[tnmmc]

I really need help choosing a school to transfer to since I'm not from the area. Probably a public school because private might be too expensive.. however, I'll still have to pay out of state tuition, so if they're close in price it would be fine. Ok, so this is what I'm looking for:

-Smaller school- I want that small school feel, preferably in a smallish town as well ( but not so small that the academic selection suffers.. )

-Recreation- Lots of it. Which schools are closest to the most activities - skiing mostly- and which schools' students actually participate regularly? (Actually go on weekend trips, etc.)


As far as academic programs go, I can figure that out for the most part.

What I'm really searching for is what the students are like at each of the schools (please be honest!) and which schools you guys would recommend?

Any other advice would be great as well!

Thank you in advance, I really appreciate it!

[skytrekker]

Connecticut has many public colleges- the Flagship of the system is the University of Connecticut in Mansfield/Storrs- located about 33 miles northeast of Hartford. UCONN is located in a semi rural area- away from a large town or city- you may need a car if you want to commute to Hartford, New Haven or Norwich.

The State University System- has 4 schools- Eastern CT State Univ. in Willimantic; Central CT state Univ. in New Britain; Southern in New Haven & Western in Danbury near the NY state border. Southern and Central are perhaps the most urban.

The four state Universities described above offer smaller campuses, and smaller class room size in a more intimate learning experience then UCONN. Central in New Britain has an especially nice smaller sized campus.

UCONN has a school of Law (in W. Hartford) And a medical/dental school in Farmington.
UCONN; offers a broad spectrum of undergraduate degrees but also has the greatest number of Ph.D and Masters programs; while the other schools also offer Both Undergraduate degrees and a fairly broad array of Masters, Post Masters professional diplomas, and some Ph.D's.

Community Colleges are spread throughout many areas of the state, with the largest and best in Manchester.

Prices for private schools in Connecticut are still likely to be more expensive then someone attending a Public school from out of state (costs for private schools with room, fees, books, board and tuition is likely to exceed $40K a year) With Trinity(46k) and Wesleyan 46K Quinnipiac University 42K Fairfield University 44K

The University of CT Mansfield for out of state undergraduates- $31k tuition, w/ room and board, books, fees inc
Central Connecticut State University, New Britain; out of state 25k tuition, w/ room and board, books fees inc

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by tnmmc

I really need help choosing a school to transfer to since I'm not from the area. Probably a public school because private might be too expensive.. however, I'll still have to pay out of state tuition, so if they're close in price it would be fine. Ok, so this is what I'm looking for:

-Smaller school- I want that small school feel, preferably in a smallish town as well ( but not so small that the academic selection suffers.. )

-Recreation- Lots of it. Which schools are closest to the most activities - skiing mostly- and which schools' students actually participate regularly? (Actually go on weekend trips, etc.)


As far as academic programs go, I can figure that out for the most part.

What I'm really searching for is what the students are like at each of the schools (please be honest!) and which schools you guys would recommend?

Any other advice would be great as well!

Thank you in advance, I really appreciate it!

Consider Quinnipiac University. It's a very good school with a beautiful campus in Hamden, CT, a suburb of New Haven. The students are intelligent, but like to party (as nearly any university).

Also consider Fairfield University. This too is an excellent school but pricey. It's located in Fairfield CT, a suburb between Bridgeport and Norwalk in the NY Metro area.

Other schools you might consider are Trinity, Conn College and Wesleyan. These are very competitive schools and I'm not sure what your credentials are. Wesleyan is a bit quirky but still an excellent school.

[nico7]

If you want to be close to skiing, I would have to nudge you towards schools in New Hampshire and Vermont. The state schools there are pretty decent: in my opinion, not as good academically as UConn or UMass, but UVM is probably better than most state schools. As a plus, Burlington is a great town. Middlebury (expensive and selective, but offers financial aid) has its own ski mountain, where I once skied off a small cliff, accidentally. Dartmouth also has its own mountain(s) -- an expensive school, but one that would offer substantial financial aid (if you can get in). There are also a bazillion schools in Massachusetts, but very many of those are private and few of them are close to good skiing.

As for Connecticut, if the skiing isn't that important, I would check out UConn. The private schools in Connecticut are very good, but they're expensive. Almost all of them have meager funds for financial aid (Yale and maybe Wesleyan being the exceptions). For state schools, UConn is really the best option -- unless you are going to be working a lot of hours to pay for your education. Then the regional state universities might be more accommodating. But again, UConn may offer superior financial aid.

Good luck on your search.

[kidyankee764]

UCONN is a huge school - if size matters then be sure to check the populations of each.

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by nico7

The private schools in Connecticut are very good, but they're expensive. Almost all of them have meager funds for financial aid (Yale and maybe Wesleyan being the exceptions). For state schools, UConn is really the best option -- unless you are going to be working a lot of hours to pay for your education. Then the regional state universities might be more accommodating. But again, UConn may offer superior financial aid.

Don't automatically rule out a private University or College, fearing the tuition would be too high. My son will be attending a private university in Ct. next year, and his tuition was cut nearly in half as part of our financial aid package from the University. We know someone attending the University of Hartford, and her tuition was also halved. We're not poor, just middle class, so you don't need to be destitute to get a good financial aid package.

By contrast, Central Connecticut University, which is a state university, only offered us $2000.00 off tuition for the year.

[uconn99]

UConn really isnt that big student population wise, however the campus is HUGE.

I went to Arizona State, almost 58,000 kids. UConn has less than 22,000 as a comparison.

UVM in Burlington is a great school. Burlington is a fun town and the school is well regarded.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by uconn99

UConn really isnt that big student population wise, however the campus is HUGE.

I went to Arizona State, almost 58,000 kids. UConn has less than 22,000 as a comparison.

UVM in Burlington is a great school. Burlington is a fun town and the school is well regarded.

Well of course compared to one of the largest schools in the nation UCONN might look small. Compared to your average college or university, UCONN is very large population wise. You are right - the campus is huge too. Very spread out.

Also when you compare to the state universities and others like Quinnipiac and Wesleyan, these are much more intimate than UCONN. It just seemed to me that this is what the OP was looking for.

[IraqVetnowaMomma]

Sacred Heart and Quinipiac are small schools with high student involvement like you described, but I think both are private =(... still check out the prices

[Geotennis777]

Central Connecticut State University in New Britain would be your best bet--challenging academics, cheap price, BEAUTIFUL campus, Division I athletics, you can't go wrong!