Connecticut College Top Questions

Conn is a great place to go to school. All student resources are very close to your dorms. Classes are small and professors are approachable. People get wild when its partytime, but work hard when its not. Most students walk between 2-5 minutes to get to class. Its a bit of a struggle to get off campus, but so many students have cars its really not a problem.

The best thing about Conn is that I honestly feel like I do have a voice here. Something I'd change is a.) make the freakin' AC closer and b.) have people generally have a greater respect for other people (and their property) - that includes respecting the school and the people who work here. I think this school could be a bit bigger- but not much. When I tell people I go to Conn they either go "Oh, great basketball" (meaning they think I go to UConn, or "Oh, great school - what's your major?" I spend most of my time in my dorm room or the dorm rooms of others. I don't think NewLo is the typical "college town" but I think there is definitely an interesting dynamic between the "city" and the college. I think the administration- especially Pres. Higdon- is doing a great job. Honestly. CONN COLLEGE CONFESSIONAL- aka a lot of small minded people venting about people, places and things that they don't fully understand. I don't think there is a lot of school pride - at least not as much as there should be. I think we're at a really great place and if people opened their eyes, put a little effort into it, and stopped their bitching they'd see what a great deal they have! One experience I'll always remember is...well I think there's a lot. Maybe my favorite are the little chats with Leo Higdon in the dining hall. I mean really, how many presidents really get to know their students? The most frequent complaints have to be the food- which honestly could be SO much worse.

The best thing about the college is the campus: it is compact, close-knit, and small enough to be easily and quickly traversable. The dorms, however, rarely form close communities, and it is alarmingly easy to feel like an island in a sea of people. People generally react with puzzlement or confusion at the mention of Conn College (UConn being the classic object of confusion), or with no particular impression: Conn, when it is known at all, is not known for anything at all, either positive or negative. I spend most of my time on campus hanging out in either my or my friends' dorms (there aren't any meaningful campus-wide common areas or places for students to hang out, with the questionable exception of the library, I suppose). New London ostensibly has ties to Conn, but those ties mostly consist of 1) propagandistic bullshit from the administration trying to make New London sound like something better than a never-quite-started revival, 2) local restaurants catering or sponsoring meals on campus, or 3) occasional visits to town eateries/drinkeries. While there are a few shining stars (one or two, tops, that I've met) in the Conn administration, and I haven't, admittedly, dealt with them enough to really comment, my general impression is lukewarm to negative, from hearsay. The biggest controversy I can remember on campus recently was the debut of the Conn College Confessional website (anonymous posting of anything that's on your mind), and I suspect that will be the only controversy I experience here, because this campus is so obnoxiously and unfailingly politically correct. School pride varies a lot - some people are proud to have gotten into what is ostensibly a top tier liberal arts college, others are disappointed by its obscurity, some think Conn is great, others are less enthusiastic. There definitely isn't a tidal wave of school spirit, as a general rule (unless it's an excuse for copious drinking!). In many ways, the most remarkable thing about Conn is how totally unremarkable it is: there's a lot of drinking, but no more or less than any other college; there're smart people and dumb people (mostly the latter), geeks and jocks; there's a campus and a town but neither enough connection nor enough isolation to set us apart. I have yet to have an experience at Conn that I wil always remember that I wouldn't have had at any other college, or at a job, or sitting around living with my parents instead of either a career or an education. The most frequent student complaints I hear here will probably be best addressed in the next section, so without further ado....

Location is great. It's really small but I like it that way. People who have heard of the school know it's a great school. It's not a college town, but there's enough stuff going on on campus that it's not a big deal.

Conn has a really great Career center - CELS. New London is nice, hard to get to, but an ok town to hang out in. Biggest controversy is ConnCollConfessional. I would say that reading it IS NOT a good representation of the Conn experience, and I like how the student body is handeling it. Complaints are usually that they have a hard time branching out - but then again, on "mix it up day" not many peopl esit with someone new.

The best thing about Conn is that this place is one big community: no matter where I am going and with whom, people are always saying "Hey, what's up?" or "How's it going?" It's easy to feel welcomed here. -- If I were to change something about this place I would put the dorms closer together. Sometimes, especially in South campus, it becomes easy to feel isolated. -- The number of students here is just perfect for me, but everyone is different; I know people who want there to be more students here and others who get lost in the 1,800 students that we have. -- When I say "I go to Conn College," the most frequent reactions are either "I've never heard of it," or "Oh, U Conn, really?" -- I spend a lot of time either in my dorm or in Cro, the student center. But each day is different. Sometimes I am all over the place, or just in the library, or in a friend's dorm. -- We are definitely separated from New London a lot more than anyone would like tell you. However, OVCS (Office of Volunteers for Community Service) helps transport students into New London for community service jobs, and we have the Camel Van which makes stops at major locations in the city. -- There are good things and bad things about our administration. For the most part, everyone is really helpful. However, there are a few people who aren't informed about the college as much as they should be (when standing in the Knowlton common room, President Higdon once asked which part of campus he was on), and there are some people who try to be more powerful than they actually are. -- Recently, there was a huge controversy about Conn getting RA's (essentially) and much of the problems came from Dean Briddell who thought that she could overstep her bounds as a Dean and usurp the power that SGA has in controlling certain aspects of campus life. The situation was resolved with some sort of compromise. -- For the most part, there is quite a lot of school pride. I mean, who doesn't like kicking Williams' or Bowdoin's asses in sporting events? -- Something unusual about Conn is that we have an Honor Code that gives us, as students and as residents, a lot of freedom. However, we have a lot of responsibility that balances out the freedom that we were given through the Honor Code. -- I will never forget my first play here: I was in a student run production in the first semester of my freshman year (2007-2008); I made some really great friends who I'll never forget. -- I think the most frequent complaint that I hear is "There is NOTHING to eat tonight," or "This meal was really gross..."

I think something about Conn College that stands out to me is the way that people here are genuinely nice for the most part. I really do believe that this school does not attract any snobby types, and that there are a good amount of people here who really love the school. I spend a lot of my time on campus in my room with friends, and sitting around at the library, doing work or just talking to other people there. For me, Conn has been an experience filled with wonderful friends, and each semester I meet and befriend new people whom I get to know and love. Since Conn is not exactly a very "impressive" name in the college world, I feel as though it is a school that attracts people for reasons other than status and name power. Something great about this school is the way that dorms are mixed with all grades, because it really fosters friendships that span class years. Freshman year, I became friends with a senior who really became my life and Conn guru, and I never would have crossed paths with him if we hadn't lived on the same floor. I also think that the respected dance department here adds a great, creative vibe to campus, and dance is something that so many people partake in, whether by taking Experimental or going to performances. The creative addition that dance provides our campus with distinguishes it from other schools.

The best thing about Conn is the environment. You are located on a pristine, beautiful campus, with nature all around you. Not only that, but you are in close contact with your professors, since there is such a high teacher to student ratio. These factors, combined with a relatively consciencious student body and a supportive administration, make Conn a place where you can really grow, learn, and explore your interests. You will be exposed to lots of motivated people, and you will be in contact with lots of interesting professors. That being said, not every Conn student is motivated, interesting, and consciencous. There are plenty of people who are arrogant, petty, and insensitive; but those people are everywhere. One of the hardest part about being at conn is how small it is. You have limited social options, and parties are usually not as big as they would be at larger schools. You have a smaller group of people from which to pick your friends, and often the social politics can be catty and very much like high school. People are more concerned about their image on the campus, because if you do something, everyone finds out. On the other hand, being in a small student body is great, in that you form lasting friendships with people, and you can know everyone at a party, rather than just your own little group. You have to choose what's more important to you, and what kind of social scene you feel you need at college. Plenty of freshman arrive expecting big parties; finding fewer than they had hoped, many of these freshman transfer.

Food's not good Weekend life revolves around drinking and partying More prone to random hook-ups (Conn is not conducive to relationships)

I've been extremely happy here at Connecticut College. The size is just right-- my professors know me and I have a great group of people that support me on campus, and this nurturing atmosphere has really helped me grow. On the other hand, it's not too small either-- I can still walk into the snack shop and not know anybody sitting at the tables. I spend most of my time in the residence halls, hanging out with my friends, or going out to dinner or a coffee in New London. New London has struggled economically over the years, but it's going through a real renaissance these days, with a fair trade coffee house, good sushi, a Mexican restaurant that was in the New York Times, and some really cool music and art festivals. Back on campus, I hang out in Coffee Grounds, or in Cro, the student center, where there are student performances as well as Friday Nights Live with musicians passing through on their way to New Haven, Providence, Boston, and New York. What's unusual, and special, about Conn, I think, is our honor code, because it informs every part of life on campus, not just academics. Because of the honor code, I can leave my jacket and purse on my chair at the dance on Saturday night, and not have to worry about it being stolen. Of course, there are always aberrations, but it leads to a social atmosphere of respect and awareness-- people tend to look out for each other, and at college, that's a really nice change.