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Overall Experience
Union -
Schenectady, NY
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Sure, Schenectady isn’t what you would call an “ideal college town,” but that doesn’t seem to affect the students’ overall experience here at Union. Sure, the food gets old after awhile, but that seems to happen at every school. And students party hard at Union, too. So, what makes Union different? Three things: 1) Incredible academics. There are very small class sizes and incredibly devoted professors with long office hours. Furthermore, it’s easy to have an interdisciplinary major or to design your own major. 2) Funding. Although students are into doing their “own thing,” funding is available for just about anything. Want to start a club? Get 10 people and write a budget. Want to organize a protest in DC? Get an IEG (Intellectual Enrichment Grant) and/or a SEG (Social Enrichment Grant) or find funding from a particular department. 3) The Minerva System. No one knows where exactly the house system will take Union (the fraternities aren’t quite in love with the fact that they’ve lost their housing), but it has the potential to add a lot to the campus.
First-year students at Union seem to be split into two groups: those who hate it and those that love it. One can make a reasonable argument for both cases. Those who hate it see a homogenous student body with a lot of money to spend and little motivation. There’s a lot of drinking on campus for someone who never drank in high school, and the fraternities are not the kind of places that draw the shy, hippie, or particularly mature student. Those first-year students who love Union have either fallen in love with the party scene or have fallen in love with the fact that the school is at their finger tips academically. Socially, it takes a bit to adjust to Union if you’re not the outgoing type and not willing to jump on the academic bandwagon. But eventually, people really do find their niche at Union and seem generally happy.
Lastly, students at Union “do their own thing.” They are motivated, career-oriented, and looking to have a good time. It is difficult to categorize the ideal student for Union, as students work hard to find a place for themselves here. In general, freshmen who arrive from small urban towns away from New York City or Boston grow a tough skin after a few terms. They learn how to deal with a small environment where people seem to have a culture of high socio-economic means. What is amazing about Union is that even the students who really don’t feel like they fit in find their niche and grow to love the place. Stereotypes are made the first week of school and shattered by the end of the year. Warning: if you’re overly sensitive, absolutely hate the cold, or have a tendency to overindulge in alcohol, don’t come to Union. Otherwise, this is a great college that will toughen your skin, focus you academically, and ship you off into the professional world.
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"I enjoy the interaction that I am able to have with my professors and my advisor, but I wish that the students cared a little bit more. There are certainly some who do care, but it is a frustratingly apathetic campus." |
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"I have had a wonderful time here—I think because I have taken advantage of the many opportunities that the school has to offer." |
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"I absolutely love Union and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. While there are lots of things that we may not like a lot of the time, the experience has been wonderful and well worth it. Probably the biggest downside of Union is its location, but that doesn’t ruin the daily life on campus." |
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"I can’t imagine spending the past four years of college anywhere else. I wouldn’t change my decision to come here at all. Union is a great school, and it’s only going to get better over time." |
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"I’m happy at Union. School is about friends and activities (hopefully, also classes) that you enjoy—I’m sure I would have had a very similar experience at any other small liberal-arts school. Getting involved, meeting people, and talking to your professors comes with time, but the sooner you do, the better it will be." |
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By The Numbers
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Full-Time Undergraduates:
2,160
Part-Time Undergraduates:
32
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Total Male Undergraduates:
1,198
Total Female Undergraduates:
994
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Overall Acceptance Rate:
49%
Early Decision Acceptance Rate:
68%
Early Action Acceptance Rate:
Not offered
Regular Acceptance Rate:
48%
Total Applicants:
4,060
Total Acceptances:
2,005
Freshman Enrollment:
552
Yield (% of admitted students who actually enroll):
28%
Early Decision Deadline:
Early Decision One: November 15
Early Decision Two: January 15
Early Decision Notification:
Early Decision One: December 15
Early Decision Two: February 1
Regular Decision Deadline:
January 15
Regular Decision Notification:
April 1
Must-Reply-By Date:
May 1
Applicants Placed on Waiting List:
681
Students Enrolled from Waiting List:
105
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Transfer Applications Received:
120
Transfer Applications Accepted:
48
Transfer Students Enrolled:
24
Transfer Application Acceptance Rate:
36%
SAT I or ACT Required?:
Either
SAT I Range (25th–75th Percentile):
1160–1340
SAT I Verbal Range (25th–75th Percentile):
570–660
SAT I Math Range (25th–75th Percentile):
590–680
Freshman Retention Rate:
93%
Top 10% of High School Class:
59%
Application Fee:
$50
Common Application Accepted?:
Yes
Supplemental Forms?:
Yes
Admissions Phone:
(518) 388-6112
Admissions E-Mail:
Admissions Web Site:
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