My son now has the very fortunate dilemma of choosing between Colby and Hamilton. I know both are great schools, but am hoping to get some feedback from other people who know about them from experience, however anecdotal.
He is definitely most interested in Humanities, likely majoring in Classics with the possibility of a double major. He’s thinking about Law School. I know that can change, but I really see grad school in his future. Is there a significant difference between the quality of these majors at the two schools?
He’s getting a significant amount of financial aid, and one thing I wonder about is how a kid who wears J C Penny is accepted, or not, by peers. Which campus is more conducive to kids receiving lots of aid fitting in and having fun?
He’s not a drinker, drugs, etc. How does that bode socially? He runs Cross Country and would love to be on the team at the school he attends. He’s much more into an inclusive, have fun, supportive type environment over a competitive one.
We were able to spend more time at Hamilton, and really had a good feeling about it. We didn’t get to visit Colby while school was in session, so can’t compare the feel in that way yet. He will go to both schools’ accepted programs. Obviously I want to get his gut feeling, but I also wonder how much of an authentic experience he will have on these types of days that are likely hyped up.
Does either school have a special something he should know about or look into? Is Jan Plan at Colby as “awesome” as we were told? Beyond schedule and requirements I don’t know the differences. They are about equally distant for us to travel to. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Hamilton Alum here. I haven’t been on campus since the 90s. He would be fine. There are kids from all economic backgrounds at Hamilton. The drinking thing may be a bit more of an issue, as parties are pretty much the center of the social scene, but it’s not like he will be pressured into those things. There’s no social penalty for not drinking or doing drugs . The issue would really be whether he could tolerate drunk people. Lol. There is school-sponsored entertainment on the weekends, so parties are by no means the only option.
Anyway, I would say he can trust his gut. Hamilton is a pretty down to earth, authentic place.
Classics department is strong. Hamilton graduates lots of lawyers. That said, please, please, please have him do his due diligence before deciding on law school. It’s really rough out there - lots of law school grads with oppressive student loans doing temp work or worse. When lawyers warn you not to go to law school, it’s for a reason - lots of reasons, actually.
I hope someone has some Colby info. Congratulations to your son! Good luck in making the choice.
Regarding the study of classics, The American Journal of Philology has been centered only once in its history at a liberal arts college, when it was edited by a current Hamilton professor.
Hamilton can be distinguished by its history of having been formed through the union of two colleges of complementary characteristics and emphases. Curricularly, architecturally and spatially this legacy serves to offer some of the better qualities of a much larger school, within what nonetheless remains a classic small-college environment.
Can’t comment about Hamilton, but agree about drinking at Colby. Isolated schools = not much to do during the long winter months. Party atmosphere ensues.
Hamilton offers a college-run shuttle by which students have access to nearby suburban amenities such as a mall and movie theater. This could be particularly important to your son should he plan (probably wisely) not to bring a car to campus:
Both classics departments are limited by their small size and are nothing special by LAC standards. This semester, for example, Colby is offering only 4 language courses: “intermediate” Latin (intro Latin II), a Latin seminar, “intermediate” Greek (intro Greek II), and a Greek seminar. Hamilton is offering 5 language courses: intro Greek, two Greek seminars, intro Latin II, and a Latin seminar. If he’s at Hamilton as a freshman next year, he would be able to start Latin (offered as elementary Latin I) in the fall but not Greek (offered only as elementary Greek II). Terribly annoying, to be sure!
If you’re curious what a strong classics program at a liberal arts college looks like, take a look at Bucknell, which is offering all levels (introductory, intermediate, advanced) of both Greek and Latin in the fall.
*Side note: Even Bucknell is somewhat limited compared to universities with strong classics programs like Berkeley, which is why I typically highly recommend universities to people serious about classics. This spring UCB is offering 3 undergraduate courses in Greek (Greek II, Homer, Plato and Aristotle), 6 in Latin (Latin I, Latin II, Vergil, Post-Augustan Prose, Republican Prose, Lyric and Society), and 5 graduate seminars incorporating Greek and Latin reading (Greek Lit, Greek Philosophers, Roman Polytheism, Greek Economies, Greek Composition). *
Just chipping in to say that my D is a current freshman at Hamilton. She does not drink or do any substances, and neither does her roommate. There is substance free housing available. She certainly knows kids who drink and smoke pot, but she has never felt any pressure whatsoever and has made a wide variety of friends through various activities and clubs that do not revolve around taking substances to have a good time.
@Publisher I think you don’t give kids much credit.
Unless a student is easily annoyed, this would not be a big deal. First-term options in this scenario could include introductory or advanced Latin or advanced Greek (as appropriate), plus a course in classical studies. Changing the order of these courses, such as might be possible at a large school, would not necessarily convey benefits beyond, maybe, that of scheduling convenience.
One is remote in NY where there are more cows than people, the other is in Watertown which is isolated in northern Maine. Despite that, meaning most of your student’s life will be on campus, they are both terrific communities. Hamilton strikes me as bigger and is more spread out. Colby has everything in a more compact setting. My student loved them both though ultimately chose another LAC getting into both Colby and Hamilton. Hamilton seemed to have better dorms, but Colby’s Jan plan where most of the opportunities are in warm climates and their Orientation program sounds more tight-knit. You can’t go wrong either way. Go with your heart, and you’ll be happy.
I agree with @preppedparent - go with your gut. If you get to the admitted students days (ASD), I suggest you focus on 2 things: The other students and parents at the ASD, and the interactions of the students not involved with the planned events. Wander around and look at the kids as they pass one another walking the paths; see if they hold doors and smile as they enter the dining hall…how happy do the teachers / administrators / cafeteria adults look?
I wouldn’t make a decision based on a single program or curriculum option. Jan Plan is probably OK, but it in all likelihood won’t make or break the 4 years on campus.
In Hamilton’s favor for us was their strong focus on writing. Loved the program, especially if law school is a potential.
Last comment…I found Hamilton to be as well run as any school we visited, which includes the Maine 3, Ivies, other NESCAC and Centennial conference LAC’s. I’m guessing you will see that at the ASD.
Publisher is right. I think that it is great that thermom’s child does not imbibe. Such students exist, of course. But I think Publisher might be alluding to the fact that on this website, amazingly, every parent has a child that will never touch alcohol once she is away at college. This always makes me smile. I find the naiveté sweet. And that’s not a patronizing jab. No, I really do find it sweet. I’m not sure what is driving such a belief, though. Is it the inability to consider that one’s child might not forever meet some imagined ideal, or is it the social pressure here on CC to always present one’s child in the best and most sober (pardon the pun) light possible (read: son or daughter presented as only the consummate adolescent scholar)?
It’s Waterville, not Watertown. Also, geographically speaking, the location is mid-Maine, quite far south of Northern Maine. Portland and Bangor are both reachable for day trips.
OP, given your son’s interests, I’d recommend Hamilton.
@Hapworth Missing the point that the parent was talking about a kid who was not a drinker. Of course lots of college kids drink. As I said, my D has plenty of friends at Hamilton who do (more who are potheads, actually, but that seems besides the point.) The question was about whether or not a kid would feel like they were cut off socially if they did not ingest substances - that was the question I was answering.
@Publisher 's statement that it was all but inevitable that kids drink at rural LACs seems to me like not giving kids much credit for knowing their own minds.
To the credit of Hamilton College, the school has put in place policies designed to curb binge drinking & clashes with Kirkland residents after 2014. I believe that off campus housing, for example, is no longer a choice.
One difference I would highlight is that like most colleges Colby has a required set of core curriculum courses, not specific courses you have to take, but categories of courses you have to take. Hamilton is one of the few colleges that do not have any required core curriculum categories or courses at all. I personally think that is great, but you might not care.
