Union College | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Kate

Class: Alum
Major: Government
Gender: F

High School:
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

Union offers small classes in a small school environment. With just 2100 students, getting to know professors is easy. The course selection is extremely diverse, which is one of the reasons I chose Union. The courses are the best thing about Union in my opinion. Though many people might not be familiar with the name of Union, the academics are certainly well respected, which is what I found in applying to law school. One thing I would change would be the overwhelming emphasis of Greek life. Fraternities and sororities are a large part of many students Union experience, and it sometimes seemed that there was a lot of social choices outside of frats. That being said, there are lots of activities available to students, such as free movies and comedians every week. Schenectady is not a college town, but in my four years there, it has gotten better. There are some shops and restaurants downtown, along with a movie theater and some bars within walking distance of campus. It is, however, not the safest city.

Academic Life

Union offers small classes in a small school environment. With just 2100 students, getting to know professors is easy. The course selection is extremely diverse, which is one of the reasons I chose Union. The courses are the best thing about Union in my opinion. Though many people might not be familiar with the name of Union, the academics are certainly well respected, which is what I found in applying to law school. Students are not overly competitive. Those that care about getting the best grades possible compete with themselves and others put social activities over academics, so they aren't competitive either. I absolutely love the class selection at Union. I've taken such class as Women Across Cultures (anthropology), Changing Ireland (English), Mental Health and Society (sociology), and Public Opinion (political science). I spent spring term of my junior year in Washington, D.C. through the political science department interning at non-profit organization and taking classes.

Student Body

Union is overwhelmingly a white, wealthy, heterosexual, Northeast student body. Racial groups tend to congregate together and there are multicultural fraternities and sororities. There are groups such as Black Student Union, Asian Student Union, and Ohm, the Hindu group. There is a mix of conservative and liberal students. Both would find like-minded individuals. I would say professors lean more liberal. Most students wear Lacoste, Vera Bradley, Longchamp, Ralph Lauren. That said, there is a fair amount of interest in service, as indicated by the New Orleans recovery trip over spring break, the Habitat for Humanity project, and the interest in the new Minerva Fellow program, which sends graduating seniors to third world countries for 10 months and then they return and share their experiences with Union students.