Connecticut College Top Questions

Conn College has a bit of clique problem, but this is only an issue if you let it be. If you don't care and can just get over it, than you will be fine. Make friends with whoever you want and don't let other people sway your decisions about who is cool. Most Conn Coll students are wealthy and white and from 20 minutes outside of Boston. But that should not be held against them.

See above on stereotypes, and in addition: Conn is extremely open to alternative lifestyles and has a large and active gay community. Socio-economically the school tends to consist primarily of upper-middle class students. The school is very "WASPY" and has a large Jewish population as well. To class students where all sorts of things. The student body seems divided between preps who wear polo shirts to class, and artsy students who wear trendy cloths to class. All the different types frequently interact which is one of my favorite things about Conn--jocks, musicians, nerds, ect. all hang out. Racially, however, the school lacks in diversity and, while there are many exceptions, races tend not to interact with as much frequency they should which may have to do with the way the school recruits minorities: they target minorities from particular urban schools which creates a situation uncomfortable for minorities if not for race than because of the drastic contrast between wealthy New Englanders and working class New Yorkers. Politically students are overwhelmingly liberal. I can count the number of republicans I have met here on one hand. With a focus on the environment and internationalism, this seems logical. Students do not seem preoccupied with how much they will earn one day.

I am a full scholarship student and have NEVER felt out of place or looked down on by my classmates. True, i have specifically sought out friends who are not like this, but for the most part i feel that even the very wealthy people here (and there are a lot of them) are not snobby. Generally there a lot of rich white new englanders, as well as a surprising number of Californians. Most people here failed to get into ivy league schools.

I feel like Conn's campus is very well rounded. Because of the LGBTQ center alot more people are open about their sexuality and no student seems to be closeminded. It creates a comfortable atomosphere.

Most students do care about how they look, and in general are very attractive. I think overweight people would feel really uncomfortable, because there just arent very many heavy people here. It is definitely a very pretty school, especially the girls. Most kids are well-off new englanders who do want well paying jobs, but there are also a lot of people who plan to work for the peace corps or who spend a lot of time doing community service.

Most kids at Conn College are white and rich, but unlike the prestigious sterotype that goes along with that minority, Conn College is not like that. Most people are friendly and generally socially adept and outgoing. Conn College is also very casual, and people reflect that in there attire, personality and lifestyle. People are very accepting as well and generally everyone interacts with everyone. Most kids are from outside Boston but the student body is getting more diverse; when i first arrived at Conn College I knew every West Coaster at the school and now it is unbelievable how large that population has grown. Students are extremely politically aware and are both left, right and center, I dont believe there is more of one group.

The typical "uniform" at Conn (at least when it's chilly, which is the majority of the time), a pair of jeans, some clogs/sneakers/moccasins, and a Northface fleece. When it's warmer, and people are less worried about how much they're going to freeze wearing other clothes, the style (for girls) is pretty J. Crew meets Urban Outfitters. Preppy bohemian might be a good way to put it. For guys, it definitely leans more towards the preppy side of things (lots of docksiders going on). However, I'm just generalizing and that's certainly not the case for everyone. I would say that, because we're so small, people do generally interact with each other. Yet, there's definitely a separation between the minority students and the rest of the student body. If you walked into Harris dining hall, you'd see a lot of international and/or African American students sitting to your right, a fairly random mix of people in the middle struggling to find seats, and the sports teams dominating the right side. However, I don't personally feel that this separation occurs in all aspects of life at Conn. It's just especially visible in the dining hall. Most Conn students are from "right outside Boston." If you're not from outside Boston, you're probably from California or from any state above Massachusetts. I think there's probably about five or ten people that I personally know from Pennsylvania. I think that most people could find a niche at Conn. However, it's not incredibly politically active, so if you're looking for a school to really get involved in politics and issues, Conn might not be the place for you. Unless, however, those issues are environmental ones! If you're looking for the big city/lots of bars/lots of things to do off campus experience, Conn wouldn't be the best fit either. Conn is located kind of outside New London, which is a small and rather run down town along the coast. There's not really much going on there, but the Mohegan Sun casino is about ten minutes away where a lot of people go. New London gets kind of a bad reputation, but it really does have some good restaurants (Bangkok City for Thai food, Northern India for Indian food, Illiano's for great pizza...). Also, you can't forget that the beach is like ten minutes away!

most are from outside boston or jersey. Most are white upper middle class.

Conn students are very nice and approachable people. I do not feel like there is a pretentious attitude that is often stereotyped to East coast private schools. Many students are from the Northeast, but there is diversity; for instance among my friends I know people from Massachusetts (of course), Minnesota, California, Washington, Washington D.C., Florida, Connecticut, New York, Maine, Turkey and Ecuador. The student body is predominantly liberal, but not significantly politically active.

I'm not sure that I can think of a specific kind of student who would feel out of place. I think it might be hard socially to interact on campus if you do not drink, but there are people on campus who do not engage in activities with alcohol. Most students wear casual clothes to class- and in general, I would say that the girls put more effort in to their appearance than the boys for class. Different types of students interact, but often similar students end up forming their own social groups. Most Conn students come from New England, more specifically "just outside of Boston" or New York City.

I personally do not feel that Conn. is very diverse because I grew up in an inner city school district and went to high school with people from all backgrounds. I do think that the administration and admissions is trying to promote the school to all different types of people and that they are doing their best with this endeavor. There is interaction among different groups of people but at times it feels very segregated. Most conn students are from massachusetts and are middle or upper middle class. Students are for the most part politically aware and there are some active groups on campus. Most people are to the left but there is some right perspectives.

I have had very little experience with the aforementioned groups on campus-I've seen what they're doing, which I like. I think that no student would really feel out of place here. Students wear a variety of clothing to class, from extremely casual to dress clothing. Different types of students don't interact unless given an opportunity through classes or extracurricular activities, which fortunately happens more often here than in other places because of the size. Most students are from outside New York or Boston. I think that upper middle class backgrounds are the most prevalent. Students are politically aware and active, although not as much as they should be. They are strongly left or right. Students do talk about how much they'll earn one day in the context of their career goals.

Lots of support for all sorts of people casual wear all around extremely left-wing politically

pretty sweet.

ConnColl isn't the most diverse place, but people find their niches. The people that apply to a competitive liberal arts college in New England all fit in, because that only reaches out to a certain number of demographics. Conn is an accepting place, getting more so, but it isn't yet a place where people can show their diversities on the forefront and feel entirely at ease. It's a small school, keep in mind. Word travels fast, and most people are at least on a recognition basis by sophomore year. But the changing classes (graduating seniors, incoming freshman) keep you on your feet. One nice thing is that classes don't matter so much. Seniority isn't held over anyone's head, and all the classes intermingle. There are no freshman dorms, and one can feel easily comfortable in regards to age. Dorm community is great, depending on your dorm, but most are great. Most students are from "just outside Boston" which is an ongoing joke in the school. With the tuition being so high (getting close to $50,000) most students are relatively wealthy, but that isn't exclusively the case.

While there are religious groups on campus, they are relatively small. Major religions, Christianity in particular, often carry a negative connotation because many at Conn College believe that religion is a weakness and an immaturity; almost like something you should grow out of believing in, like Santa Claus. There is pretty good racial diversity, but most groups keep to themselves. There is an evident LGBT community at Conn that is made to feel comfortable for the most part and is given support by faculty, staff, the student body, and the college in general. Many students at Conn are well-off and a good number come from wealthy families. I feel like a very actively conservative (politically) student would feel out of place at Conn. Most students put forth some effort in getting dressed up for class, at least a little bit, but sweatpants and t-shirts are common, too, especially in morning classes. Yes, different types of students interact. I am friends with students from across the world, of different economic situations, and with different political and religious views. Four tables in dining hall: sports teams, loud gossiping girls, the quiet-shy types, "normal" groups of friends usually smiling and having a good time (the majority) Most college students are from New England (especially Boston and New York City areas) and California for whatever reason. Students are many times very politically active, and this activism is predominantly leftist. Yes, money seems to be a major consideration for most students at Conn College. It appears to be a measure of success to most of them and the thing that will lead them to "the good life."

Those groups that you mentioned are very active, which is good, but oftentimes they kind of get in people's faces, which can lead to resentment, which in turn acts against the goals of that group. I am glad that we have them, and I think they serve a valuable function. Students that don't fit in are the kind that are very withdrawn and keep to themselves and their rooms all the time...though I suppose those are the kind of students who wouldn't fit in anywhere. That being said, Conn is a very open environment, and there is a place for just about everyone. Students wear a range of clothes, from pajamas to somewhat "dressy" outfit. There is a joke that everyone from Conn is "twenty minutes outside of Boston" and it's true that many come from New England or the Northeast, there are also a lot of students who come from such places as CA, TX, and GA...as well as from other countries. Students do tend to be wealthier, though. Political ideology is an interesting topic. Students are predominantly left, so much so that people who are different from them are almost treated worse. To be a Republican is to be almost like being gay in Texas, it's something you try to keep hidden. I find this annoying, to tell the truth, since the whole point of college is to hear different viewpoints. No.

I feel like everyone is generally accepting and tolerant in terms of race, religion, and LGBT-- all jokes aside. However, I still feel like the minority students are out of place. I mean, they are surrounded by a sea of white people. Similarly, the international students are isolated as well. I don't blame either of these groups for sticking together because you tend to hang out with people who are the same as you and with whom you can relate.

i dont have any experience with those groups. A shy student who isnt involved in alot of activites. It a mixture most girls will dress up in skirts and pants and some boys do as well, but there is a group of people who just wear sweat pants. Yes diffrent students interact all the time. Most conn students are form either mass, conn or new york. middle class to upper middle class. yes students are politically aware. I am not sure. No.

A majority of my close friends are from different racial and socio-economic groups. This is a big change from high school. Most students get pretty dressed up for class but there are kids who wear sweatpants. If there are four tables of students in the dining hall, there would be a sports team table, an international kid table, and then two tables of mixed groups of students. Most students are politically aware and predominantly left. Different types of students do interact but there are still separations.