Union College-Schenectady Top Questions

Describe the students at your school.

Jennifer

The school is mostly liberal, in that most are open to all religions, political views, socio-econimic backgrounds. It is a liberal arts school so everyone comes in acknowledging that they will be immersed in a wide range of knowledge, fields, and types of people. I find that to be one of the highlights of my experience at Union. With so many different clubs, I am able to experience all different personalities, religions, groups, and cultures of the world without leaving foot off campus.

Tristan

The campus is incredibly diverse. There are multiple racial groups and religious groups on campus that are all each well represented and also promote integration amongst each other. Students come from many different backgrounds from all over the world and are always interested in promoting the diversity of this campus.

Emmerson

Union is trying to increase the diversity of its student body. More and more international students are coming to Union. Beside that, students of different race, religion, and socio-economic situation are everywhere on campus. You do not sense the segregation between groups of people.

Omar

There are a wide variety of types of people. There are people of many religious faiths here, but most of the students are jewish or christian/catholic. Many of the students are from well off families, but there are also several students from middle-class and lower class families as well. Most students wear casual jeans and tshirts to class. Or sweats, not too different from high school. People involved in Greek Life have many friends in and out of their fraternity and sorority. Most of the students are not politically active, but there are many events on campus that could get them involved if they choose to be.

Caitlyn

Union has a great student body. Everyone is really nice and accepting of everyone else. If you aren't accepting of differences in others then Union might not be the place for you because there are so many different kinds of people that attend Union. It's a very rich and diverse community which only enhances the experience here. You will meet so many new people, some of which may even change the way you see the world. While most people are from NY or nearby states, there are many who are from states out West and from out of the country! As far as what students pay, the majority have been given some kind of financial aid. There are very few students on campus who have to pay full tuition. So the idea that all the students that come here are rich, is definitely not the case.

Jesse

I believe that Union has a very diverse student body. The students are very integrated and you are able to meet somebody knew everyday. This helps students acquire different world views and make new friends. Not to mention the students are always very friendly and make you feel right at home.

Jordan

i dont know that anyone would feel out of place at union. i mean, its a very social atmosphere, so maybe if one was shy or anti-social he might have a harder time finding a niche. ive only had positive experiences with diversity on campus. students wear a variety of things to class: full-blown outfits, sweats, uniforms, jeans and a t-shirt...its pretty typical that way. it is a liberal/moderate campus, but as a republican, i have not had any negative experiences expressing my beliefs.

Kayla

Union works hard to make its campus diverse and comfortable for all. The predominant race here is Caucasian, but everyone comes from different backgrounds with different experiences, thus making the campus enriched their stories. Owning a Patagonia, and rain boots are staples on Union's campus. Going to class people don't get dressed up, but sweatpants are not usually worn by girls. There is a wide variety in the dress of boys here. You have the typical preppy boy with his green pants and boat shoes, but you also have the music major wearing dark jeans and graphic tee.

Courtney

Union has SO much to offer when it comes to on-campus events. Specifically, each year Union holds the club expo where freshmen and upperclassmen can sign up for one of the over 50 clubs and organizations at Union. Whether you're interested in varsity sports, intra-murals, LGBT events, religious events, fraternities, sororities or just FOOD, Union has it all. The majority of students at Union are caucasian and there is a presense an of upper-class on campus. However, it is not overly dominant and many studenst find that they have no problem fitting in no matter their association or interests. And there are always events going on in honor of current events, varying from weekly dinner and disscussion topics to creating a greener campus. There is never a dull moment and students are constantly working together in whatever club or organization they are in to put on successful, fun and informative events for fellow students. I find that many students at Union are highly responsible and as a result many successful events are thrown on campus by a variety of groups. Volunteer work is also a big part of the student body at Union being that Union is in a relatively large city with access to many community centers and local city missions.

John

I think that Union is a very diversity friendly place despite not having much. The minorities on campus are always tolerated and respected. Different religious groups are greatly respected; Jewish life at Union is very active with services held in a special room at the dining hall and many other Hillel activities. LGBT is very visible on campus and also respected. The Iris theme house is LGBT geared and there are many events on campus for them. I don't see much hate towards them; they're pretty much accepted. Style wise-the campus is very much alike. Despite different backgrounds, most kids dress very similar to one another. The style is very prep. But that's not to say we don't all have our unique tweaks on it. The most common articles of clothing are polos, khakis or corduroys, and flashy shoes. You can't go one day without seeing a least one hundred boat shoes. The most visible brands here are Polo Ralph Lauren, Sperry, Calvin Klein, Gucci, Coach, Louis Vuitton etc. A good amount of students come from very wealthy backgrounds, I would say about 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. The other 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} come from much more modest families. The students at Union and definitely very politically active, opinions here about everything are strong. Its a very forward moving campus. Because everyone is politically aware, you get a massive variety of political viewpoints. Republicans and Democrats are well distributed. I would say its about 50-50.

Emma

We Union students are pretty awesome people, if I do say so myself! We are all interested in many different things and eager to pursue our passion. It was easy for me to break out of my shell during freshman orientation and I have great friends because of it. We also have a great hockey team, so the games are probably some of the most fun events I attend.

Rachel

Union students are very connected. When walking around campus people smile at others who they have never met. A lot of the students are from the northeast and New York but we have many international students and students from the south and west.

Sonia

No one would feel left out on campus. There is something for everyone to do with all the clubs we have. There are clubs for everyone. All the students are friendly and most people will say hi to you even though they may not know you. It is rare when you walk across campus and not see someone that will say hi to you.

Gene

Union is a very accepting place, where anyone would feel at home. We have a theme house specifically for members of the LGBTQ community, a multicultural theme house, and even a religious diversity house.

Alex

Nice

Meredith

Smart, preppy and outgoing.

Katie

Always supportive and friendly.

James

They are motivated 5 days of the week and drunk the other two.

Christina

They work hard, but because of that, they also party hard.

James

Mostly girls who do not know exactly what they would like to do for their future careers.

Caroline

Friendly but can be clicky too.

Eric

High class snobs.

Michelle

People at Union are extremely friendly and fun, they know how to work hard, and weekends are always a good time no matter what you like to do.

Tyler

I love my classmates.

Eric

cool

Rebecca

There is a mix of liberal arts students and engineering student,s most of whom are of the belief that you work hard and play hard.

Lisa

Intelligent and interested in academics, but more interested in social life.

Jessie

The students are all upperclass white kids whom are very priviledged and most likely went to boarding school. If you are not wealthy and your skin is not white you will feel out of place at Union but you will most likely hang out with a more "alternative" group and the majority of the school will pretend that you don 't exist. The students are all very politically aware, they are all concerned with protecting daddy's millions so you can bet they all LOVE the greatest president the world's ever seen, George Bush. Most students are from Mass or Conn and why would the students discuss their future wealth when they are disgustingly rich as is? Everyone is sickeningly preppy but atleast no ones trashy...

Kat

diversity is increasing, but still not great, most students are from the Northeast, students do not talk about how much they'll earn one day

Eric

Lack of diversity but with the diversity that we have, they are secluded. There are minority frats that only hang out with each other. The frats dominate the party scene. Tons of alcohol and drinking that goes on. The Minerva system is great, lots of free food

Allison

Students are typically from New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut with a few others sprinkled throughout the Northeast. Many are wealthy and I definitely see more money than at my public school back home. A typical student wears jeans and a polo/t-shirt to class. The campus is not politically active as a whole but is predominately left. A student who is extremely politically active, individualistic, and artistic might feel out of place at Union.

Amanda

Mostly white upper-middle class kids but their is a growing number and very strong minority presence.

Tiffany

I do not think that any student would feel out of place at Union. There are groups for all religions, ethnic backgrounds, and races. In class, most students wear casual dress and a lot of students wear sweats, including me! One table in the dining hall would be a group of sorority sisters, another would be frat brothers, another probably a sports team, and another friends from classes. Most Union students are from the Northeast while there are a lot of hockey players from Canada and Western States. The most prevalent financial background is wealthy. I do not come from a wealthy background at all so sometimes I feel out of place when everyone has very nice clothes and cars and stuff, but my friends are so nice and I do truly feel at home at Union.

Matt

90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} rich white kids, 5{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Indian/Asian Ivy League rejects, 5{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} African-American/Hispanic. No one fraternizes outside their category and its not because of racism. People self-segregate themselves A LOT.

Kate

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.

scott

I'd say if you were a minority you could feel out of place. I mean, the school is predominately white, but no one acts racist. Most of the students are from the northeast. Kids wear all sorts of things to class, guys mostly jeans or sweats. Girls either wear jeans and sweats or sundresses in the spring. The school is very liberal.

Dearon

Most union students are from the northeast- Massachusetts, upstate NY, Connecticut, and Maine are where almost all students are from. They are mostly in the upper class, financially. It is a pretty liberal school, with most students on the left. We have active college democrat and college republican clubs. There are dorms with men and women on the same floor. Starting in 2008, there will be a new LGBT theme house.

Louise

Going to class in sweatpants is rare for most people besides athletes. People do not necessarily dress to impress everyday, but they do take care of themselves enough to care about the image they give off to others. The only people who would feel out of place here would probably be a total "deadbeat" or someone that does not commit to anything. Most of the students here are involved in some sort of social organization, sports or intramural team, or academic group. Because of the high price tag on a Union education, there are a lot of wealthy Northeastern students here, but there are also a lot of scholarship opportunities for those who may not be able to afford it. There is definitely a lot more political talk going on here at Union than there was in high school, but I think that is true of many colleges. Union tends to be quite central in the student body's political tendencies, but if anything it is probably more liberal than conservative.

Morgan

Although there is not a lot of diversity at Union, there are a lot of diverse clubs/groups that focus on minorities. I would honestly say that no one would truly feel out of place at Union unless they didn't try to meet people; there is a place for everyone, and most all the students are friendly willing to make new friends. Most students are politically aware but not politically active.

Devin

I don't believe any student would feel out of place here at Union. Just within my close group of friends, there are international students, well-off, poor, white, black, lesbian, very religious, etc. Many students do come from the Northeast, however, the school works to provide a diverse student body.

Emily

There is somewhat of a work hard, play hard mentality, but people don't like to admit how much work they do.

Cristi

Most students are from NY, NJ, CT, MA. The student body here is not concerned with differences in race, religion, sexuality or economic status. Most students would fit in well here. The majority of students seem to be jewish or white. Most students wear jeans to class, it is less common to see students in sweats or pajamas here at Union outside of the dorms. Students rarely talk about how much they'll earn one day, personally I have never experienced it.

Andy

There have been some racial issues brought up by ignorant members of the community, but I think the school (professors, administrators and students) came together to combat the situation. Financial backgrounds vary. You can never say that all of the students are politically aware or are even aware that a variety of races live on campus. There are some students that choose not to venture out of their comfort zone, and therefore befriend people like themselves. Also, there are students that are actively involved on campus and recognize and appreciate the diversity.

Kathryn

There are a lot of rich white kids here, but there are also many white kids who are on financial aid. There are also a good amount of ethinic and black students here and they might feel a little out of place because they are by no means the majority of the student body, but many of them that I do know absolutley love Union. People here do not really talk about what they will earn someday, money is something most people have been raised not to talk about with other people.

Katy

For the most part Union Students are respectful of each other. However there definitely are racial divides. For example, being a white female I usually interact with other white students while many of the minority groups seem to stick together. Union is a very friendly and welcoming campus. Union college also tends to be very left and at the moment seems to be making a huge effort to go green.

Danielle

A lot of students are from the north-east area. I wouldn't say there is a clique problem and I have a bunch of different friends all from different groups. I would say that the majority of Union Students are Democratic and come from more wealthy backgrounds.

Benjamin

Union's student body is a little interesting. The typical Union student is from somewhere in the Northeast and is from a fairly wealthy family. For the most part, they understand that everyone is not as well off as they are, so the financial gradient doesn't really seem to be a problem. The bigger problem is cultural awareness. They do not realize that other parts of the country, such as the Pacific Northwest, my home, follow different social norms. This has caused problems for some. For the most part, this is not a big problem.

John

There are student groups for almost anything you could think of on campus, and if there's not one its incredibly easy to make one. There isnt to much diversity on campus, and different racial groups tend to stay to themselves. If there were four tables in the dinning hall two of them would be occupied by athletes, one would be prepy frat boys dressed in abercrombie, and the last would be some random kids.

Nicole

Very diverse culturally, ethnically, not racially though. Socioeconomically not diverse because Union appeals to the New England upper-class. Diverse socially. Not a huge greek school. Very liberal.

Hillary

On the whole, I would have to admit that Union has a somewhat immature student body. Many students come from wealth where private high school and never holding a part-time job were just the norm. There's a lot of students who don't understand the value of the 300 dollar jeans that their parents bought for them.