greek life at all and we see the irony but it was the first LAC she saw and everyone was “speaking her language” from the get-go. It was a very hard act to follow but she knew it would never be a sure thing, especially because she needed FA. That being said, we took her to over 30 schools in the northeast and she ended up with a list of 10 to apply to, and found something to love about each and every one of them.
[quote= @suteiki77 I feel like both Trinity and Conn stand out (I liked Union, too, though). I’m afraid if he goes to Conn he’ll miss out on the government connections Trinity has. This is so tough.
[/quote]
As I said, can’t go wrong with either one. I think more people would rate Trinity as much higher if they went there and had an info session and tour. it is a great school and I think underrated because of it’s location, which I think is actually an asset once you know all it comes with in terms of internship opportunities, etc. Conn has tons of great opportunities.
Hmmm I wonder how well the econ assessment holds up against poly sci/govt?
@suteiki77 I agree I really liked Trinity. I was able to put the neighborhood aside in my assessment of the school. I think a lot of people can’t. It is ranked generally (by most rankings) higher than Conn or Union and certainly Muhlenberg. Should I look past that. Should he?
Starting to be concerned with alumni networks as well.
The economics department analysis could be relevant to study in a field such as public policy, which includes economics as an essential component, but less so to a field such as international relations, which often considers broader themes or the cultural aspects of a particular region.
@merc81 He’s definitely more public policy. Looks like, from my quick research, none of these schools are particularly known for poly sci. Lots of his wait lists are. Some like Trinity, Muhlenberg and Union get a nod or two far down on the list. Probably Trinity is the “highest” but certainly not high. Never saw a mention of Conn.
Tough to decide what to prioritize. Plus he is so apathetic about the whole thing as he didn’t get into or was waitlisted at every school he really liked. These were the bottom of his list.
Some like Trinity, Muhlenberg and Union get a nod or two far down on the list. Probably Trinity is the “highest” but certainly not high. Never saw a mention of Conn.