I haven’t toured Hamilton and Colby yet, but toured Bates today.
Based off my criteria, where do you think the best for me is?
It was hard getting a feel for the student body at these schools because I toured them during the summer.
I want a school with a close knit and collaborative community, very liberal leaning, it can be preppy (for many of them are), but the more diverse of a student body the better (e.g. mixture of preppy and artsy types), and absolutely no trace of snobbery or pretentiousness
Also want a lively residential life and small class sizes where discussion is encouraged. Strong study abroad programs as well.
What are your thoughts on the best fit? Any other school recommendations? More info on them? Anything will help.
Regarding close-nit and collaborative, Hamilton offers REAL, a program that integrates the residential and classroom experiences for first-year students who choose it.
In terms of other community-building activities, all three schools offer a range of pre-orientation options, from Habitat for Humanity projects in Lewiston/Auburn (Bates) to hiking parts of the Appalachian trail (Colby) to sea kayaking on Lake Champlain (Hamilton).
Are you planning to apply somewhere Early Decision? If so I recommend visits to them all so you know what feels best to you. If not. just apply to them all. They are more similar than they are different. Like most LACs, you will find the things you are looking for at all 3 schools - close knit and collaborative community, lively residential life, small class sizes where discussion is encouraged, strong study abroad programs.
Based on MY personal preference, I’d rank them neck and neck Bates (like the location better, access to Portland, the Ocean and skiing, top notch food service) and Hamilton (beautiful, student friendly campus). You’ll get different opinions from others and should visit an formulate your own.
Bottom line, all 3 could be on your application list. The important thing is to build a list of schools balanced between safeties (in both acceptance and financial terms), matches, and reaches. What other schools are you considering? What are your areas of academic interest?
They were my top 3 schools. My personal order was Colby, Hamilton, Bates, but I think this was mainly due to the fact that I visited Colby when students were around and had a great impression of the student body whereas I visited Hamilton on a Saturday morning and Bates only during their break. I applied ED to Colby and was deferred then rejected (still a little salty about that), got waitlisted at Bates RD then accepted at the end of May (without sending any sort of letter), and accepted RD at Hamilton where I’ll be attending in the fall.
Sorry, you will find that at every LAC (all colleges). Remember 40% receive FA, that means 60% pay $65K per year. Lots of wealth, unavoidable. And some (many?) wealthy kids are pretentious.
Having not attended any of the three, take this for what it’s worth, but I figure that academically they’re probably pretty similar and pretty even in quality. You may be able to differentiate them by grad requirements/curriculum style and majors offered, but really, these are academic peers overall.
I think the biggest differences will come in areas like environment (different towns/surrounding areas) and things to do/social life and vibe. There may also be some differences in housing and food – definitely check those out. A comfortable living situation and good food are definitely not to be taken for granted.
If you haven’t, visit all three and follow your gut, as long as costs are similar and they offer the majors in which you’re most interested.
Hamilton still has Greek life. I’d suggest checking what influence that has on campus life.
My kids were Bates, made great friendships that continue, were deeply involved with the community, and the education was excellent. And yes, great food service. They took advantage of the semester abroad.
Snobbery or pretentiousness can be found at any school. You just move on, move past it. All 3 will have both liberals and conservatives and this fall should be interesting.
OP, be sure to check the depts you might be majoring in.
Judging by the standardized scoring of their students – and therefore, to the extent that it can be quantified, their degree of academic preparation – I wouldn’t necessarily conflate these schools academically. By this simple analysis, the colleges range from 37th nationally (Hamilton) to 56th (Bates) to 70th (Colby).
(“The 610 Smartest Colleges,” Business Insider. Factors such as Bates’ test optional policy are footnoted but not otherwise considered.)
While they might be very similar in many ways, my D found many differences and liked Bates MUCH more than the other two or three if you include Bowdoin (which many people do). Unfortunately, I cannot tell you why lol.
I agree that they are more alike than different. And while visits are key to picking up the vibe and deciding if you like the place, we found that the #1 and #2 traded places from visit to visit. What one day felt like campus energy the next day felt like campus crowding. It depends a lot on who gives you a tour or with whom you stay if you visit.
All 3 meet your criteria. I’d strongly recommend that you try to go while school is in session. One thing that DS noted – if you do an overnight at only one place, it will be very difficult to separate the overnight part of the experience, which is generally a real high point – from the rest of the visit and that school will likely to leap to the top of the list. (As you might guess, this was realized only after doing several overnights!) If possible, see if you can do an overnight at all the ones you are considering, particularly if you are considering ED. This may involve finding friends or previous grads from your school as not all of the schools are set up to arrange this given the large number of applicants and the small size of the school.
The last thing I’d add – having come out the other end of it – is don’t sweat it too much. I would say that if you’d be happy at one of these schools, you’d be happy at any of them. The few people I know who have transferred out have done so to very different places (like U. of Chicago), not to their “separated at birth twin”.
They all fit your criteria and more than likely you would be happy at any of these options. You may want to read up on the schools in some good college guide books (Fiske is my favorite and I also like Princeton Review and Insiders Guide) to see if you can glean some helpful information from those write-ups. If the schools offer interviews you may be able to get more by going through that process as well. Also many school newspapers are online and reading through those may help give you a better taste of each college. It is really about personal fit and only you can determine which might be the best fit for you.
If you want to apply ED I’d very strongly suggest you visit each school while in session as ED is a huge commitment. If you aren’t applying ED then you can wait until you get an admissions decision to re-visit schools you have been accepted to when they are in session.
Architecturally and spatially, these colleges are really different:
Bates
Compact and mostly uniform. Federal style Hathorn Hall appears to have influenced the development of the rest of the college. Flat with a few small hills on the perimeter. On the edge of Lewiston. Generally unpretentious in scale.
Colby
Oldest buildings date only to the mid-20th century, though their style borrows from the much earlier Georgian period. Nice modern touches, such as their art museum, are offset from the central quadrangle so as not to clash with the main design. On a downhill sweep facing the Kennebec Valley. I-95 forms the campus’ western perimeter, somewhat unusual for a rural school. Of the three colleges, farthest from their town.
Hamilton
Spatially, offers distinct areas that reflect its history of having been two colleges. Nineteenth century buildings form the basis for two classically collegiate quadrangles. The progressivism influenced south side is simultaneously under-regarded and misunderstood by many. On the edge of a plateau overlooking the Mohawk Valley. Near suburban amenities. Students who attend this school may forget at times that, unlike Hamilton, most colleges do not offer running and Nordic skiing trails directly accessible from residence halls, glens with national champion trees and golf courses.