NESCAC schools - how to find out about the 'culture' of each... are they so different?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pair Wesleyan with Conn College for their socially liberal atmospheres, perhaps along the lines of that of Brown or Skidmore. The arts, from film to dance, are popular at these schools.

Trinity students, as a generality, may be relatively career oriented, with some hoping for futures in New York City. Trinity squash teams have been nationally renowned.

Tufts lacks a discernible culture.

Tufts kids are very bright, generally pretty mainstream. Used to be a lot of kids who just missed Ivies and have a bit of a chip on their shoulder about it - not sure if this is still the case. Excited to be in Boston-area and a clear notch ahead of BU.

I don’t think that’s the case anymore.

These days, many students at Boston schools are those who 'just missed the Ivies.'(or MIT).
It really just comes down to personal preference. The culture and vibe of these schools are all distinctly different.

If you don’t have a clear preference and are simply focused on the Boston area, then yes, I’ve seen students apply to all of Tufts, BU, BC, and NEU. LACs are a completely different category.

Other than that, I don’t see much difference among the applicants, and the schools attract students of pretty similar caliber.

[Anonymous]

For kids that like sports Holy Cross is a good choice.

[Anonymous]

If you can’t find a school with more x-factor than Tufts, keep looking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For kids that like sports Holy Cross is a good choice.

The Holy Cross fan is out in full force. Do you get paid by the post? Love, your friendly neighborhood Jew

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOL about Tufts vibe. Definitely not mainstream rather very liberal and woke. Multiple threads on here about drap campus and minimal school spirit.

Intelligent and great kids.

Not MAGA idiots. People with brain cells who can research facts. Unlike anyone who still votes red.

"woke" you are an idiot.

[Anonymous]

How are the dating scenes at Tufts and BC?

[Anonymous]

For a boy interested in sports keep Trinity and agree with others Holy Cross, Colgate, and Richmond. Williams is the epitome of NESCAC sports culture. But those Patriot League schools are easier admits.

[Anonymous]

Tufts is huge compared to the other NESCAC schools. Over 7000 undergrads, 13000 total. The other NESCAC Schools are in the neighborhood of 1800 to 3000. That makes it very different.

[Anonymous]

Tufts is super woke now. You can live in dorms divided by identity.

Wesleyan has always been woke but also artsy. The campus is divided out a little that way. Although kids are generally happy there.

Trinity is much less woke, but not totally conservative anymore. They just built a huge new sports/wellness center that is gorgeous. The sports fields are right on campus, which is very fun for all the kids whether you're playing or not. They are also starting to invest more in the dorms. Definitely going to put it on more people's radar. The surrounding neighborhood isn't great, but it's not really an issue and West Hartford is like Scarsdale. Lots of interning opps.

Conn College is a notch below the others, but is probably coming up as well.

[Anonymous]

These schools are all identical in culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was looking at NESCAC and from what I can tell through research and campus visit is that they all attract the same kind of applicants within varying degrees. It was almost like culture/student population was not a consideration in picking the school because it was same type of kids at each one.

Have to disagree with the post above as there are discernable differences among the NESCAC schools just as Ivy League schools differ.

Wes is woke to a higher degree than Trinity or Conn College or Tufts.

Tufts proximity to Boston activities gives Tufts a different vibe. Not much school spirit as the lack of isolation allows students to go their own ways as opposed to being forced into a small community due to a remote, isolated location.

Trinity College still has the preppy set & concerns for safety beyond the campus boundaries.

Conn College seems to be more feminine than the others. (I'm sure that this will not evoke any responses.)

Size & location influence each campus culture. More important to visit small schools than large universities due lack of significant options.

Conn started when Wes kicked women out. Perhaps that’s where the feminine energy comes from. There are still more women than men at Conn but that’s probably the case at Wes too now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pair Wesleyan with Conn College for their socially liberal atmospheres, perhaps along the lines of that of Brown or Skidmore. The arts, from film to dance, are popular at these schools.

Trinity students, as a generality, may be relatively career oriented, with some hoping for futures in New York City. Trinity squash teams have been nationally renowned.

Tufts lacks a discernible culture.

Tufts kids are very bright, generally pretty mainstream. Used to be a lot of kids who just missed Ivies and have a bit of a chip on their shoulder about it - not sure if this is still the case. Excited to be in Boston-area and a clear notch ahead of BU.

Outside of medicine, I would hesitate to recommend tufts.

Lot of grindy kids that end up with similar jobs to state school kids.

If you miss the ivies, it’s better to go to a school that is “top tier” in their region than a run of the mill in the north east. The competition is too strong in the northeast whereas say going to cu-boulder, you are going to the the “top school” in the region it is in and also it’s a lot more fun

Tufts is one of the most depressing and negative places to attend

[Anonymous]

Tufts has fallen a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was looking at NESCAC and from what I can tell through research and campus visit is that they all attract the same kind of applicants within varying degrees. It was almost like culture/student population was not a consideration in picking the school because it was same type of kids at each one.

Have to disagree with the post above as there are discernable differences among the NESCAC schools just as Ivy League schools differ.

Wes is woke to a higher degree than Trinity or Conn College or Tufts.

Tufts proximity to Boston activities gives Tufts a different vibe. Not much school spirit as the lack of isolation allows students to go their own ways as opposed to being forced into a small community due to a remote, isolated location.

Trinity College still has the preppy set & concerns for safety beyond the campus boundaries.

Conn College seems to be more feminine than the others. (I'm sure that this will not evoke any responses.)

Size & location influence each campus culture. More important to visit small schools than large universities due lack of significant options.

Conn started when Wes kicked women out. Perhaps that’s where the feminine energy comes from. There are still more women than men at Conn but that’s probably the case at Wes too now.

People just love to make shit up about Wes. It’s been around 52/48 percent gender balance since 2020 which is very strong for any selective school that is not 100% STEM forward. And to the other PPs, whenever you say a school is not “woke” all I hear is that white Christian nationalist culture is prioritized at the expense of any other marginalized culture or group. You can be there, but keep your feelings to yourself, especially when someone from the dominant culture says something ignorant and offensive. Hey, they were only joking!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was looking at NESCAC and from what I can tell through research and campus visit is that they all attract the same kind of applicants within varying degrees. It was almost like culture/student population was not a consideration in picking the school because it was same type of kids at each one.

Have to disagree with the post above as there are discernable differences among the NESCAC schools just as Ivy League schools differ.

Wes is woke to a higher degree than Trinity or Conn College or Tufts.

Tufts proximity to Boston activities gives Tufts a different vibe. Not much school spirit as the lack of isolation allows students to go their own ways as opposed to being forced into a small community due to a remote, isolated location.

Trinity College still has the preppy set & concerns for safety beyond the campus boundaries.

Conn College seems to be more feminine than the others. (I'm sure that this will not evoke any responses.)

Size & location influence each campus culture. More important to visit small schools than large universities due lack of significant options.

Conn started when Wes kicked women out. Perhaps that’s where the feminine energy comes from. There are still more women than men at Conn but that’s probably the case at Wes too now.

People just love to make shit up about Wes. It’s been around 52/48 percent gender balance since 2020 which is very strong for any selective school that is not 100% STEM forward. And to the other PPs, whenever you say a school is not “woke” all I hear is that white Christian nationalist culture is prioritized at the expense of any other marginalized culture or group. You can be there, but keep your feelings to yourself, especially when someone from the dominant culture says something ignorant and offensive. Hey, they were only joking!

"Wesleyan admitted a limited number of women starting in 1872. In 1909, coeducation succumbed to the pressure of male alumni, some of whom believed that it diminished Wesleyan’s standing in comparison with its academic peers. The last female students graduated in 1912. In 1911, some of Wesleyan’s alumnae founded the Connecticut College for Women in New London to help fill the void left when Wesleyan closed its doors to women." (https://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/sca/about/weshistory.html)