Colleges University of Connecticut

University of Connecticut https://uconn.edu

University of Connecticut is a public institution that was founded in 1881. The UConn campus sits on 4,109 acres in the rural location of Storrs, Connecticut, which is 30 minutes from Hartford; 60 minutes from Providence, RI; and 90 minutes from Boston. The University provides free local bus transportation and arranges frequent bus trips to Boston, Manhattan, and the Connecticut shoreline. It is one of the nation’s leading public research universities, and initiatives such as Bioscience Connecticut, Jackson Laboratories, and UConn Tech Park provide a vision of the future of the University. Students can get involved in the more than 450 clubs and organizations on campus. They can also catch a film in the on-campus movie theater and skate for free in the school’s ice rink. Freshmen do not have to live on campus, though more than 70 percent of all undergraduates choose to do so. Each year before final exams, students gather for Spring Weekend, a fun-filled, multi-day celebration that began as the school’s Campus Community Carnival in the 1940s.

Academics

The University of Connecticut is the largest university in the state by enrollment. It is classified among R1 Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activities. Students at UConn can pursue more than 115 majors, or have the freedom to create their own major. Bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs are offered through UConn’s 14 schools and colleges: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources, Graduate School, Neag School of Education, School of Nursing, School of Business, School of Dental Medicine, School of Medicine, School of Engineering, School of Social Work, Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture, School of Pharmacy, School of Law, and the School of Fine Arts. The student-faculty ratio at UConn is 16:1, and the school has 53% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. Popular majors include Psychology, Economics, and Communications.

Special Highlights

Symbols & Traditions. Until 1933, the mascot of UConn had been the “Aggies” because of the University’s original agricultural nature. In 1933, the university changed its name from Connecticut Agricultural College to Connecticut State College. To reflect this change, athletic teams were then known as the “Statesmen.” In December 1934, the Husky was chosen as the mascot. Coated with thousands of layers of paint over the decades, “The Rock” is a student tradition dating back to the late 1940s. Students repeatedly paint it to promote student events, including dances, pep rallies, student elections, parades, fraternity and sorority functions, and a host of other campus activities.

Student Organizations. There is a wide variety of student organizations on campus. The University’s programming board, the Student Union Board of Governors (SUBOG), plans the largest student events on campus. The organization is completely student run and plans events like the annual concerts, Homecoming, One Ton Sundae, weekly movies, and hosts a range of comedians and speakers each month. The University’s daily student-run newspaper, The Daily Campus, is said to be one of the largest student newspapers in Connecticut. The University has the Huskyvision cable network with, among other features, student-made public-access television shows. Students also run a radio station, WHUS. The University of Connecticut Department of Journalism is the only nationally accredited journalism program in New England.

School Mission & Unique Qualities

From the research lab to the court, pushing limits is in “Huskies” DNA. We embrace every challenge, whether sustaining energy for the game or for the planet. At UConn, brilliant minds and the dynamic global community that makes up UConn Nation come together to drive toward a brighter tomorrow. Because it is situated in a fairly rural area, the UConn campus at Storrs has facilities that allow it to be virtually self-sufficient. The main campus also includes museums, theaters, and performing arts venues such as the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, the J. Robert Donnelly Husky Heritage Sports Museum, the William Benton Museum of Art, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, and the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History.

Student Reviews…

“The campus is vibrant, and the academic programs are solid, providing a decent foundation for my studies. However, there are areas that could use improvement, such as the availability and responsiveness of academic advisors and the efficiency of administrative processes. Socially, the community is welcoming, but there could be more diverse extracurricular activities.”