<p>Can this school be a financial safety for top-25 applicants? Their acceptance rate is 33%, their most important admission factors are solely academic, their SAT range is (old) 1270 - 1430, and they offer 100% need met! My mom says OOS isn't an option, but if I can secure a spot at Colgate and my financial aid package is greater than anywhere else I get accepted to, then why not?</p>
<p>Is there a catch? Like for USC, great school, good FA, but bad location -_- is it worth applying to CU?</p>
<p>It’s a little hilly and in a really small town that’s a bit far from even Syracuse. Also the weather is supposed to be pretty rainy, cloudy, snowy, and cold. And with so many other small picturesque colleges in the Northeast, it’s easy for some people to scratch it off their lists just due to the toothpaste images that pop to mind when they hear the name. But it’s really pretty and is supposed to have good academics. Preppy, athletic student body, and fraternities are prominent.</p>
<p>You need to be more cautious about what it means when a college says “100% need met”. That is in their mind and not necessarily yours. If your parents are saying OOS is not an option since they are only willing to pay what would be required by an in-state public, make sure you run a financial aid calculator to see if the estimated financial contribution (EFC) is something your parents will pay. Figure you will need at least another $1500/year in travel expenses from CA. Then go to the Colgate boards and see how well Colgate’s own calculations seem to match what appeared to be calculated EFC. Although some wealthier privates to have extraordinary financial aid that makes them less than the cost of attendance at it an in-state public, those schools are very few and you have to have the need as determined by them. Colgate may be a safety school for top 25 applicants but is it likely to be a financial safety? No.</p>
<p>while those new to the process do need to be aware that meeting need only means as much as a school thinks it should (it gets to determine the need it is meeting, after all), colgate actually does a pretty good job with its financial aid packages. average grant awarded last year was an ivy-like $37000.</p>
<p>only problem is that colgate manages to offer highly competitive packages by being highly need-aware in its admissions process. only 32% of last years freshman class received institutional need-based grant aid, an incredibly low figure… especially when you consider that football players (and some other recruited athletes who arent being admitted through traditional avenues) are being included in that percentage. </p>
<p>net result? it would be difficult for me to consider colgate much of an admissions safety for students with financial need. additionally, having such a small percentage of the student body coming from middle- and lower-income households can cause cultural issues for less wealthy students, though thankfully hamilton doesnt quite rival nyc in terms of opportunities for students to spend lots of money.</p>
<p>Colgate is a good school in the middle of nowhere. If you don’t mind the boredom, it’s a good option if they give you great aid. Otherwise, you are paying to live in a very secluded area for a degree that isn’t as marketable as one of the big name universities.</p>
<p>I am not sure where the last poster is coming from with those remarks…</p>
<p>Boredom? Is there a link to “the middle of nowhere”? No, there is no shopping mall within 20 minutes drive (just to be clear on that). I don’t believe that Colgate students are bored since they have superb academic and athletic programs and facilities, several restaurants, bars and coffee shops in the town of Hamilton as well as the venerable Colgate Inn (just renovated), off campus study groups (attended by more than 2/3 of all students), a core program, 6 frats/3 sororities, D1 athletics, a collegial town/gown relationship that shows, etc etc.</p>
<p>And about a marketable degree, where’s the data that supports that negativity? Colgate is justifiably proud of its graduates; the colgate.edu site covers outcomes such as alumni grad school and employment destinations and salaries- to an extent. Check it out.</p>
<p>In short, Colgate in scenic Hamilton is a beautiful spot to spend one’s undergraduate years!</p>
<p>Good luck with your search and with your meetings with the Admissions and Financial Aid people!</p>
<p>If you check (un)informative’s posting history, you will see that s/he specializes in making outrageous statements that only serve to annoy, never to inform. S/he is best ignored.</p>
<p>Colgate has a gorgeous campus and is an excellent school … however I’d have to agree that the campus is pretty isolated … the town of Hamilton has slightly less than 4000 people; it is tiny town ([Hamilton</a>, New York (NY 13346) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news, sex offenders](<a href=“http://www.city-data.com/city/Hamilton-New-York.html]Hamilton”>http://www.city-data.com/city/Hamilton-New-York.html)). For a student who believes they will be happy with a social life VERY much focused on campus than this is fine … for students who want to get out and about a fair amount going to school in Hamilton could be tough.</p>
<p>As eric was getting at, it’s a bit of a rich kids’ school. Only 10% of the student population receives Pell Grants. It’s an awesome school academically, though, so if you don’t care about that, go ahead and send in the app.</p>
<p>Colgate grads have the 9th highest earning potential in the US. And this is not the only survey to suggest that; Colgate’s alumni network and career placement services have long been recognized as among the most active in America.</p>
<p>It’s really annoying when people just state untruths as fact.</p>
<p>It IS in the middle of nowhere. It may not be a boring town for some, but there’s no way you can refute that it is in the middle of nowhere. Hamilton is a very small town.</p>
<p>Plus, my impression from working/living with Colgate students this summer through an internship program is that it has a very homogenous student body. Preppy and white. At least that’s what Colgate students thought.</p>
<p>We visited there with D#2. My impressions were: 1) Great looking campus 2) Frat / sorority / athletics dominate the social scene. Although my D is an athlete & very social, she felt the student body gave off a “preppy” vibe. She didn’t feel this at Cornell & is attending there.</p>
<p>'Gate is need-aware in admissions. Based on the comments that I’ve read on cc, they seem to offer an excellent finaid package to those who are admitted.</p>
<p>But small towns are not for everyone, nor are LACs. OTOH, 'Gate offers a wonderful education for those that like a smaller environment, with a heavy doses of Greek and school spirit.</p>
<p>I am pleased that you enjoyed the video and you wondered who the older man was. He is Colgate’s second year president, Dr. Jeffrey Herbst, and he is clearly enjoying himself.</p>
<p>I would also like to respond to another couple of posts…</p>
<p>In the spirit of separating fact from opinion, Colgate is in the geographic center of NY state, and yes, it is a rural area. Hamilton is small but is by all accounts charming with features that might be found in larger towns e.g 2 theaters and an excellent blend of amenities sustaining the town/gown relationship. It’s also safe and fortunate in that it does not have the sad problems of former industrial towns; some LACs have those issues to cope with.</p>
<p>Also, within a drive of 30-60 minutes are Utica (Hamilton College, Amtrak station to major cities), Syracuse and its airport, Oneonta and Cooperstown, Binghamton and the Finger Lakes. So you see that there are several colleges and universities within reasonable distance. There are also, for those without cars or rides, a few direct bus services daily from campus. This is all explained on the colgate.edu site. </p>
<p>But the fact remains that Colgate students spend most of their time in Hamilton studying and participating in all the university has to offer. A visit to campus will reveal its true character and I would encourage you to visit this beautiful and vibrant place to see for yourselves.</p>
<p>I’m always curious when people slam a college for a rural setting or not being in a city. Many college students are on a budget–I would think it would be a lot easier to live like a student in a college town than in a city. I can see the pull of NYC, Chicago, Boston, DC…but beyond that, I wonder how many students in smaller cities are really availing themselves to the cultural opportunities beyond campus. And if you’re basing your college choice on proximity to a mall, well…yikes.</p>
<p>For those students at the top of the applicant pool, look into the Alumni Memorial Scholars Program. Besides any perks from being noticed as one of the top 200 applicants, you find out in February (reg decision) and you receive a GRANT that replaces your student loans included in Colgate’s FA pkg. This is a really nice perk for those who qualify and NO additional application/essay is required. Colgate’s FA pkg was one of the best my DD received.</p>
<p>My kid was a Colgate athletic recruit and we visited with him. We were all VERY impressed, but it is isolated. That isn’t necessarily a negative, in my mind. The school brings a lot of speakers and entertainers to campus, so it isn’t boring. Plus, it’s beautiful. It’s also very cold. I think it is a great school and the students tend to get good internships and jobs.</p>