The environment seems safe and quiet, and overall, pretty small compared to the UCs. Connecticut College has around 20 students per class, although the science classes can have up to 100 students. They have a student to teacher ratio of 9:1, where students are able to easily seek help from their instructors (there are no TA's!). Not to mention, the current President there, Leo Higdon, Jr., even lives on campus! In addition, the professors trust the students and know them well enough that there are no proctors during exams. (There are 3 time periods throughout the day that the student can choose from to take the test).
Overall, 99% of the students live on campus for all 4 years. 60% of students live in "doubles" and 40% live in "singles". Students can also choose to live in co-ed dorms or with the same gender.
Like I mentioned, Connecticut College is known for its studies in liberal arts. Dance was actually our tour guide's (Amy) major and is a big major offered there. (Amy also majored in Biochemistry). In general, there are 7 "areas" that must be fulfilled and take classes from: Physical Science, Mathematics, History, Visual Arts, Social Science, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. Besides the many students who major in Dance, approximately 25% of the students major in the science department. Though there is no pre-med program offered there, many students get on that track, and get to work with EMTs and find internships.
Athletically, Connecticut College is a Division III school, though their sailing is ranked as Division I. Almost 1/3 of the students participate in sports, though the "best teams" of them all are soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse. They even have a swimming pool open regular hours for those who like to swim.
Their Study Abroad program is also very unique. Their "special" program offered is known as SATA, or "Study Away, Teach Away". Students go with a professor to a country for 1 semester, and learn about subjects (depending on the departments offered). For example, this past year, some students went to China, Spain, and Vietnam.
For those who are interested in culture, there are international dorms available as well as clubs. The center for diversity is known as "Unity House" (I believe Ms. Larson posted a picture of it...). One club that has been on my mind is "IntoxicAsian" (not sure if that is how to spell it). Not only do they have a great name, but they happen to hold some main events and dances for the college; especially when it comes to Asian cultural dances. Even the Moon Festival was "celebrated" at Connecticut College because of the "IntoxicAsian" club!
Entertainment ranges from bands that play during weekends to having tents on the grassy area and places to "hangout". There are coffee shops and as mentioned earlier, the beach is pretty close by.
If this sounds like the college for you, here are the main things to know about admission: though SATs and ACTs might be an issue for many students, the officers at Connecticut College believe that there is more than just test scores. Yes, that means: the school is Test OPTIONAL. This has just started and I did get a little excited about that. However, it does have its consequences. The essays should be taken really personally and involvement in school also plays a big part. In addition, interviews are highly recommended and challenging yourselves in high school looks well on your transcripts. Overall, around 30% of all applicants get admitted.
Of course, then comes the tuition. How much are you willing to pay? Connecticut College costs around $51,115. However, they do provide need-based financial aid. The average grant received is $30,000. On the other hand, they do not have any athletic or academic scholarships.
Last but not least, 50% of students outside of the New England area are from California! Of course there are other regions as well such as Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, etc.
Connecticut College may not be for everyone, but for those who had interests in anything mentioned above, I would recommend applying to Connecticut College. By the way, the mascot of the school is a camel. As strange as it may sound, the mascot was chosen by the men's basketball coach who retired. Before he retired, he wanted a mascot and of all animals, he chose a camel!
The tour was very helpful and I got a lot of information about Connecticut College. Though I did not know anything about it before, I am very grateful that I took notes and can share this knowledge with you. Thanks again for reading!
Here is a picture of our tourguide (Amy) and myself: 
We also got a chance to listen to adult singers practice for an upcoming event!
We also got a chance to listen to adult singers practice for an upcoming event!
A banner!
I apologize for not taking more pictures of the campus, but hopefully the other students will have some photos to share. Good night for now!
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteNice video clip.
In your description of Connecticut College you start off by mentioning how many students there are and pointing out that they come from all over the world but then you segue into their ethnicity. Did you meant o write that 75% came from the US or that 75% were white?
The student/teacher ratio seems nice and makes it easier to get the attention you need from the people who have that information. TA’s can be nice but if they knew as much as the professors then they would be teaching the course and not working part time for peanuts.
If you check things out, Jessica, you may find that a university’s chancellor or dean lives on campus. At Cal, the Chancellor lives on the north side of campus right along Euclid (right across the street from a parking garage). In fact, the President of the entire UC system has a mansion in Kensington not far from where you live (just a few blocks west of the Arlington Community Church).
With some schools, the students have few options but to live on campus. Stanford is a good example. Because of where it’s located, even a porta potty would run a student about $3500 per month so they find it a lot more convenient and cheaper to live on campus. Many schools even offer or provide on campus housing for their professors so they can afford to live in the area that they teach.
The NCAA has specific requirements that determines whether you’re in Division I, II, or III. These requirements include the number and types of sports offered. Many smaller schools prefer the lower divisions because they don’t offer scholarships. When all of the student/athletes are walk-ons it really helps level the playing field. It also encourages the student/athletes to actually attend class. They’re there for the education and not just for the opportunity for a career as an athlete.
That ‘IntoxicAsian’ club you mentioned sounds like it would be a great name for a restaurant in San Francisco. When I went online to find a reference to it, YOUR blog was #3 on Google’s list. By the way, the other two above yours on the list spell it the same as you did.]
You did a great job, Jessica, in selling Connecticut College. You might try getting yourself hired on for some of their Bay Area college fairs.