About Connecticut College
Location: New London, CT
Undergraduate Population: 1,990
Most Popular Majors: Economics, Psychology, Government, Biology, Sociology
Motto: Tanquam lignum quod plantatum est secus decursus aquarum (“Like a tree planted by rivers of water that bringeth forth its fruit in its season”)
Demographics:
White 67.6%
Latinx 11.4%
Black/African American 5%
Multiracial 4%
Asian/Asian American 3.7%
Native American less than 1%
History:
Connecticut College was founded in 1911 as the state’s only women’s college, as a response to Wesleyan University having stopped admitting women in 1909. Several Wesleyan alumnae founded the “Connecticut College for Women” due to the increasing desire among women for higher education. Their initial endowment came from financial assistance from the city of New London and its residents, along with wealthy benefactors. The land was formerly a dairy farm.
On September 27, 1915, the college opened its doors to students. The first batch of students was made up of 99 freshmen, candidates for degrees, and 52 special students, totalling 151. There were 23 initial faculty members. The college became coeducational in 1969, adopting “Connecticut College” as its name.
Today, Conn is a four-year residential undergraduate institution with nearly 2,000 students. Students choose courses from 41 programs, including interdisciplinary pathways and centers, with a majority choosing to study abroad.
Notable Connecticut College alumni include comedian Joan Rivers, actor H. Jon Benjamin, actress and activist Susan Saint James, photographer Laura Wilson, and journalist David Grann.
Traditions:
- Festivus is an annual non-denominational holiday party. Each residence house hosts its own Festivus party, all culminating in a Festivus dance in the College Center at Crozier-Williams.
- Floralia is a day-long student spring festival in May. There are bands and lots of dancing in the Shain Library Amphitheater.
- Hosted every August for first-year students, Batch Blast often includes picnics, comedy acts, hypnotists, improv groups, open mics and other social events.
Noteworthy Features:
- The general education program, called Connections, spans all four years of a student’s undergraduate experience. Coursework includes two semesters of foundational courses, including a first-year seminar, an interdisciplinary ConnCourse, and two Social Difference and Power courses, followed by a series of thematically linked classes called an “Integrative Pathway.”
- Seniors partake in an integrative project that is presented at an All-College Symposium.
- Dance and drama programs have a prominent presence on campus. Aspiring actors, directors, and stagehands often work on numerous on-campus productions and with the Eugene O’Neill Theater Institute,
Admissions Profile
Average GPA: Not reported
Test Scores (mid-50% range): 1160-1400 SAT/ ACT Not reported
Admit Rate: 37%
Test-Optional? Yes
Offers Early Admissions? Yes—Early Decision I and II
Supplemental Essays
Developing a strong, equitable, and inclusive community is important to us at Connecticut College. After all, camels live and work together in herds. In 150 words or less, please tell us who you are and what you will bring to the Conn community to help us grow into the best version of ourselves. You may choose to include details about how your background, identity, challenges, and lived experiences have shaped your accomplishments and potential contributions.
Any format is acceptable. You can write a few sentences, one run-on sentence, a short poem, or even a bullet-point list.
No matter which format you choose for the essay, don’t just mention what your background is—talk about how it has shaped you and your perspective. You can write about any aspect of your identity that is a defining part of who you are, whether that’s your race, gender, religion, sexuality, geographic location, or socioeconomic background. For Vanderbilt, the question asks for an aspect of your “ identity, culture, or background” and specifically one that has impacted your personal growth.
Consider what you want the school to know about you. Supplemental essays provide further context to your application. So, no matter what you write about your background, your response should help admissions officers understand where you come from, what experiences have been meaningful to you, and how you’ll contribute to the diversity of the campus community.
You can learn more about how to write a supplemental essay on identity and background from our blog post.
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