<p>Can't believe that our DD four years at Colgate is coming to an end. It just takes our breath away. It has been such a wonderful experience for her and for us as well. </p>
<p>I am looking for anyone with Colgate graduation ceremony experiences to help us with our plans. Any insights as what to expect; what events to attend; accommodations being offered by the university; and anything else that is important to know. It will be our only chance to have this experience and we would like to ensure we don't miss anything for her and for us.</p>
<p>Colgate does a really nice job with graduation weekend. The events you attend will reflect your daughter’s experience at Colgate. We attended a cocktail reception given by the department my son majored in and really enjoyed meeting his professors, and other events were hosted by his fraternity. We stayed at the Colgate Inn but other family members stayed in the dorms and said that was fine. The highlight is the torchlight ceremony the night before graduation - a wonderful tradition.</p>
<p>Housing in Hamilton is at a premium at graduation time, as you may know, and I think the Colgate Inn does a lottery for rooms. There are many hotels/motels in the sorrounding area if you don’t mind a little driving. Hamilton really does need a huge Ramada Inn or Embassy Suites or some other middle level hotel, but they wouldn’t be able to sustain it over the entire year, I imagine. If dorms are available, that would be a modest option. </p>
<p>Look over the schedule you will get and select the activities that your child most wants to attend. The torchlight is pretty striking. The whole campus is so pretty, it’s hard to imagine anything nicer. Take pictures!</p>
<p>We received the event schedule from Colgate recently. Will certainly participate as many of the scheduled events. Very exciting and at the same time, bittersweet. Our DD had such a wonderful experience and we were very lucky to share in all the teams and clubs she participated in. </p>
<p>We recently received a call from one of the nearby B&B that several rooms became available. Very fortunate that we are able to find rooms nearby.</p>
<p>Thank you for sharing your thoughts and comments. Plan on taking lots of pictures to this once in a lifetime event for our DD. We are looking forward to the graduation festivities.</p>