I’m still waiting to hear back from Penn (ha), but right now it looks like my options for next year are down to these four schools. Some basic info about me: I’m from Rochester, NY, and will probably be studying Political Science/Pre-Law etc. I’m really passionate about film, and might minor in it. I’m very attracted to the small LAC experience and think that type of undergrad education probably fits me better, but I also really like the idea of living in a city, hence the paradoxical pairs of LACs and urban research universities left on my list here. Financially, Pitt gave me $15k/yr in merit scholarship so it is the cheapest, whereas the other three are affordable but push the threshold (might have to take out some small loans at some point).
Money aside, Bates or Colgate. On paper Bates is more selective but cases vary. Bates has more of the attitude of a city school and its less than a half hour from the lovely Portland Maine. Colgate has a hard partying and sports attitude like Bucknell. Both are fantastic schools that will serve you well going to a top law school.
If food is important, Bates has some of the best food you will find on any campus. The proximity to Bowdoin is another plus.
Bates is not a remote school at all. Lewiston-Auburn has a population of 60,000.
Bates vs Colgate test scores are a toss up but Bates has a lower acceptance rate especially for women 22% vs 28% and 24% vs 27% overall. No matter what the US News index says your chance of being rejected from Bates is higher. Princeton Review has them both at 97/100 for admissions selectivity. Barron’s has them both at 1 Most Competitive. There are no details on how US News calculates that number.
“There are no details on how US News calculates that number.”
There are no details on how USNWR precisely converts to selectivity rank, but the base figures are essentially stipulated:
SAT/ACTs: 65%
Freshman in top 10% of HS class: 25%
Acceptance rate: 10%
Colgate is more competitive in two of these three metrics.
“your chances of being rejected from Bates is higher”
This would only be true for a particular individual if the applicant pools had identical characteristics, which, as the figues indicate, Colgate and Bates do not.
Lewiston, ME isn’t the greatest little city but I’d still give Bates an edge over Colgate based on location. Colgate is pretty isolated. At Bates, you can get to the mountains for skiing and hiking, to the ocean, and to nearby Portland which has some great live music venues and dining.
How do you feel about greek life? Bates has none, Colgate definitely does.
Yes, Colgate is in Hamilton, A Forbes “most friendly small towns in the US” in its 2012 survey, in central NY.
It is less than an hour from Syracuse, 50 mins to Utica (with its convenient rail service to NYC), 30 mins to Hamilton College, 90 minutes to Cornell/Ithaca, just east of the Fingerlakes, and 4.5 hours to NYC by train or road.
Bates is in Maine. That’s at least 3 hours from Boston, 7 hours from NYC by car. Of course anyone can rach these schools by plane and in Colgate’s case that’s via SYR.
Further and about Greek life, I don’t know about comparing Bucknell (?) with Colgate. A qucik check shows Bucknell has 18 Greek houses while Colgate has 8.
Obvioulsy, campus visits are essential for any candidate to make his/her own choice. I remember being impressed
especially by Colgate’s larger-than-most LAC size and scope and the Core Curriculum. And I continue to be amazed by the growth in Colgate’s endowment to the current $856 million and the pace of new facilities planned for the future. These include for 2016 a $38,000 athletic facility, a $10 million career center and a $21 million arts and cultural
center.
On the subject of rankings and numbers, I looked at bates.edu to learn more about it.
What’s of concern there is the very small international student component (around 6.5%) within the 1750 or so student body and also its relatively small endowment of roughly $250 million. I imagine that the endowment affects the amount of student aid available given that apparently Bates is very tuition dependent for its revenues. And I don’t know how the endowment impacts upon the college’s current and future challenges.
For the sake of offering up contrasts, Colgate’s international student body is over 12%, there are roughly 2950 students with the same 9:1 faculty ratio, and an approximate $858 million in endowment, with Colgate’s financial aid provision increasing remarkably over the past several years due mainly to the success of its capital campaigns.
I hope this helps the applicant understand better some of the 2 schools’ fundamentals as he/she plans for the future!
If there is a meaningful methodology for the Forbes “America’s Friendliest Towns” list, I would weigh that as a major plus regarding the location of Colgate.
Lewiston is not at least three hours from Boston and Colgate being an hour from Utica and Syracuse is nothing to write home about. Obviously you have not been to Portland Maine or anywhere else in Maine for that matter. Maine is a much nicer place to be than upstate new york. Colgate is decidedly isolated and a very slow drive once off the highway.
@merc81 It doesn’t sound like you have been to the coast of Maine. The comparison of that part of NYS to the Portland - Casco Bay - Boothbay area is puzzling to me. It doesn’t sound like you have been there.