Since general rankings appear to be a (fair) consideration, it might be worth recording them on this thread for reference:
- Union
- Connecticut College
- Trinity
- Muhlenberg
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges
Thanks, yes. I knew Union, Trinity and Conn were all about the same. Forgot Muhlâs number.
Iâm not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet, but if all decisions are in, have him send a LOCI to the waitlist schools that he is most interested in. With everything going on this year, I would not be surprised to see schools end up going to the WL more than in the past. Also, is there a counselor at his school that would be willing to call or email his favorite WL school on his behalf? The college counselor at our school does this.
Regarding Trinity, your son could view its location as either a positive (access to the state capital) or a negative (crime concerns, etc.). With respect to the campus itself, Long Walk is an impressive, Oxford-like collegiate feature.
As an opinion on the academics of Connecticut College, I think it would be good for theatre and political science. New London does resemble Hartford in some crime statistics, however.
https://patch.com/connecticut/across-ct/10-most-dangerous-cities-connecticut-2020-rankings.
I love Trinity and would have no problem sending my son there (or to Conn). Donât know enough about the other two. I think that the campus is safe and that the location is a plus in terms of opportunities. It isnât what I thought I would want for my son in terms of location but after seeing it and learning about the school, I would have no problem having my son there. Money might be your deciding factor but other than USNWR rankings, there are other rankings that rate them differently, department-specific, and various return on investment rankings. Alumni network, career center services, etc are also important. Trinity has a pretty high average income for students, maybe higher than the other 3. I think Conn is pretty high, too. Trinity touted their very strong alumni-network when we visited. Not sure how true it is.
Which school did your child like most?
@merc81 , if Union didnât have engineering, I wonder if it would be ranked lower. I very much suspect so.
@Lindagaf: Unionâs impressive history might be under-recognized by current rankings, however. Even in modern times it has rated with schools such as Bowdoin, Duke, Northwestern, Penn and UCâBerkeley:
Not sure if this perspective will help or not as my son is a stem kid. But Connecticut and Union were his top two choices. Loved both campuses - facilities, campus vibe, etc. Ultimately chose Union (he is a Sophomore) because of the Stem piece. It was a great choice for him and he loves it there. President Harris is fantastic and really sets a tone of community. Happy to answer any Union questions you might have.
@xyz123a All decisions are not in. 3 more to come. He has written LOCI to all but the one that came in last night. Once he knows his favorite, he could try to get in touch with his school counselor to see if she would do that. Our MA schools are now closed until May 4 thoughâŠ
@merc81 I love Long Walk and the Gothic feel. He likes it, too. I truly love that campus. I read the crime stats. Neither are great but in Hartford you are more than 2x as likely to be a victim of a violent crime. I guess if you donât leave the campusâŠ
@suteiki77 I donât know which earns the most money. Iâd have to google it. It is a consideration. As to which one he likes the most he says âI donât knowâ. Apathetic at best. Iâm trying to help him like one. 
@Lindagaf and merc81 I see both your points. Union was obviously quite outstanding in the 1960s. Its been around for 200 plus years. Well known. Not sure whatâs caused the fall in rankings of late. 45 is good, but thatâs not close to say Bowdoin or Duke, etc.
@Peach94 Was there a reason besides STEM he chose Union? Why does he love it? Is he in a frat? Is it politically conservative, diverse or liberal? Are the students driven or more laid pack? Is the party scene really hard core? How is theatre seen at Union? Are the kids really preppy or is it more a mixed bag? You can msg me privately if youâd like.
Focusing on the Poly Sci interest, Trinity is in the state Capitol, which provides it with lots of opportunities for involvement with state government, internships, etc. UConn Law School is also in Hartford on its own beautiful self-contained campus for what thatâs worth. Hartford is not a college town, but it has an underrated music and theater scene. There are things to do there.
Union also has easy access to the state Capitol. Albany Law is there as well. Union is an excellent LAC, underrated IMO. I would focus on these two. New London is pretty dead during the college year.
Unfortunately, this hasnât been entirely the case: https://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-hartford-trinity-fight-0502-20170501-story.html.
Good point, and something the article itself appears to have gotten wrong in stating that âNew Londonâs violent crime rate is just behind that of Hartford.â
Honestly, kids spend the majority of their time on campus. The most dangerous campuses are not NESCACs, or Union or Muhlenberg.
https://www.businessinsider.com/most-dangerous-colleges-in-america-2012-11
These stats donât stop people from wanting to attend Duke or anywhere else. Itâs not like any of these campuses are in particularly dangerous places. Maybe itâs just me and my family, but Iâm far more worried about a heavy Greek presence, which is more strongly associated with tragic incidents than being mugged at gunpoint. In fact, campus security is usually very on the ball when the college is in a slightly rundown area.
Those colleges are all similarly rated. Heâs not going to go wrong with any of them, but from what youâve described it seems as though Conn is a good option. I think it should be top of these four schools.
If a school has enough events and activities, a person like me wouldnât really care what was around it and would just focus on the campus itself. I donât feel scared on Trinityâs campus. I donât feel scared in New London. I would have my wits about me at night in either place, but thatâs a good idea most anywhere, in my opinion. Too bad you canât have him do overnights right now. There are some youtube videos showing both colleges, College Niche, Students Review and other websites where you can read and see reviews and views of the schools. you could call the schools and ask to speak with current students.
Note that schools of under 10,000 students were excluded in the linked (#51) analysis.
He loved the feel of campus and that it felt like home. He liked that there were options if he changed his mind about Stem and is actually liking the other classes he needs to take to fulfill requirements - there is a nice balance. He is not in a frat - chose not to pledge even when the majority of his friends did. There were a few moment of feeling like he was missing out but for the most part it has not changed their relationship. He has made friends with multiple groups and has plenty to do even when his close friends are at frat things. Politically he is pretty middle of the road and has friends on both sides of the aisle. No one is âin your face politicallyâ though I would say it is not a hugely liberal campus. Party wise? He probably parties more than I expected. Never drank in HS. So not a huge partier, but he partakes. He and his friends will drink - but school comes first in their minds. Less preppy than I expected. He has done really well - Deanâs list last year and on track this year. Has very close relationships with professors - they really care about and value their students. I highly recommend the pre-orientation programs. A fairly shy kid, he really found his people on his pre-O experience. Sorry this is so long!
Ok @merc81 , but those schools are NOT dangerous. My bigger point is that no one has these conversations about Yale or UCLA. People get in to those schools and go woohoo! just because of the ranking.
@peach94 Thank you very much! Good to know a frat was not necessary. It does not need to be an overly liberal campus, just not conservative. I do expect him to party some, just donât want an over partying campus where he might give in to temptation (hes the one mostly concerned with that). Also good to know its not as preppy as portrayed. Heâs more a middle of the road kid. Certainly not a prepster, but not a hipster either. Thanks so much!
Happy to answer any questions about Berg, but especially if he is not entirely sold on a major, it sounds like it would be a great place for him! Definitely call the financial aid - one of the many reasons why I chose Berg was because of their generosity and how kind they were to me as a prospective. My dad had no problem negotiating more $ from them before I committed, especially because I had other offers that we sort of used as leverage 
@sandradee66 Heâs definitely sold on Theater/Poly Sci double major and possible minor in film. We got 5K more from 'Berg from contacting Fin Aid. I think they are tied for 4th place currently among his total of 5 schools. Doable, but the least expensive is now about 5K less than Muhlenberg. Not a big deal if he decides he really wants to go there.
He still has not decided, by the way. Oh my head!