Chance me? + Questions about life at Colgate :)

<p>Hi all! I know you hate chance threads haha so I'm just going to post my stats, feel free to comment or not comment on them. Other than that I have a couple of questions about Colgate as well! :)</p>

<p>GPA: 3.7 UW, 4.2 W (rigorous course load)
SAT: 2100 combined (710 CR, 610 M, 780 W)
Subject SATs: 720 US History, taking Lit and Math II in October
Ethnicity: South Asian
Top 4% of my class (out of 800 or so)
CA resident, public school of about 4000 kids
Extracurriculars:
4 year speech and debate team member, historian this year
Vice President of CSF
Webmaster of Key Club
Copy editor of school yearbook
Junior Volunteer Board of Directors at my local hospital where I volunteer (250+ hrs)
Cancer research institute internship this past summer
Taught middle school debate (internship) to kids ages 11-13 over the past summer</p>

<p>*Notes: I have two Cs--one from geometry freshman year first semester, and one from my second semester junior year in honors math analysis (clearly I am not a math person lol). Will this affect me? The one from geometry was a difficult adjustment to high school, and I had family problems at the end of my junior year which is why I got the C. I am taking six AP classes this year.</p>

<p>Colgate seems like a really great school and somewhere I could definitely see myself going to. Some general questions about student life:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>If you aren't athletic, is it hard to fit in? I know a lot of Colgate students are really involved in sports. The only thing I really have is dance, which isn't much, and I don't do it very often.</p></li>
<li><p>How generous is Colgate in terms of financial aid grants and scholarships?</p></li>
<li><p>How is the debate team at Colgate? (if anyone knows haha)</p></li>
<li><p>Is it difficult to be involved with social life if you do not plan on drinking?</p></li>
<li><p>Does Hamilton, NY ever get boring?</p></li>
<li><p>I've gotten some emails and mail from Colgate. Is this a good sign?!</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thank you all so much!! :)</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Dont’ even worry much about the C’s in math. Your overall GPA and other scores are very good. It’s more important that you are taking a tough AP or honors curriculum which you seem to be doing. Good for you. Don’t forget to get some sleep!</p></li>
<li><p>Your extracurriculars are impressive and appealing. </p></li>
<li><p>It’s a very “sporty” college, it’s true, but only 25-30% of students are “real” athletes while many others are on club teams for the fun of it. It’s a pretty athletic college and always has been, but Colgate also has a LOT of non-athletic students of the drama, art, music, geek, science, and just generally poetic variety. Do not fear. Just as there are frats, there are also many dorms. Tall and short, blonde and brunette, happy and sad, it’s got them all. </p></li>
<li><p>Colgate is about as generous with financial aid as most liberal arts colleges, but admittedly not as generous as the top 10 or 20 schools with all their billions of dollars to hand out. It’s not quite that rich. But Colgate really does provide all necessary financial aid to students it admits who it decides really need that aid. </p></li>
<li><p>Debate I don’t know much about, but Political Science and so on are top majors so I imagine there are clubs associated with arguing ideas and debate might be one of them.</p></li>
<li><p>Drinking is very common. Surprise! If you were expecting a college with little drinking, you have a long search ahead of you. But, no one makes you drink. There are many activities that don’t involve drinking or you just go to a party and don’t drink. I did that for four years when I attended Colgate. Never got drunk once, but I had a lot of fun. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>There is art, music, drama, overseas programs, and a hundred other options. I was on Colgate’s campus for a weekend a few weeks ago, expecting the usual college drunks and parties. It was pretty quiet, no drunks, but some students practicing piano in the arts center on Saturday evening, a lot of dinner parties at restaurants and inns downtown, and believe it or not a lot of kids studying in the library. On Saturday. I dare UCLA or USC to beat that! </p>

<ol>
<li><p>No, never boring. Hamilton New York is endlessly fascinating and you will never get bored. Of COURSE, it gets boring. But so does the place you live now. Look, you’re on campus on your own far from home with dozens of friends and acquaintances. How bored are you? That’s up to you. Take a walk. Go to a movie. Visit your friend’s dorm. Watch a play. Drive to Syracuse to do some shopping. Sit in a restaurant and sip wine (oops, alcohol, sorry). Or just listen to music, read a book, or do your homework. That last one will keep you from ever being “bored,” I imagine. Colgate students really do work hard. Bored? I imagine they’d LOVE to be bored if they could. </p></li>
<li><p>E-mails do NOT mean Colgate loves you, but it means Colgate would like to love you. it depends on what you’ve got to offer and whether you can make a good match. Are you adorable, sweet, easygoing, talented, and do you enjoy long walks on deserted beaches? You may be exactly what Colgate is looking for, but you have to apply to find out. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Have you visited? It’s a truly beautiful campus. Colgate might love you if you love it, but don’t get too swept away. There’s always the University of Southern North Dakota, you know. Or Cornell.</p>