Current Hamilton Students: I have questions!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Hamilton College
1

<p>Hey! </p>

<p>So...I'm totally stoked about Hamilton, I just have a few random questions about this awesome alma mater. They're kind of random...but here goes. Prospective students: Feel free to add questions to this thread...hopefully someone in the Hamilton community will help. Thankss!</p>

<ol>
<li>Can we request a room mate as a freshman? </li>
<li>What are the Best dorms? (for freshmen) </li>
<li>Best Professors/ Classes?</li>
<li>What is something I must do at Hamilton?</li>
<li>How's the A capella group? </li>
<li>How's the Night Life?</li>
<li>Worst thing about Hamilton. (I know this question might me impossible...) </li>
</ol>

<p>(You don't need to Answer all of the questions, just any comments or advice)</p>

2

<p>Hey I am a Hamilton '14 as well, I did ED1. I know that freshman cannot request roommates…Can’t wait for next year!</p>

3

<p>I am also going to Hamilton next year!</p>

<p>I’m obviously not a current student, but information I’ve gathered about a few of your questions…

  1. You can’t
  2. I’ve hear the best one is South
  3. Ratemyprofessors.com is really helpful. I don’t know any specifics but yeah</p>

<p>I am interested in anything current students have to say as well…</p>

4

<p>My DS currently attends.
(1) no you cannot request roommates, they are chosen for you
(2) South is good, Dunham is nice as is North
(3) Definately use ratemyprofessors.com
(4) Attend class and charter day
(5) I don’t know
(6) Night life is quite fine. DS enjoys it very much.
(7) Flying home in December when the Northeast is experiencing a winter wonderland.</p>

<p>All in all, a great school.</p>

5

<p>can you request the building you stay in? i read in a college book that there is a good and bad side to the dorms, and knowing my luck i know i will get screwed on this. if i can, what building is good for a party-type?</p>

6

<p>Is the campus very dark? When I visited, it always seemed dark inside the buildings, and as though there weren’t enough windows, even when the sun was out.</p>

<p>How is Kirkland? Is it a complete downside to the campus?</p>

7

<p>I hear the Darkside (Kirkland) houses the Artsy Types and the Lightside houses the Preppy Types. Is this true? What are your thoughts on that stereotype? </p>

<p>I really liked the campus, I think the Kirkland side is a little dark, because of the contemporary-ness of it, but it’s pretty sweet. And the Windows are hugeeee.</p>

8

<p>im not preppy or artsy, i am somewhat athletic and a VERY social person. i want to be where the fun is at, cause i am pretty good at maintaining school with fun. </p>

<p>so where do i wanna be?</p>

9

<p>soyeljefe, you want to be at the dorm that the school assigns to you.</p>

<p>again, you have no choice in this matter</p>

10

<p>Anyone going to Hamilton for the HEOP Summer Program? And if you have been there before as a freshman, what are some things you would like to say? </p>

<p>I’m a sort of person who likes to plan ahead. But since there’s not a lot of details, I don’t know what to expect. I mean, I have a list of things to bring but… Is it too much? What are some things that must be brought from home?</p>

11

<p>Hi! I just finished my sophomore year at Hamilton and can answer some of your questions.</p>

<ol>
<li>No, you cannot request a roommate.</li>
<li><p>In terms of dorms, it is hard to objectively say which is the best. I lived in South and for the most part enjoyed it (great location, space, and party-dorm), but at times wished I was living just with one roommate rather than 3 or that I could have a quieter living space. Most people I know that lived on the dark side (Minor, Major, Mac, Keehn) loved it too, and I would have been happy living in a double there. North is fine, and Dunham has a reputation for being fairly dirty and gross.</p></li>
<li><p>Really depends what you are interested in. Professors that I have enjoyed or heard great things about: Franklin, Ambrose, Oakes, Zylan, Wells. Again, ratemyprofessors.com can help here.</p></li>
<li><p>Ride a Golden Bike.</p></li>
<li><p>There are 2 all girls, 2 co-ed, and 1 all boys acapella groups. They are all pretty good and hold auditions at the beginning of each semester. </p></li>
<li><p>Night life is great. All my friends from other schools are jealous of the party scene at Hamilton. Basically, frats and sororities reserve public social spaces for parties that anyone can attend. On nights when no all-campus party is being held, there are usually smaller parties going on in suites (Milbank and Babbit) or random other dorms. You can basically always find something to do on the weekends.</p></li>
<li><p>Lots of cold/snow. It gets painful sometimes in the middle of the winter.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>In terms of other people’s questions, the whole “light side vs. dark side” debate continues to be discussed. I personally found that while there are definitely a prominent number of “preppy” people on the light side and a significant number of hipster-types on the dark side, this by no means is some sort of social divider. I lived in South, then Milbank (dark side) and will be living in South again next year, and would neither categorize my self as artsy or preppy. If you consider yourself particularly preppy, don’t feel like you’ll be out of place in a dark side dorm, and the same for an artsy person on the light side. Physical living location is really not that big of a deal–you will find your niche in the community regardless.</p>

<p>Campus generally doesn’t feel dark at all. The only place that this may hold true is in some of the dark side dorm rooms when the blinds are shut/in the winter. Otherwise, there are usually plenty of windows in classrooms and other buildings.</p>

<p>For freshmen, you can basically party wherever you are. If you are in South, it is easier to actually host parties with a decent amount of people because you have an adequately sized common room. Even in Dunham this is possible, although it’s a little more cramped. People also manage to party in dark side doubles, regardless of it being a bit stuffy. I guess what it comes down to is that if you and others want to party, it doesn’t really matter where you are–you will find a way. Also, because of these all-campus parties, dorms really just become places to pregame in, rather than to spend your entire night partying in. </p>

<p>If any questions remain, I’d be happy to answer them.</p>

12

<p>I have a question regarding academics. Considering Hamilton’s emphasis on writing, do you have any idea as to how students who are weaker in writing do at Hamilton? Is it just too much or is their writing center a plus for those students?</p>

13

<p>Because Hamilton has such an emphasis on strong writing, they also are highly invested in helping those who are weaker with writing improve over their time at the school. The Writing Center is an amazing resource for all students, regardless of your grade. I have taken a few papers there and it has always been extremely beneficial. Sometimes your professors will even give you extra credit just for bringing your paper to the writing center and having a meeting with a writing tutor. In addition to the writing center, most professors are extremely helpful when it comes to assisting you with writing. All professors have office hours, so if you have any questions about your papers you can see teachers outside of class and they are generally very helpful. No professors expect you to be writing experts when you start out, so don’t worry if you feel a little weaker–the professors are there to help you improve.</p>

14

<p>Thank you! Hamilton is currently one of my son’s top choices and the writing aspect was the only concern. He’s hoping to visit again in the fall. His favorite part of the campus is the outdoorsy aspect. Do students have time to take advantage of that?</p>

15

<p>Definitely. There are IM sports teams that are especially nice to have in the fall and spring when you can be outside. Also, we have an outing club that goes on trips some weekends, oftentimes up in the Adirondacks. Also, when the weather is nice many students eat and do work outside. The school recently added some extra outdoor seating on the dark side, so people take advantage of this nice new area to read, eat, or sunbathe. Overall, there are a variety of outdoor opportunities, and I know a lot of people that have really enjoyed some of the weekend hiking, canoeing etc. trips that are offered.</p>

16

<p>I’m going to be a senior at Hamilton this fall, so hopefully I can help a bit.
First, I agree with ham2012’s post about dark side vs. light side. It’s really not a divisive problem. While sometimes it tends to split a bit more on the artsy/preppy divide, that definitely does not hold for everyone, or maybe not even the majority of people on the dark or light sides. I lived in Keehn freshman year (double), and loved it. I actually had worse housing sophomore year, and ended up in a tiny double in Bundy (down the hill a bit, sometimes called “grey side”), last year I had a single in MacIntosh (loved it), and this year I’ll have a single in a suite in Babbitt. I’m definitely a dark sider myself, so personally I’m glad I wasn’t on the light side freshman year. There are some nice light side dorms, but the really nice ones are for upperclassmen, and I couldn’t personally have handled 3 roommates. Wherever you get placed, it doesn’t necessarily determine if you’re a “dark sider” or a “light sider”, if you even end up associating with one side at all. Even though it sounds like the dark side is bad and sounds like Star Wars, I haven’t found there to be a stigma against either side. It’s more just personal preference, and you’ll see people from all over campus either way.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Can we request a room mate as a freshman?
Nope, but there’s a form that you’ve actually probably filled out by now. In general, they usually place you with someone compatible.</p></li>
<li><p>What are the Best dorms? (for freshmen)
If you’re not a HUGE party animal I’d recommend the dark side for freshman year. You can still definitely have parties, though. I found in my dark side double, we could fit about 12 people (cramped, but whatever) in my room for a party. Also, the fac-aps have parties, the suites have parties, and there are light side parties. You’ll find something wherever you go.
I’d try to steer clear of Dunham (not that you’ll really have your pick), it’s nicknamed Dirty D for a reason.</p></li>
<li><p>Best Professors/ Classes?
I’m a math major, and my favorite professor in my department is LeMasurier. I’m also an art minor, and my favorite professor EVER is Murtaugh. She teaches 3D art classes, I’d recommend for…anyone, really. I took “How Things Work” with Jones, which was a blast. It’s basically baby physics, and we got to learn general physics concepts with visuals, like stuffed animals and cars zooming around the room, and things exploding. Lots of fun.</p></li>
<li><p>What is something I must do at Hamilton?
Go to diner breakfast late on weekend nights.
Order a super pie from the Pizza Place with friends for a study break.
Go to a capella concerts.
Join clubs. There are 8 million.
Take classes you’ve never taken before. I wish I had taken more like this. Most people don’t know what they want to do when they are freshmen; take advantage of this time.</p></li>
<li><p>How’s the A capella group?
There are 5, and they’re all good. My two favorites are the Buffers (the only all-male group) and Duelly Noted (one of the co-ed groups, I’m a little biased because a lot of my friends are in this group). The concerts are always entertaining, definitely check some out.</p></li>
<li><p>How’s the Night Life?
Under 21: easy access to parties and alcohol on campus. There’s always a party going on Thursday-Saturday. If you want access to your own alcohol, it’s very easy to find someone to buy it for you.
Over 21: the Pub on campus is GREAT. This is actually a great place to go even if you’re underage and don’t want to drink. It’s very low key, a great spot to have a small conversation, and the popcorn is delicious.
Off-campus, there’s the VT, which is pretty good, and Don’s Rok, which is mostly townies.</p></li>
<li><p>Worst thing about Hamilton.
In the middle of nowhere. As a freshman, take advantage of the Jitney (or become friends with an upperclassman with a car). Without a car though, it’s hard to get anywhere.</p></li>
</ol>

17

<p>is a fake ID a necessary/worthwhile purchase for an incoming freshman?</p>

18

<p>Nice, but not necessary. There are a couple bars in town (VT and Don’s Rok), and the id situation is different every time I go down. I’m a girl, and I think we generally have an easier time getting in although maybe if you’re in a frat it helps?</p>

19

<p>I agree…I’ve only been to the bars downtown once and we got there on the early side so they didn’t card at all. I’ve heard it’s pretty random though. The only time other than going to the bars that it’s helpful to have a fake is for buying alcohol. It gets annoying as a freshman to constantly try to find other people to buy for you. The liquor store sometimes doesn’t card, but beware, if you are buying beer they will scan your ID at the Nice and Easy</p>