Union College 2007 (College Prowler)

Union College is in Schenectady, New York. Say it with me now: Sken-ec-tady. No worries if you get a bit tongue-tied the first two, three, or eight times you try to pronounce it. Heck, my family still can’t spell it! Yep, Schenectady is just a big name for a not-so-big city located near a big city with a not-so-big name. Nestled between Albany and Saratoga, Schenectady has its charms like any run-down, New England metropolis.

So, why would you choose a college like Union to spend your fun, yet formidable four years of higher education? In a word: academics. In two words: liberal arts. Union provides a top-notch, liberal-arts education of which John Milton himself would have approved. Serious students matriculate to this pastoral campus from all over the country and various parts of the world in order to sit in classrooms that cap off at 30 students, listen to professors of the highest caliber, and sample courses that range from music theory to mechanical engineering.

People used to ask me all the time where I go to school, and the typical reply would always involve shifty eyes and pink cheeks as I timidly whispered my response. It’s not that I was ever embarrassed with my decision to go here; I just never knew what an awesome school Union really was until I started to take in everything inside and outside its gorgeous iron gates. The city itself has so much to offer us brilliant minds of academia. It has age-old neighborhoods lined with mansions and cobblestone roads, bike paths and foot paths that kiss the majestic Mohawk River, eateries for all tastes, weather for all moods, and nearby cities for all personalities.

Right now, you are at a crossroad. You must decide where you want to spend the next four years of your life. This is not an easy decision, and there will be many superficial factors along the way that will influence your choice in the matter. Your best bet is to gather all the information you can about each and every school that you may want to attend, do your research, talk to people, and figure out what you want, because ultimately, it is your future and your happiness. This book puts Union College under a microscope in an attempt to provide you with ammunition for your college prowling arsenal. It will show you the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of this fine academic institute so that you will be better prepared to make an educated decision with regards to your future. Union may or may not be the right school for you, but mark my words, there is a place out there just waiting for you to bless it with your smiling personality, brilliant mind, artistic ability, or musical genius. So, take a deep breath and enjoy the search. Happy hunting!

Lily Gordon, Author
Union College