<p>I do hope you’ll give Hamilton a real chance. My son is a senior and at times has complained about the excessive drinking and partying, though less over the last year and a half or so. He enjoys partying but is simply not a big drinker. </p>
<p>At Hamilton he’s found a core group of friends, all wonderful people who I know will remain in one another’s lives after graduation. (The fact that three of them were his roommates freshman year is a good demonstration of how well Hamilton’s very careful roommate matching works.) Some of them party a lot and some don’t. Some drink a lot and some don’t. One thing they ALL do, though, is work HARD. </p>
<p>As someone who teaches at a state school, it seems to me that Hamilton students easily spend 2-4 times as many hours doing course related work as the students I teach. Hamilton’s small size, small classes and the fact that 84% of the faculty are full-time is an incalculable advantage. One of academe’s BIG problems nationwide right now is that regular, full-time faculty are in the minority, only about 30% of the total. Yes, 30%. Here’s a link to an NYT article about this issue: <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/education/edlife/03strategy-t.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/education/edlife/03strategy-t.html</a> </p>
<p>If you think this doesn’t matter, you’re wrong. Many part-timers teach at multiple schools or have other jobs in addition to teaching and thus have less time to devote to YOUR class. Between us, my husband and I have 70 years experience in post-secondary education and both say with confidence that Hamilton offers a superb education. (By the way, to find this information about any school you are considering, look for its Common Data Set; you’ll find the faculty information near the end.) </p>
<p>So–I hope you’ll give Hamilton a chance. There are a lot of great suggestions on this thread about how to find what you need there to make your experience not just good, but superb. </p>
<p>One other thing I’d heard and am now seeing proof of is the value of Hamilton’s alumni network. That and the Career Center are incredibly helpful in helping with the job hunt; my son is getting far more assistance in this area than anyone he knows at other schools. </p>
<p>(By the way, I agree that Hamilton is not easy to get to. We are not from the east coast, and transportation has been a challenge, partly because of the airport situation. The shuttle Hamilton runs, though is great and is absolutely dependable. It has been worth it.)</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>