I work with many golfers, and stand by what I said. This student needs to be competing (which is unclear if they are), nor are they on the coach’s radar. I don’t think golf should be part of OP’s decision where to ED2.
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I think these schools are pretty even, but there are notable differences – much of this (if not all) will mirror what’s already been said.
While there probably are plenty of intellectuals at Colgate, the place seems to have a bit more of a pre-professional academic vibe. Hamilton is known for being pretty well balanced academically, and they really try to teach great writing.
The Greek presence and jock culture are more pronounced at Colgate.
Hamilton’s student body, by most accounts, is pretty well balanced.
Both are in tiny towns. I always chuckle at the thought that Colgate is located in Hamilton.
I would choose the ED2 app chiefly based on culture and academic vibe. And, obviously, check out both schools’ majors/courses/curricula to confirm the better academic fit.
All of this assumes that there isn’t a huge cost advantage for either school.
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An aspect of which you may want to be aware at either of these schools is their extreme selectivity. Colgate, for example, accepted just 3% of its recent international applicants:
However, I’m not mentioning this to discourage you, @Giang_D_ng. This is simply a fact that pertains to all applicants in your position.
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My son plays Division I golf at another Patriot League school. This roster is small and is comprised entirely of recruited athletes.
My stepdaughter, in contrast, walked on to a NESCAC golf team (Bowdoin) as a beginner.
Hamilton’s men’s team is more accomplished than most Division III teams, but I believe your chances of playing there might be more likely than at Colgate should you be accepted to the school. Nonetheless, your likelihood of making the team at Hamilton could be small unless you are already playing at a fairly high level.
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We toured both with my son. Both beautiful and close to each other but different vibes. Also both pretty remote so consider that from a cultural and community standpoint. My kid loved Colgate (50% bigger, more his speed in terms of type of kid…he’s a mainstream athletic smart kid who likes the Greek/social scene). He liked Hamilton but felt it was a tad too chill and maybe too small and intellectual feeling for him. Both have great academics and super smart and nice kids. What other schools are on your radar?
As a few others have mentioned, Hamilton and Colgate are not very similar other than location and strong academics. My D20 toured both and ended up disliking Colgate immensely and loving Hamilton. She applied EDI to Hamilton (accepted) and is currently a junior there. She has taken full advantage of Hamilton’s open curriculum and is a double major in Econ and Theater Arts. (She will graduate with many courses in creative writing as well.) She did not have any problems making friends or participating in different social scenes, and she has a very diverse group of friends. Her experience is everything we hoped and more. It’s the perfect fit for her.
She disliked Colgate for the reasons many others love it: athletics and Greek culture dominate. She was also turned off by the pre-professional vibe. Finally, and this probably doesn’t apply to you, she talked to several Black students there who mentioned it’s racially segregated and you do not see a lot of Black and Latino students hanging out with different races/ethnicities unless they are athletes. (We are AfAm, so this was a major problem for her.)
That said, I don’t think you should EDII to either school. ED should only be used if a student has a clear #1 choice and is something they can afford. Given you are here looking for general ideas about both schools and their golf teams, you probably shouldn’t ED at all. Just leave the RD status and then do more research to see what truly works for you. They are both great schools, but they have very different vibes.
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Here’s a brief comparison from a professor who has taught at both schools:
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maybe getting off topic, but I’m not sure what that prof means. Colgate leans liberal overall. Our D is there and, while she certainly knows a few conservative kids, it absolutely leans liberal. Our son is at Bowdoin and I would say that’s even more liberal with seemingly few students or professors with conservative viewpoints. Maybe that’s what he means. If that’s true, then Hamilton must be like Bowdoin but I would absolutely not say the Colgate feels conservative at all.
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I interpreted it as the prof saying Hamilton has a more liberal (meaning free and accepting, not the political term reference) attitude because there is a mix of both liberal and conservative ideals. Meaning the student body doesn’t come across as polarized and students from both sides feel more free to express their individual beliefs and thoughts. I didn’t take him mentioning “liberal” as the political term.
I could be wrong, though.
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I did not interpret his comment as suggesting that Colgate is conservative. I believe he is saying liberal as in “free” feeling. Perhaps the liberal nature of the Hamilton student is more apparent on a daily basis on campus?
I have long standing close ties to both Colgate and Bowdoin, and more recent close ties to Hamilton. I agree with your assumption that Hamilton would be more like Bowdoin than like Colgate.
I also agree that Colgate students are more likely to be liberal than conservative.
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What did you decide about ED2?
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