I recently got accepted to both Colby and Colgate (so happy), and I’m completely torn between the two. I really like them both… I’m looking to study Biology on the pre-med track while also studying English. I’m also looking for research/internship opportunities, an intellectual/creative student body etc.
Simply stated, I love the campus at Colgate, and a lot of other aspects of it. I love how it has a strong alumni network, amazing research opportunities, great science facilities, and an overall ideal setting for me (rural). I visited and absolutely loved it, but maybe it’s just pre-college nerves sinking in?? I’m also concerned about the partying/drinking/athletic culture; is it prevalent to the point where it’s overwhelming, or is the focus way more on academics? Also, what is the student body like? Is there quirkiness/nerdiness/diversity or are they mostly preppy?
Colby–I love the idea of a small liberal arts school with amazing success rates afterward and a strong science program, I’m just concerned about the campus/location since it’s 5 hours away from where I live. Also, I don’t know as much about it. What are the students like? Since it’s so similar to Colgate in terms of access to professors and the quality of academics, what are some major differences?
Thanks for taking the time to read this and to try to help!
As just one thing to consider, I wouldn’t disregard that Colgate recently made a commitment to a new Center for Art and Culture. If Colgate’s own culture and mission truly lacked breadth of dimension, this is the type of investment they would decidedly not be making.
I am on the Colgate campus now and last weekend attended presentations by various staff groups as part of a regular alumni and parent on-campus engagement program. What struck me in particular about Career Services is the depth and breadth of their student/alumni offerings, the size/quality of their career services staff, and the satisfaction expressed by both current students and recent alumni with their own personal outcomes and experiences. Look at the following link to get an idea:
Further, Colgate is building a new 18,000 square foot career services center for delivery in late 2016. It will be above Merrill House and below Olin. Yes, there’s also the new $38 million athletic center due by start of ice hockey season Oct., 2016 and the new arts and $21 million art and cultural center by David Adjaye for late 2016/early 2017.
That’s very true about the Center for Art and Culture, and it’s definitely an important part of a college I’d want to go to. And thank you for the insight about career services–impressive!
I think the culture at Colby is too similar to Colgate’s for that to be the deciding factor. If your personal impressions have indicated otherwise, however, that’s different.
Colgate has about a thousand.more students than Colby, which possibly means there are more pockets of people acting differently than the stereotype. I think Colgate is really a special place, whereas Colby is nice but not much different from a lot of other excellent small colleges.
@moooop Yeah, that’s what I realized Thanks (everyone) for helping me make a choice!! I’m looking forward to everything that awaits in the years ahead!
Interesting link, but I hope the rankings get some critical analysis. Within five minutes of browsing, I found a major mistake. The number of Colby graduates for 2012-13 is listed as 654, a figure off by roughly 50%.
I’m not even sure I like the way the Colgate paper has reported the story, with their handy comparison to Harvard, Princeton and Yale – schools that did not make the top thirty. Why not mention the colleges that Colgate did finish directly in front of? And for a school that finished second overall, Colgate grads are not doing a great job of paying off their loans (77th percentile.)
I wish colleges and college newspapers would accept their academic role and make more of an effort to substatively analyze reports like this. That is what would actually impress me.
I am sorry you were not happy with the colgate.edu website article. If you would care to write one focusing on another college and put it into the context that appeals to your readers, please go ahead. That would impress me.
I should stand corrected on not making a distinction between the linked website, to “Colgate University News,” and Colgate’s newspaper, “The Colgate Maroon.” Perhaps the coverage was more sophisticated in the latter.
When you have a minute please go back to the original link on colgate.edu to see a comment just posted by an alumnus, Class of 1974. I think you and other supporters of liberal arts colleges will agree with him, as I do.
Good luck to college applicants and their families with their searches!
markham: I posted about your link more sharply than was warranted. I’ll have to get used to the PR wings of colleges – they seem to write with a puffery that differs from the disciplined standards of the institutions they represent. Whether I think this is a good thing or not has nothing to do with Colgate specifically.
Beyond that, my browsing led me to see that a Colgate education helped produce a recent Apker Award winner. Well, that impressed me.
I recently got accepted to both Colby and Colgate (so happy), and I’m completely torn between the two. I really like them both… I’m looking to study Biology on the pre-med track while also studying English. I’m also looking for research/internship opportunities, an intellectual/creative student body etc.