I was so ecstatic to be accepted to Hamilton College’s Class of 2022! I really appreciate Hamilton’s emphasis on writing, as I find myself to be a deeply intellectual person and an unironically enthusiastic literature nut. I love the outdoors and the small campus vibe and the close relationships between students and faculty. Overall, I feel it would be a really great fit for me, and I’m really excited to go visit soon.
Here’s the thing: I was also accepted to Emory and UVA. In comparing them, some people I’ve talked to are getting caught up on the whole name-recognition thing. They’re a little bit worried that Hamilton isn’t going to get me where I want to go. (I think they’re crazy, but they’re starting to get into my head.) I’m undecided on what I want to do (I’d love to be an English professor, but those jobs are hard to come by), and they’re concerned that it might not be the most practical option in terms of the workforce. I’ll probably end up in graduate school in some point–maybe law school.
Is there any merit in what they’re saying? Should I look further into Emory and UVA?
Hamilton is not as well known in most of the country as Emory and UVA, true (although, really, a lot of people don’t know much about Emory, and only more about UVA because of basketball). And Hamilton is absolutely a top-notch school where you’ll get as excellent of an education in many fields as at those schools. If it is strong in your areas of interest, it will absolutely help you get you where you want to go. Good luck!
More substantively, I don’t think the experience at either Emory or UVa would compare to the purely undergraduate-focused education you would receive at Hamilton. You could choose to compromise some of your interests for the sake of purported name recognition, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Congratulations on your acceptances and good luck with your decision!!
Btw, @Daedalus202, I shouldn’t have said “friends” upthread when you had indicated “people,” a distinction of possible importance. I’m acknowledging this so you will know that those who have replied to your post have read it with care.
I think with three schools as good and diverse as these, you ought to think hard about what you want out of your college experience in order to choose intelligently.
Do you need a specialized major, more major choices, more course choices? The universities will give you those advantages.
Do you need smaller classes, more direct contact with your profs, a more intimate learning environment? Hamilton wins there,
Do you want a more tightly knit community feel, or relatively more anonymity? Do you want to be able to take a day off without everyone noticing?
Environment: Atlanta, rural upstate NY or semi-rural Virginia? Weather preferences?
Do you prefer D1 sports and a heavy Greek/secret society scene (UVA), or the lower-profile sports and less stratified social scenes of Emory and Hamilton?
These are some of the things you should consider, as well as cost if they aren’t similar.
You can get an outstanding education at all three. Your preferences will direct you to the best school for you.
Go to Hamilton. It’s true that there is little name recognition outside of NY and DC, but if you’re thinking of going to grad school, Hamilton’s reputation will be known to admissions reps. If you maintain decent grades at Hamilton, you won’t have any trouble getting in to Law School, either (but think long and hard about it - it’s a very saturated market and in most cases not worth the student loan burden) When people ask you “what is Hamilton?” you answer, “It’s a small top 20 liberal arts school”
@Daedalus202: S has been accepted at (among a couple other places) Cornell and Hamilton. Here’s my advice to him (and you, and anyone else with this type of choice):
Without thinking about any particular school, make a list of things that are important to you in your college experience: e.g. class size, location, res life, party scene, etc. (I’d make the categories more specific than that, but since you got into Hamilton, I’ll assume you understand the point!) Assign a weight to each of them. Then “score” each school in each category, and calculate the weighted total. I know this is a little geeky, but it’ll help. If my instructions are lacking, you can likely find posts elsewhere on CC, or PM me.
If one of your most-heavily-weighted categories is “impress retail cashier with school name-drop,” then you should not choose Hamilton over UVA. I’m not being facetious: the point is, in spring of your senior year of HS, everyone keeps asking you “where are you going to college?”; by October of this year, the question will change to “how are you liking college?” and you (and the questioners) probably won’t (and certainly shouldn’t) care much about the school’s name recognition. As other posters said, for the people to whom undergrad brand is truly important (grad school admissions folks, newbie hiring managers in some industries), Hamilton will not hold you back.
(My S is a much better “fit” for Hamilton than Cornell, but it’s important that he come to that conclusion himself. But even if he chooses differently than I want him to choose, at least he will own the choice and then be better able to embrace wherever he goes.)
You have a choice that ~99.998% of the people on the planet will never have, and you can have a great time and get a great education at all 3 of those schools. Good luck.