If you are thinking about attending the University of Connecticut, this article is for you. UConn is overall a great school and an amazing place to further your education and grow as a person, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Like every school, there are plenty of positive and negative aspects.
Pros:
Dining Halls
Now I’m not saying the food is all great, but there are a good amount of options. All of the eight dining halls have their own specialties and are nicely situated around campus, so you’re never too far from a meal.
Clubs and Organizations
There truly is a club for everyone to get involved with. If you love to write, Her Campus could be the place for you. There are plenty of pre-professional clubs, community service-based organizations, and clubs just for you to enjoy your hobbies. It can be scary, but there are so many great opportunities to meet new people. I am in Her Campus, Empowering Women in Law, and Alpha Chi Omega.
Basketball
This one honestly goes without saying. Uconn is one of the best basketball schools in the country. Dan Hurley and Geno Auriemma are basically the celebrities of UConn. You will regularly see students camping outside to get front-row seats to the games. March Madness is the best time of the year and everyone will be tuning in to watch the men play in the Final Four this Saturday.
School Spirit
As seen above, most UConn students love it here. People go all out for sports games, HuskyTHON is one of the biggest events of the year, and you will constantly see people repping UConn merch.
Freshman Dorms
Now I’m not saying the freshman dorms are nice, but I still know people who regularly hang out with the people who were on their floor freshman year. I personally didn’t live in one of the standard freshman dorms (Towers and North) and I think I would have had a much different experience if I had. They really do create an environment for first-year students to get to know each other.
Cons:
Points System Meal Plan
The points system within the meal plans is a little odd. They can be used at most places on campus except where people really want to use them. Points can’t be used at the Subway or Dunkin in the Union or at the Starbucks in the Bookstore. They also cannot be used at the UConn Dairy Bar. It’s not that big of a deal, but there’s a good chance you’ll still spend a lot of money on coffee.
The Rec Center
If you’re like me and would prefer to go to the gym and not see anyone you know, then you’re out of luck. The UConn Rec Center is basically always insanely busy, and you will always see people you know. However, the Rec Center app does tell you what the capacity is at any given time.
Wind
UConn is a literal wind tunnel. Even if the temperature isn’t that low, you’ll probably be freezing because of the wind. At UConn, we always have to check the temperature with the wind chill before deciding what to wear. Even if it’s 50 degrees, you might still want a jacket.
Location
There’s a reason we call UConn Cow Town. While you can get to everything you need without a car (drugstore, groceries, a couple of restaurants) it can feel like you’re stuck after a while. There are a few things to do nearby, but for most outings, you’ll need a car and to drive 30 minutes.
Administration
While we have seen some improvements recently, the administration has not necessarily listened in the way students want. While they supported us on the recent walkout to Hartford, they remained very quiet following on-campus sexual assault claims within the last year.
Conclusion
UConn is a great school and was definitely the right choice for me. At the end of the day, every school is going to have positives and negatives — nothing is going to be completely perfect. There’s much more to know about UConn and I would strongly encourage you to come to visit us in Cow Town.