Colgate - Greek Life

Colleges and Universities A-Z Colgate University
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Daughter is going to spend next few weeks deciding for herself where to go, her choices are Colgate, Emory, UMich, Wake Forest, Bucknell, USC, Richmond. I think she is down to UMich, Colgate and Wake.

Question - I don’t like Greek life. I think it’s bad for kids and is exclusionary and cliquey in nature. My son is in a frat so I’ve seen this up close. My daughter might want to rush actually, so the concern is that of a parent, not a student.

Of the above, I know Greek life is omnipresent at Bucknell and WF and really dictates socialization. I’m told it’s the same at Colgate, is that true?

Please share your experience. Thank you.

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I have the same question!

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Colgate owns the Greek houses. I believe they took ownership in order to have more control over the fraternities and sororities and to keep them in check.

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I have limited info only. My ds graduated there 3 years ago. He had many friends, some greek members, some non-members. He was not a member. He didn’t find it exclusionary.

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If a son or daughter attends Colgate and chooses to join a fraternity or sorority I hope it is for the “right” reasons:
a sense of community within it - but not excluding other relationships and opportunities to socialize - that delivers.

There are 3 and 5 officially sanctioned sororities and fraternities respectively for 2950 students. Freshmen and sophomores are enrolled in the Commons system before they can live in the Greek houses, and there are several theme houses that upperclassmen can live in.

http://www.colgate.edu/campus-life/housing-options/residential-commons

http://www.colgate.edu/campus-life/housing-options/housing-options

I trust the balance of housing options gives you a sense of options available to your daughterand her future friends.

Go ‘gate!

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@markham why does Greek life at Colgate not exclude from other forms of socialization outside of the frat/sorority? At schools like Bucknell and Wake, for instance, it totally excludes anything outside the frat/sorority. What’s so different at Colgate, and what percentage of kids rush and pledge?

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i looked it up, says one third of students go Greek. That’s a lot less than Bucknell or Wake.

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I don’t plan to join a frat and I don’t like parties, am I doomed?

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You are a free agent which means you can make choices, change those choices and influence the choices of those you associate with. Doomed? Hardly!

Go ‘gate!

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I’m also concerned about the social scene at Colgate. I’m pushing my kid to go there because of the many benefits, but no doubt i’m concerned. I got the impression the kids there were very rich and somewhat entitled and that the Greek scene could be overwhelming. Same would be true at numerous liberal arts of that caliber of course. I think the big public universities like Michigan, UCLA, UVA have a lot of alternatives to that sort of scene. I wish some Colgate students would address that perception.

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How would Colgate students change that perception? It’s your perception, after all, and unless you banish whoever it is who are rich, entitled or whatever you perceive, well, those students are going to do what they do and you will continue to hold perceptions of sort.

It’s better to let your kid make his or her own choices about what college they attend and what they do there. This is real life - as in the resl world - and you cannot manage it, much less manage his or her perceptions and actions, which is really all that matters in this context, right?

Good luck with the college search!

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@markham… Man, you are a trip. Giving life and parenting lessons on an anonymous forum (and to the tune of 700+ posts). I wasn’t looking for parenting instructions/advice, i’ve managed quite well in that regard so far and you have no idea who my kid. Youtube is full of past and current students who address the known issues with Colgate related to diversity, partying, Greek life and an upper class/entitled vibe. True or not, it’s a stereotype Colgate shares along with many other schools. I’ve visited Colgate four times now and I noticed kids wearing $1000 coats and driving $50K cars. I was simply looking/hoping for some written feedback by students addressing this and how it affects their experience whether they themselves are privileged or not. That’s how they would change and or confirm that perception. How my kid then deals with that, individually and in conversations with parents is irrelevant to the nature of my question. Colgate doesn’t need to be sold, it sells itself, but as with many other schools there are issues both prospective students and their parents want to work through. I’d suggest you stop with the jive and hard sell seen in most of your posts, it’s not helpful.

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“Jive”? A little dignity, please. That’s rich… You will be fine provided you calm down a bit. Maybe take a breather or a vacation?

Of course there are “rich kids” whose parents made the lifestyle happen. And there are lots of others, too. So what? Nothing new there on many top LACs.

I hope your “kid” sorts out life’s complexities with aplomb his or her own way. At college and beyond. Ok? Same applies for his or her wider community which exists in whatever form you perceive it as being. That’s what college students do, you know, and there are lots of outlets, such as athletics and clubs, and residences such as the Commons which is professionally administered so students grow into their environments, and lots of opportunities in diverse settings to explore presumptions and attitudes, as complements to course work.

Take care.

Go ‘gate!

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FWIW, my D was underwhelmed by Colgate’s sororities when she visited. She has grown up in the SEC and she thought Greek Life at Colgate presented a much lower profile than at most other schools she visited. Her impression was Greek Life existed as one social/service option, but did not dominate the campus.

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@markham talk about “rich”… the person (Colgate administrator probably) with 700+ posts promoting Colgate is telling me about needing a vacation? Your trolling is about as effective as your sales pitch. I hope my kid picks Colgate in spite of attitudes like yours vis-a-vis exploring Colgate.

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Sorry you don’t understand, much less value, the opinions of alumni who are dedicated and interested enough in their alma mater to support it. Yes, 700 posts is a good number and my contributions have spanned over 11 years, if memory serves me well. And if you don’t like the content I hope you can move on. After all, this forum, with its content, is not a commercial deal- maybe you are confusing matters? - as I am not a buying or selling binary-choice mode.

So get this: I am not an administrator, believe it or not, and I have stated repeatedly that I am an alumnus.

Best of luck to your college applicant son or daughter who will be making his or her own choices of college relationships soon enough. What great opportunities lie ahead for growth, academically and otherwise.

Go 'gate!

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Hope this helps the students still making a decision about which College to attend. - and whether they are concerned about Greek life at Colgate. I have a daughter currently attending Colgate as a Sophomore. Sororities was never her thing. She has so many friends and activities, that not being in a Sorority doesn’t even factor into anything for her.

Only 1/3 of students are currently enrolled in Frats/Sororities; meaning 2/3’s are not. Also you cannot pledge until Sophomore year, which gives Freshmen time to establish their friends and interests before the pull of Frats hits them (unlike some other schools that you pledge in your first year and its Frat or nothing).

@bankdaddy - of course you will find kids at Colgate wearing $1,000 coats and driving 50K cars. But you will find that at every school including the local community college. The fact that you saw 1 student doing this, or 10 or 100 - does not mean that all 3,000 students dress this way. The majority of the students wear sweatsuits/hoodies, and sweats/leggings all the time, regardless of how “rich” their “parents” are. I’ve seen many more used Hondas in the student parking lot then I have Mercedes.

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I think that at any $60,000+ per year school there’s gonna be a lot of “privilege”. A lot of people have financial aid/college funds… a lot of people pay it out of pocket. And having money doesn’t mean they’re not good people. Unless your kid wouldn’t be comfortable around people with expensive jackets I don’t see how it’s a huge problem.

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I probably shouldn’t add my 2 cents, since I havenoidea, but when we first arrived at Colgate, I thought the majority of the kids looked like their outfits cost more than my whole wardrobe! We are not paupers, but we live in a part of the country where people don’t put as much value on material goods, I suppose. My S loved his hosts (including their clothes, many watches, etc., lol), who were both going to join frats. There really isn’t much else to do in such a little town. Anyway, we decided we’d rather a more diverse environment for him (and he had merit aid at other places that seemed quite good). And, while S didn’t pick Colorado College either, that college shows not all “rich kids” have been conditioned to overtly display wealth. The education at Colgate and its career services sounded exceptional, however.

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I was in Hamilton yesterday and stayed the night. I agreed to take my D to stay with a friend of hers (a Junior) so she could explore the social scene before committing, she said she needed to do that even though we understood it was just an excuse to party. Her friend’s BF is in a frat and since it was Fraturday she ended up spending the day partying in a frat. I had hoped she would also spend part of the day uphill with the other kids but that didn’t happen. Anyway, she had a great time and says the scene at the frat was nice and not dicey and is committing to Colgate. I basically spent 24 hours in Hamilton alone at the Colgate Inn hoping she wouldn’t get in trouble, I’ll admit that twice I walked up to the frat with thoughts of going in and yanking her out but luckily thought better of it. I’m going to have to find a way to cope in the next four years. it wasn’t easy and I originally resisted the whole outing but my D kept reminding me that within a few months she would be there or somewhere else (Michigan, UCLA) without me so I better get used to her partying at frats and sororities. She not 100% committed to Greek life but it certainly looks like she’s headed in that direction or at least hoping to be.

Although I do wish Greek life didn’t exist (my son is in a frat so I know all about it), I am happy my D chose Colgate. My wife is even happier than I am so that’s really good. It was I who asked my D to apply to Colgate to have something she could juxtapose to all those big State schools she dreamt of in April before making her final decision. Turns out I was right but I’m not reminding her of that though.

I’ve visited Colgate four times now and spent a lot to time talking to students, residents, teachers and just paying very close attention to interactions on campus and in town. I explored the entire village yesterday (didn’t take long), and feel like I have a good grasp on what Colgate will offer my D. Hamilton is a charming and clean village, the residents are friendly, the 3-4 boutiques I visited were lovely, The bookstore was beautiful, the ice cream parlor lovely and full of local families, the quality of the food I had was surprisingly great (the Salt and Fluor Bakery was perfect), and the Colgate Inn was a definite surprise…what a charming hotel. Almost all the kids I spoke with and/or observed were really well mannered, social and clearly very bright. Apart from some girls virtually walking around half naked ( i’m not prude but a bra isn’t a shirt), all the kids were definitely sort of preppy and well dressed. I was joking with my wife tonight about how attractive everyone, students and residents are. We both did our undergrad work upsate and this is not the upsate NY we remembered. I was surprised by the caliber of cars many of these kids are driving.I also have a really nice car but I’ve been working for 25 years now. I do wonder about parents who send their kids to college in $60K cars. I saw more diversity than anticipated, albeit in what may have been segregated clusters. At least yesterday it felt like all the diversity was all uphill, while the Greek scene on Broad street was overwhelmingly white I hope I am wrong about this. I saw sober groups of students enjoying dinner in the local Indian and Mexican restaurants, talking about life on the terrace atop the library, the library full of kids studying on a Saturday afternoon, and I also saw a lot of drinking on broad street and downtown. You could actually hear the screaming from the frats on Broad street from the quad where the chapel is. This morning there were a ton of empty beer cans on the front lawns of the frats and, even on the streets where there were what appeared to be some off campus housing. I saw campus security drive around town numerous times, even this morning when I picked up my daughter in the dorm I kept seeing campus security driving around. They know what’s going on and it’s obvious they’re keeping a watchful eye. I also saw Hamilton police many times last night. The owner of Olivieri’s Pizzeria told me there is a strong police influence and State Troopers only 10 min away but that yes, often a blind eye is turned. I imagine because of the financial benefit the college offers the town and region. There was one student DUI last night apparently, and I saw a bunch of very erratic driving, including two kids running a red light right in front of the Colgate Inn. There is a lot of drinking and, although this is no different than any college, I do feel a bit put upon by it as a parent. Too much drinking on American campuses.

Overall I am happy and cautiously optimistic about my D’s choice to go with Colgate. I’ll feel even more optimistic if she can find a sensible but realistic way to mitigate the distractions the hard partying can have on her academics, after all, the driving factor that helped Colgate surpass her other choices was the amazing academic opportunities offered at Colgate. The work hard play hard mantra is fine, but it’s a slippery slope. My wife and I will spend the next 4 months trying to prepare her for this and then just put our faith in her to be able to have fun but not let it get out of control.

I think Colgate will offer her endless opportunities and I’m happy she’s landed in a place where she will have the ability to take advantage of these. Fingers crossed.

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