My daughter is Pre Med . She always wanted Harvard but was deferred than rejected . She loved Colgate’s superior Science dept and the 26 D 1 sports as well as Pep Band (she was on TV at NCAA ) Which allows her to go to what events she wants to (on campus and to other schools , so if she is too busy with tests she wont go ) . She also loved the Romance Languages Dept as she is double majoring in Molecular Bio and Spanish ( because Spanish is helpful as a DR) . She was so advanced in Spanish with AP classes that her first course at Colgate in Spanish is a 350 level with all Jrs and Seniors) . We immediately went for a visit and walked around campus on our own , she was not thrilled at the remoteness but my wife took her for a drive to a few malls within half an hour that they can get too even without a car (bus) and she also saw the area near the movie theatre and book store and liked it . On the tour , the student tour guide was so helpful and we found out freshman can have a car and then she was advised that they help u get setup with an alumni in your field and alumni are very active (she has a premed advisor already plus a first year advisor and two advisors for her majors ) plus the alumni they set her up with is a 30 yr old Dr . who has been helpful. Plus Colgate has affliations with medical schools like Rochester , Albany etc . She had a plan to get active in a few groups right away and make friends quickly so she was not left out . She even made friends with Seniors . The food has been good but issues occurred with staff levels low due to covid fallout and the school location but they let us know , added food trucks and other outside options that take Colgate cash and they solved it quickly . She got a great dorm and move in day they unloaded our SUV onto their truck and her stuff was waiting outside her dorm when she got up the Hill. They had students yelling and clapping as we pulled in and when we all went to orientation later , They made her feel welcome and wanted as also evidenced by the letter of acceptance telling her what they liked about her application (references , essays etc , it showed they read it ) , She committed and I paid a deposit on the visit acceptance tour (her name was on the board at the admissions office as well as on the scoreboard at the Beautiful hockey arena) . Its small and welcoming ! Dont get me wrong , the work has been hard and she had one Professor that was picked for her first semester that was not good but she advocated for herself and did well and that Calc Professor is retiring in May . Also we all like that its safe (knock on wood ) and the precautions they take with Campus Safety and Blue lights and phone apps are superb . Also there is a phone app to tell u when washers and dryers are available , how much time is left on them etc . Without the title (due to no Graduate School ) Colgate is an " IVY" but a hidden Ivy . She also loved the campus , its beautiful despite the recent rain and snow .
On parents weekend , a Bio professor was outside her commons and served us Apple cider and cookies . When she showed us her Science building the Chem Professor happened to be there and knew her by name already and came out to say hello to us and introduced herself as " Jenny " . They had dinner for the parents on parents weekend in a tent and gave out snacks on move in weekend . Our daughter is already an Officer of a Club and had dinner at President Caseys house with other Officers !
Good luck to your daughter and she cant go wrong with either School but 12 % acceptance or so at the Gate and low as well at Rochester, be proud ! Pls let us know what she decides . GO GATE !
Thanks so much for that information especially regarding a bio related premed which is what my D is tentatively planning on. We weren’t really sure how strong the bio major attributes were at Colgate so that is good news. Like your D, our D also applied Harvard restricted early action but was also deferred. I guess the ivy’s announce late this week but really losing interest anyway and leaning toward either Colgate or Rochester.We are going to take one of the Colgate accepted student tours in early April and this information will be very good prep reading.
Son waitlisted … a shame since it was his top choice. Guessing they take very few if any off the waitlist. He had a rough first semester due to some family issues so that makes it a bit harder to come to terms with. Has other good choices but would really prefer Colgate …
My son, too, and this was a top choice. No one off the waitlist last year, but there is an online meeting about the waitlist Thursday at 7, so we’ll be listening to find out possibilities. Judging from what happened to my other son 2 years ago (at other schools), I’m thinking they will try convincing students to do a Spring start.
Our D is a soph at Colgate. Honestly, the vibe at Colgate is way different than at Rochester. Your D needs to meet students for sure when she visits. PM me if you’d like more about how our D sees the social fit at Colgate. It’s important since there’s almost nothing to do around campus and if you don’t feel the fit it can be a rough go.
Yes, he is definitely going to do a letter of continued interest and see what else he can do to make it clear that this is his top choice and he will accept if taken off the wait list.
Will do. Thanks. Will try PM but never done that on cc. Familiar with ROC as D sister went there. Not so familiar with Colgate although we already live in a rural area and I think she got a taste of what may be similar to Colgate with her experience for a summer at Phillips Exeter…loved it. She is very outgoing and social and wants to be part of a sorority so probably a fit. We will do accepted student tour in early Aprl.
Rejected last night after deferral from restricted early action for so long. Obviously a bummer to D but not unexpected. Pretty much down to Colgate and Rochester. Got into lots of other good schools too but those are her top two. Very different but both good.
I hear u , Harvard was my daughters dream since first grade . Its a crap shoot and your Daughter and mine deserve it as much as anyone but thats life and they will adapt and overcome ! I wish your daughter the best !
Daughter accepted to Colgate and interested in dance, theater, a capella and other performance arts. Not interested in Greek life. Could Colgate be a good fit for her? Thanks for any comments!
Colgate is my daughter’s 4th choice right now, but I am encouraging her to keep an open mind as I think it could be a good fit for her. The Greek system and tiny town are probably the two biggest issues for her.
