Connecticut College Top Questions

groups-very few experiences but all positive feedback out of place-dunno wear-everything! interactions-not as much as we should ethnic/international tables, athletic tables, normal tables, and antisocial room most-new england, especially mass financial-pretty well off, upper middle-upper politically aware-yes predominantly-very balanced as far as i can tell earnings-not too talked about

Conn is very aware of different social groups on campus, almost too aware. They are pointed out all too often and exaggerated. I don't know how other students feel, but as a student marked "of color" (I'm from Venezuela but I couldn't be less "hispanic"), it drives me insane. I don't think students feel out of place at Conn because everyone manages to find a niche (people who feel out of place usually do because of this place, not the people). Most students are the typical trendy rich New-Englanders, but there are exceptions. Students are fairly politically aware, predominantly associating with the left. As diverse as Conn is considering its size and location, its total detachment from New London and its surroundings make it a socially limiting environment.

The campus cultute is pretty cliquey with students mostly assosciating with other students like them; I've found a lot of race division for sure; as a queer student myself, I feel accepted, but that no one really knows what to make of me because I don't hang out in "the queer" group It bothers me sometimes in the dining hall because I see people eating with only their "friend group" every single day; there isn't a whole lot of branching out I'd say that most students are middle to upper socioeconomic class If I were to characterize four tables in the dining hall i would say that they were: preppy kids (j. crew, abercrombie, uggs, etc.), the jocks (usually wearing Conn College athletic gear), the weird nerdy kids, and a lot of kids that fall into some sort of hippie-hipster alternative mix It's not a very politically active campus but the political leaning is definately to the left

generally very wealthy affluent people

Conn has a small amount of diversity that seems well integrated with the rest of campus. Some of the international events are the most popular of the year.

I know there were a few indiscretions on campus last year in regards to racial/sexual slurs but on the whole i find most of the students here to be very open minded. I think any kid who is completely inflexible, hates partying, and close-minded will basically hate it here. Most students are actually very well dressed. Girls are fashion fab and boys I think still think there's a dress code (prep school habits are hard to break) ABSOLUTELY. It's funny how there can such different people who are such great friends here. I have ass-opposite groups of friends and they all get along great. 4 tables: The sweet LAXers just got out of practice. Cute but predatory. Nearby is the group of pretty, blonde, tall, skinny and HUNGRY girls with plates of salad. Cute but predatory. Next to them are the artsy kids. They wear skinny jeans and long striped cardigans and ironic t-shirts and say things that are incredibly over your head. They smell like cigarettes. Um fourth table is just normal people. Combo of all three, I guess - good people in general. Most kids are from "30 minutes outside Boston" but there's a large contingent of New Yorkers and LA kids WEALTHY. Not "rich", not "well-off". WEALTHY. Maybe "wealthy as hell". I think the kids in general could be a lot more politically active than they are. I think a lot of them have ideas and they like to talk about them but when it comes down to it they won't do much about it. Predominately Left. No one talks about how much they'll earn one day. They all know.

Conn is the most painfully politically correct college in the country (admittedly I have extensive experience with only two, but I still think it's a safe generalization, or at least a testable hypothesis). Everything here is disgustingly sanitized, glossed over, or ignored, and there are ironic counterpoints to our much-loved diversity everywhere (e.g. the multicultural "Unity House" where white people are shunned beyond belief). I have to give the school credit though, it's a very welcoming environment to the vast majority of students; admittedly, this is because the vast majority of students are sheltered, sanitized and lacking in any realistic conception of the world, but hey, credit where credit is due. Students wear either 400 dollars worth of trendy shit, or they wear their pajamas, there isn't a whole lot of in-between. Different types of students interact, but in a very self-aggrandizing, masturbatorily politically correct sense. As to the dining hall (Harris in this case, not really familiar with the small ones): the left side is minority kids, the right side is jocks, the middle is "normal" people that don't have a gang, and there's the "Anti-Social Room" off to the side for everyone else. We may have diversity, but it's some pretty segregated artificial bullshit diversity ("artificial" and "bullshit" being perennial descriptors of the bulk of the school). Everyone at Conn is either from just-outside-Boston or the rest of the world. Everyone at Conn is either on a full ride scholarship or paying full tuition (or at least everyone portrays themselves as one or the other of those). Students are very politically active, but nauseatingly politically unaware: all the bullshit causes du jour are very very popular here - if you believe the hype, then by this point, I have personally SAVED DARFUR NOW at least 3 times, STOPPED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE twice, and ENDED RACISM about once a day (and don't even get me started on the Jena Six, dear Jesus...). It's pretty empowering until you get a fucking clue... Everyone here labels themselves as liberals and leftists, but I'll be damned if I've met more than 10 people who know what actually refers to. And finally, students here don't just TALK about how much they'll earn one day, they DEFINE THEMSELVES by it.

I'm part of the Christian group on campus, and although it may be small, it is very supportive, and I love it! I wish there was more diversity on campus. There are all different kinds of people, I don't think I could describe just one "typical" student. To calss, a lot of people waer swats and sweatshirts, but at night, some people get really dressed up! Most students are from outside of Boston, or at least New England/New York/New Jersey area. Most people don't get or really need financial aid.

We have a huge range of different minorities here, although they don't make up a big enough percentage of the student body. I don't personally have many black friends because I literally don't run into them ever. I do, however, have quite a few gay friends and Jewish friends, and there is a pretty large basis of Asians here. On the socio-economic level, however, most people come from a very rich background. -- I'm not sure that there really is a specific type of student that wouldn't fit in here. -- We aren't segregated at all; everyone mixes and mingles. What it mostly comes down to is who lives near you and who is in your classes. If there aren't any of one type of minority living near you or in any of your classes, then you probably won't be found hanging out with any of them not because you don't want to or don't like them but because you literally don't come into contact with them. -- If there is any true racial/minority/social group separation here, you'll find it in the dining halls. One side of the room holds the "jocks" and the other holds the "minorities" while everyone else is thrown into the middle, except for the a few people who stay in the side room who can't be accurately placed in any of the groups. -- Most Conn students are from New England and New York/New Jersey with much emphasis on Massachusetts. However, we do have random spatterings of people from Colorado or Oregon or California. -- Most kids are from rich families in ritzy suburbs. -- Politics and activism are very prevalent on campus, especially liberal students and enviromentalists. -- I don't typically hear anyone saying that they are going to be earning so many dollars when they graduate from here, no. But many people talk about their aspirations or dreams.

I think a common misperception about Conn is that everyone is from upper middle class families, when the reality is that there is a great range of financial backgrounds at our school, which is something I appreciate. I feel that most students here are liberal, but that in general, our student body is politically apathetic and needs some rejuvenation.