Bates vs Vassar vs Bowdoin vs Hamilton vs Wesleyan vs Colgate vs Conn College

Colleges and Universities A-Z Bates College
1

Hi guys,

I’m currently looking into all of these schools and I was wondering if any of you can offer me some advice about which ones I should choose.

What I’m looking for:

  • Good programs in Social Sciences
  • Good location, as in there’s a college town where I can hang out in my freetime
  • Not too rural. Good transportation into Boston or/and NYC
  • High chances of getting an internship and a job afterwards
  • Friendly and open-minded students, preferably progressive and liberal
  • Small/No Greek system. I don’t really like frats

Thanks a bunch

2

Social sciences along which major line (more economics/government or anthropology/sociology/psychology)?

Colgate, though perhaps not your best pick based on some of your criteria, was listed in a Forbes article, “America’s 15 Friendliest Towns.”

3

Colgate is the most rural of all the colleges on the OP’s list. It’s really remote. And the friendly village of Hamilton (where Colgate is, not to be confused with Hamilton College which is Clinton) is small, with about 4,000 people and a few streets. My memory is Colgate provides some busing, but otherwise you are not near any major airports, along the train line, etc.

Hamilton is also very rural and located a tad outside it’s tiny town, but its far closer than Colgate to some larger cities.

Colgate and Hamilton are also the only schools on the OP’s list with the most active Greek life. Most of the rest, except Wesleyan, don’t have frats, and they are a tiny presence at Wes (small single-digit percentage of students).

Vassar and Wesleyan are both in decent sized working-class cities. Wesleyan’s city is basically a suburb of the much larger Hartford, Ct., and is reasonably close to New Haven as well. There is a main commercial street walking distance from the campus that has many restaurants and shops, though the vibe is certainly very different than say a Princeton, NJ. It’s also pretty even between NYC and Boston and along the train line.

Vassar is sometimes referred to as a “walled garden” because (besides the actual walls) of the stark contrast between it and the surrounding town (as you approach the school yo will see a fair share of run-down strip malls). It’s very convenient to NYC by car or train though. Still, that’s a bit of a snooty stereotype and plenty of Vassar students interact quite happily in the community.

I don’t know enough about Conn College or New London to comment.

Bowdoin is neither rural nor urban. It is in a moderate size town that is a tourist destination in the summer. It’s truly “in” the town and you walk across the street from the campus and can catch the Amtrak or start down “Maine Street” (I love that they add the “e”) with many restaurants and shops. The train can get you to Freeport in 15 minutes (small village but a large outlet mall complex there including the flagship LL Bean open 24/7), 45 minutes to Portland which is a full and great city with an international airport or eventually to Boston.

I can’t speak to Bates first-hand. But it’s similar to Bowdoin in region and being embedded in a mid-size town and similar distance to Portland by car (not sure if it has a train option?)

And of these schools meet you internship, job and social/political vibe criteria. Though if you want very liberal and political active, take a particular look at Wesleyan. Super liberal, super activist. Vassar is pretty close on that spectrum too.

In general you could pair a lot of the colleges on the OP’s list: Wesleyan and Vassar have a lot in common, Hamilton and Colgate, Bowdoin and Bates. This is true both geographically and culturally. Conn College is kind of the odd school out on this list.

4

All of these schools have fairly intense bubbles, I.e., students don’t spend a lot of their free time off campus. That’s the nature of a small college: your fellow students are the most enthralling thing in your life and it’s hard to tear yourself away. Poughkeepsie is a stop along the NYC commuter line and Vassar students claim to frequent The City often. But, that’s still a two hour trip each way if you include the cab ride to the station. Conn may be slightly closer by rail.

5

Of the schools you’ve listed, I’d say that Bowdoin, hands down, has the best location. Plenty of dining options within walking distance. Easy access to Ocean, mountains, other outlets for nature and a very active outing club. Easy access to Portland (great music and restaurant scene) and Boston.

Bates/Wesleyan would be runners up.

All 3 meet your criteria of little to no greek life, progressive student body, etc.

6

For the shortest trip to an incredible city, Vassar.

For hourly access through college-run transportation to a suburban area – 80-store mall, 14-screen cinema, etc. – (as well as to the school’s charming immediate village), Hamilton.

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It should be noted that Hamilton’s fraternities are not residential, while Colgate’s are. Greek life does not dominate the social scene at Hamilton. Colgate’s social scene is heavily influenced by the Greek system, though the school does offer alternative social activities.

8

As a Colgate alumnus, I want to echo the posts above about the bubble nature of these LACs and the students who visit and select the campus that suits their expectations- as rising freshmen.

If you want to see more about campus life at Colgate before you visit, go to the following flickr photos:

https://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/colgateuniversity/sets/72157667070735070

Go 'gate!

9

Thanks guys I did not really expect the quick responses and they have all been so helpful!

I love all of these schools. I guess Colgate is the only one I have doubts about because of people say it can get very fratty there. But my friend visited it last week and he fell in love with Hamilton.

Perhaps not a lot of people know about conn college

In terms of major I’m leaning towards psychology or international relations and I think most of the schools here have excellent programs in these two.

10

Bates doesn’t have train service, but there is decent Greyhound bus service to Boston and a dedicated shuttle bus to both Boston and NYC on every break. Strong in the social sciences with a strong study abroad program, also. I would not call Lewiston a “college town” in the way you define it. It’s easy to get to Portland, a very cool city 45 minutes away. Progressive/liberal-leaning student body, co-ed from its inception, and has never had frats. It’s halfway between the mountains and the coast, if you care about that. Bates, like most LACs of its ilk, is very focused on internships and job placement for its students. The campus is not as pretty as Bowdoin’s, IMO, but it’s certainly an appealing green oasis; most certainly a bubble. Definitely has a reputation for friendly students. I didn’t go there, but my mother was an alum and my son is a current student.

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Wesleyan is nowhere near Hartford. Wesleyan is in between New Haven and Providence, actually close to New London, home of Connecticut College.

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@bookmama22 Wesleyan is actually about 23 minutes from Hartford and is 30ish minutes from New Haven, 45ish minutes from New London, CT and a whopping 1 hr 40 min from Providence, RI. When visiting Wesleyan (and Conn College) with both my kids, we spent the night in nearby Hartford (also visited Trinity with one child).

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@bookmama22 I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Wesleyan is about 15 minutes from downtown Hartford with freeway access most of that way, and bus and train service. It’s closer to Hartford than any of those other places you mentioned, and far, far closer than Providence. It’s twice as close to Hartford as it is to New London. It’s only “between” New Haven and Providence in the sense that one is west and the other is east of it, but it’ north of both. You wouldn’t travel through Middletown/Wesleyan in route between New Haven or Providence nor if you drew a line between them would it ever intersect Wesleyan. If you look on a map and switch to satellite view you will see continuous urban sprawl from Hartford south to Middleton. Some people commute from Middleton into Hartford for work.

14

Miles not minutes…

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Again as has already been said… hardly anyone cares about NYC or Boston in terms of proximity to campus. It only matters if you are thinking about internships or a holiday trip maybe… you are basically on campus all the time, and although there are some nice towns nearby like Brunswick for Bowdoin, it is not really that big a deal. Visiting each of the schools when they are in session, eating in the dining halls, reading the student newspapers (you can get these online!) and talking to students is going to be the biggest decision factor, assuming of course you have a chance of getting in as all these schools are highly selective and routinely turn down very high test score/gpa candidates. Wesleyan has a very rigorous cross-disciplinary social sciences program called the College of Social Sciences or CSS - it is among the toughest academic programs you can take anywhere. http://www.wesleyan.edu/css/ The Maine schools like Bates and Bowdoin (Middlebury too) have “J Term” which is a really cool interim session where you can take a super focused topic, do a project, have an internship, etc… its a very good program and it would be great if the other NESCAC schools had this… anyhow each of the schools you are looking at are awesome, consider making up your mind sooner than later and applying ED its the best shot to get in.

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Are you sure Bowdoin has a J (winter) term)? I haven’t heard of it. Not sure about Bates. Middlebury definitely.

17

Bowdoin, Hamilton, Vassar, Colgate, Conn. College and Wesleyan have a 4-4 schedule.
Middlebury and Colby have a 4-1-4 schedule with a short January term.
Bates has a 4-4-1 schedule, with a spring term after the two longer ones (called Short Term).

18

Bates does its J term in M (for May). Colby has a J term in J. And Bowdoin has normal semesters.

19

" you are basically on campus all the time, and although there are some nice towns nearby like Brunswick for Bowdoin, it is not really that big a deal."
@reguulus7 Some students do care - mine did. Not all want to be locked in the college bubble for 4 years. Some appreciate the opportunity to get off campus now and then - and do take advantage of it.

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Since there hasn’t been much info about Conn Coll here, let me add what we found – my kid was looking at Conn as a possible athletic recruit. Lovely campus, set sort of up on a hill, distinct from surrounding area – no streets running though campus. Blend of architecture, with some lovely Gothic style buildings. Art facility and museum is a stand out building, really impressive (and more modern design) – Conn Coll is known for strength in its fine arts and modern dance. The slightly unusual aspect of campus is that the gym and some of the athletic facilities are across a road which runs below campus – so there is a pedestrian bridge which runs over the road to connect the two parts of campus. Men’s and Women’s Soccer matches, however, are played on fields that are essentially on the main “quad” – we were told that set-up fosters great campus spirit, with games literally in the middle of campus. New London is not what you would call a “college town” though there is some great food, and of course, you are minutes from delightful regions like Mystic, Old Lyme etc., and New London is on the train line from Boston to NYC. No greek life, as a former women’s college. I’m think there is a funded summer internship program, $3000 for the summer, for students to take unpaid internships. Certainly worth a look. Keep in mind, the NESCAC schools – most of those on your list – do not give merit awards, they only give financial aid.