I am looking at both schools to run track at, and have visited both. I really liked both of them, but I can’t decide which would be a better fit for me. I plan to major in the economics field, with either a degree in finance or something of the like. Both schools are a long drive–Colgate around 4h15min, Middlebury 6h (but my family has a condo 1.5h from the school, which is definitely a plus).
Finances are also a huge factor for me; I know Colgate doesn’t give academic scholarships, which is a downside since I have a 97GPA and 32 ACT. I also have an older brother in college and a younger brother, so tuition costs are going to be tough overall. I have no idea how much (if any) financial aid I’d receive, since my parents’ income would reflect we don’t need any (although my dad would say otherwise, lol)
Since finances are a ‘huge’ factor, why not see who offers you the better package? Or are you a recruited athlete who has to apply ED tone or the other?
Midd has better academic reputation while Colgate has Div1 sports. Might also look at Holy Cross or Bucknell. Holy Cross has a few merit scholarships and meets 100% of demonstrated financial need.
By average SAT score middle ranges (Colgate: 1280-1470; Middlebury: 1260-1270) these colleges are nearly identical, so by this measurement they are natural overlap schools.
Both schools appear to have extremely strong economics departments, based on faculty publishing. Middlebury places 3rd out of 196 schools, Colgate 8th.
Colgate’s village was ranked by Forbes as one of America’s Friendliest Towns. The campus itself is one of the country’s most beautiful.
Colgate is a PR “Top 10 Party School.” Both schools appear in other PR categories, which is worth researching.
Colgate has residential fraternities and offers athletic scholarships.
Middlebury comes closer to the classic LAC size that partly defines the category, and also has participatory oriented D3 athletics.
(Sources: USNWR; “Economics Departments at Liberal Arts Colleges” / IDEAS.)
PR is Princeton Review. Cited with some hesitancy since their surveys do not appear to conform to rigorous standards and since their findings may have the appearance of magnifying small differences.
I would contact the financial aid offices of both schools, give them all the info you can (your parents taxes from last year etc.) and ask them to draw up a sample package for you based on the best numbers you have. If you can live with the numbers, go for that school. Colgate might not give scholarships, but they are probably very generous with grant money, which is basically the same thing to your pocketbook (year to year, but if your numbers don’t change year to year this should be steady).
Agree with redpoodles’ response above. It should really come down to money. The schools are very, very close to each other in terms of character/vibe. Colgate is probably a bit more of a party, greek-driven scene with Div 1 athletics, while Middlebury perhaps a bit more serious in terms of academics, and a classic NESCAC school with no greek system. They’re both excellent schools, so hope the finances work out for you at one or both.
You might find the information at the following link interesting. It ranks schools on endowment per student. Endowment is of course the biggest source of financial aid. So this gives one a sense of how deep each school’s pockets are on a per student basis. Not necessarily a guarantee that that will translate directly into a higher offer from one school versus another, as schools are also using their endowment for other strategic spending priorities (faculty salaries, capital projects, etc.), but it gives you a sense of their full financial picture. http://www.reachhighscholars.org/college_endowments.html
Stereotypes that have some truth to them: Colgate is a very greek, party hard, preppy pre-professional school. It is also extremely rural and isolated. The town of Hamilton is tiny and it is hours to anything else. A large percentage of the class aspires to Wall Street careers. It is more politically conservative than Middlebury. Sports are D1, which is intense.
Middlebury is more intellectual/academic as opposed to preprofessional. Many students go there for foreign languages, international diplomacy studies, and so on. Middlebury does not have frats. Like Colgate, Middlebury is rural and isolated, but the town is much larger than Hamilton closer to other colleges/towns. It is more politically liberal than Colgate. Sports are D3 but the running team is always strong.
As the poster above might have said, stereotypes can be anything from untrue to irrelevant to good-enough-for-me.
I am not so sure, speaking for myself of course, that these stereotypes are especially useful.
How about the applicant developing his/her own opinions through campus visits? I don’t know much about Middlebury’s student life but will deliver some facts about Colgate. It has 5 fraternities and 3 sororities for 2950 students, a residential commons program, 10 themed houses and many other options alongside the dormitory system. The town of Hamilton was named one of America’s most friendly by Forbes 2 years ago and contains all the usual college town amenities you might expect. And within one hour (not hours, by the way) are Hamilton College, Syracuse University, SYR airport, several other colleges, and Utica with its convenient Amtrak service to NYC. Within 90 minutes are Cornell, Cooperstown, the Finger Lakes and the Adirondacks.
I would also comment on the “intense” nature of Colgate’s D1 sports. If you want to compete in them, and roughly 700 students do so, you will have the opportunity to play at the top level with NCAA post-season access for Patriot League and ECAC (ice hockey) champions. If you are a spectator you will witness higher level competition and have one more reason to cherish your time on Colgate’s magnificent campus which, incidentally, is among the most beautiful in the country, as per those surveys that discuss these matters.
The elements of Colgate’s “personality”, the career aspirations and outcomes of its alumni, and its political vibe will be clearer when you visit and make your own assessment. It’s your 4 years, after all.