Our first stop today was Union College, a small college of 2,100 students with options in both the liberal arts and engineering. Unique aspects of Union include: working on a trimester system, meeting full financial need of students that are admitted, being both selective and testing optional, and having a campus that was founded in 1795 (that is 20+ years before University of Virginia, for those keeping track). The thread among all of the panels/experiences that we were shown at Union had to do with being interdisciplinary. I got the keen sense that the students who fit in best are those with interests in more than one field, who are interested in learning to think from many different perspectives but who are also willing to delve deep into their specified field of study. I was pleasantly surprised with our quick drive through Schenectady (a 10 minute walk from campus), a place that is clearly experienced an urban renewal. Between 40 and 45% of Union students end up joining a fraternity or sorority-- though rushing is not allowed in the first year. All students are also assigned a membership to a Minerva, which is a community building technique that gives each student a 'home base' on campus-- used partly for housing some students but more to organize social activities and give all students use of a full kitchen. Facilities as Union are almost completely up to date, I didn't feel like I stepped foot in a single place that was dated or run down. I can't help but wonder what historic details have been lost to these renovations, but for a student who values modern facilities and interiors, I don't think Union will disappoint. Located right in between the state's largest state park (Adironack) and the state capitol, there is something for both rugged sportsperson and those who crave the political pulse of urban life. There is a strong connection with practical STEM fields, but still plenty of students studying the liberal arts.
In the afternoon, we visited Skidmore College. At 2,700 students, it was the larger school of the day. Located in Saratoga Springs, it is a school that describes itself as the best fit for an eclectic student. They have strong connections with creativity and the arts, yet the most popular major is business. Originally a women's college that is now co-ed with a 60/40 split, they do not have a greek system and the social scene was described as laid back. About 60% of students spend time studying abroad and the professor's described the students as ambitious, self-starting, independently minded, curious and comfortable with multiple ways of being. I was particularly struck with the strong campus emphasis on women's rights and embracing the LGBT community. I saw gender neutral bathrooms throughout our tour and the campus is plastered with posters from a student generated campaign called 'Show Your Sport' that displays portraits of student athletes standing as allies for the LGBT community. I also loved the posters up about building consent culture in college. More colleges need to follow this lead (like ASAP). If you are looking for a traditional northeastern college campus with Gothic architecture and stained glass, you won't find it at Skidmore. The school was founded about a hundred years ago in downtown Saratoga but moved to the current campus in the 1970s when they went co-ed and outgrew their original digs. This means that you are going to see architecture that reflects that time period up to the present day (it reminded me in some ways of places like Hampshire and Ithaca). About 40% of the class comes to Skidmore through Early Decision. I appreciated also the transparency offered about the fact that Skidmore opts to be need aware but promises to meet 100% of demonstrated need for students that are admitted. To be honest, I'd rather them take this route than admit students and then proceed to gap them in the financial aid process. As anyone who can see the Naviance scattergram knows, Skidmore is not a strictly numbers based admission process. Aside from the need aware issue, they are also a place that pays attention to demonstrated interest. Or, to put it more accurately, they said they pay attention to demonstrated disinterest. Students are given space to share how they have connected with campus. When a student doesn't have anything to share, their disinterest is being heard loud and clear, along with the arrival of their waitlist letter.
The first day of the tour was a great success. Despite being in relatively close proximity and similar in some surface type of ways, I think there were some clear differences between Union and Skidmore and I'm so thankful to have had the chance to see both of them so I can be more informed when talking to students and families.
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