<p>Colgate is #23 on the Entitlement Index of USN&WR’s Top 50 Colleges, with 30% of students from private high schools and 56% of students not qualifying for need-based financial aid, for an EI score of 86.</p>
<p>That ranks above Bucknell (26 and 49) and Denison (30 and 49), equivalent to Franklin and Marshall (34 and 53) and Hamilton (40 and 42) but well below Skidmore (40 and 58) and #1 Davidson (52 and 67).</p>
<p>Kei</p>
<p>lspf72 - no problem… good luck to you and your child!</p>
<p>I live near colgate and i take classes there. she has to be prepared for a culture shock…espcially hook up culture. I advise you read the colgate campus climate survey of 2009. the girls can be mean and so can the guys. but there are some nice people who don’t judge financially. and don’t have her bring a car. if its not a brand new car they stare and look down on you.</p>
<p>Not sure about the “mean” girls comment – which I think is somewhat of a national myth we are hearing a lot about lately and which is no different from the fact that some people are nasty. What else is new? </p>
<p>Colgate is famously friendly as a community. I would describe it as mainly nice, normal, outgoing, “sporty” kids. It has a reasonable diversity, not all “white and preppy” but certainly pretty heavily that, too. There are Black, Hispanic, Asian and other students there. As for the “rich white kid” image, it’s hard to imagine any college or university with a $50K tuition, not attracting a lot of “rich, etc.” kids! No surprise there. But, Colgate also has enormous and generous financial laid resources – part of the reason it does include a reasonable variety of ethnic and income groups. </p>
<p>My daughter is there now (I’m a high school teacher) and we are very pleased with Colgate. She’s made a large number of friends, plays club Rugby (She’s 5’0" and 100 lbs so go figure), and is proud to be a 'Gater. </p>
<p>On arrival last August, we were greeted by hordes of upper class students who helped take our carload of stuff up to her (4th floor) room. The campus radio station was broadcasting Beatles songs from the lawn on the quad. Colgate singing groups were singing in the various dorms. Everyone said, “Hi! Welcome to Colgate!” Friendly? I guess so.</p>
<p>My daughter is totally not “sporty” at ALL and quite shy. WIll she be able to find a niche at Colgate or will she be lonely because she doesnt carry a lax stick or run…</p>
<p>she is also young when it comes to boys… she has not had a boyfriend yet… will she be overwhelmed and uncomfortable at colgate?</p>
<p>this whole decision process is difficult.</p>
<p>thanks for your help :)</p>
<p>“Entitlement Index of USN&WR’s Top 50 Colleges”…huh? where do you find this? I googled but nothing came up…</p>
<p>picklemom, i was very shy and hadn’t had a boyfriend before going to Colgate and not only did I find a boyfriend within 2 months (we’re still together 5.5 years later, btw), but I really came out of my shell and ended up running the radio station and Japan Club, captaining the western equestrian team, giving speeches in front of a crowd in Japanese and living with a host family in Japan for a semester. If you’d told me my senior year in high school that I would end up doing all these things, I never would have believed that I was capable of it. Colgate is really great at challenging students in that way.</p>
<p>There are niches for pretty much everyone at Colgate. Your daughter will find like-minded students through clubs/activities and have a great time. Only 19% (I think?) of students are varsity athletes, the rest are club or intramural (if you played one soccer game with your dorm once, it counts), so it’s more of a hobby thing than anything intense and it’s one of many interests that students pursue.</p>
<p>There is a hook-up culture among many students at Colgate, but you definitely don’t have to participate in it. None of my friends did. It’s not nearly as visible, but there is definitely plenty of room for people who aren’t interested in that at all. I never felt peer pressure to participate.</p>
<p>In short, while she may not fit the Colgate stereotype, there are tons of other people that don’t and they all find each other and have a great time.</p>
<p>picklemom, I never had a boyfriend throughout my years at Colgate. I’ve found that A) Boys are still immature and will live out their single lives and just drink or B) Those who are sought after because they actually want a relationship HAPPEN to be in a relationship with a lucky girl. The guys in the B category are far and few… but have a lot of respect from other women. Thus, putting us ladies in… a position where most of us wound up being single for a good part of our Colgate years. It helped a LOT that Colgate’s a very social school in a way that one didsn’t really need a SO to be truly happy. As long I received a fair share of attention, even just friendly “hello”, from men, I was just satisfied.</p>
<p>Colgate students talk, but most won’t do the walk. The real action happens at the Jug (sleazy downtown bar) but it all ends when the Jug closes at 2-3 AM and students just head back to the dorms and sleep. Not too much more because they’re too drunk to think anymore.</p>
<p>As for sports, it’s a fairly active campus. That hill with nearly 300 steps from the bottom to the top (I’ve often counted to keep my mind off how many more steps I have to go until I reached the Quad…) will leave anyone breathless for a couple of weeks! Also there’s just so much fresh air that one can’t help but to play outside and take advantage of Colgate’s Outdoor ed program and IM sports. Who knows. Maybe your D will love the rural setting and do something. Maybe she won’t care much and just do her own thing. But she might just feel a bit pressured when she sees how a fair number of students drop their books at 4 PM and go play on Whitnall Field or work out in the gym. I usually ran in the mornings to avoid the craziness and used 4-6 PM to catch up on sleep or work, or just simply take a walk around. But I did know plenty of students who are just not interested in all that stuff and just find other things to do.</p>
<p>thank you lydia08 and ticklemepink!</p>
<p>another quick specific question… i realize that you might not know, but we are Jewish and i wonder if there is a community. We are not very religious at all, but it would be helpful to know if she will feel like she is the only one.</p>
<p>can you tell me about greek life? is sorority pledging overwhelming? does it include doing really disgusting stuff? lol. when does it occur…</p>
<p>ok i will stop with all the questions for a minute. </p>
<p>thanks in advance!! :D</p>
<p>I can’t speak to the sorority scene, but there is a good-sized and very supportive Jewish scene on campus. I think most of my son’s friends are jewish (he isn’t) and he was lucky enough to go on a 3 week tour of Israel with a Colgate prof last Summer as a culmination of a course on the History of Israel with 15 or so other Colgate students.</p>
<p>My boyfirend is Jewish, and occasionally participated in the on-campus events. There’s the Saperstein Center [Colgate:</a> Sapterstein Jewish Center](<a href=“http://www.colgate.edu/DesktopDefault1.aspx?tabid=3812]Colgate:”>http://www.colgate.edu/DesktopDefault1.aspx?tabid=3812) that has services, holidays, weekly bagel brunches, etc. There is (albeit limited) kosher for passover food available in the dining halls this week and the option to eat all meals at “the Sap” (at least there was a few years ago). I’m sure the rabbi would be happy to speak to you/your daughter about the community on campus.</p>
<p>Also they’re very welcoming regardless of your level of Jewish-ness. I’m not and I always felt very welcome at all of the events. The bagel brunch usually had a good number of non-Jewish students and I attended a seder there and had a great time.</p>
<p>As for greek life, I wasn’t involved so I don’t know much, but pledging takes place in the fall of students’ sophomore year, so they have all of first year to learn about the different houses, which really helps. Any sort of hazing is completely banned and there have been a couple houses de-recognized for it, so they take it very, very seriously.</p>
<p>lydia08 thank you so much for your response again! you are making me feel much more comfortable. </p>
<p>do most juniors and seniors live off campus?</p>
<p>my daughter still hasnt chosen what college she will attend but your answers give me a lot of insight to colgate.</p>
<p>There is a lottery for seniors who want to live off campus - up to 250 seniors (roughly 1/3 of the class) are allowed to live off campus. Many of the seniors who live off campus live in apartments in downtown Hamilton. [Colgate:</a> Off-Campus Lottery](<a href=“http://www.colgate.edu/DesktopDefault1.aspx?tabid=984]Colgate:”>http://www.colgate.edu/DesktopDefault1.aspx?tabid=984)</p>
<p>Glad I can help!</p>
<p>The rest of the juniors and seniors live on what is technically “on-campus” housing, but it’s really apartment buildings/townhouses/interest houses down the hill and across the main street from campus. It’s a nice transition from dorm life to the real world - you have a full kitchen and everything and have to clean up after yourself, but you don’t have to worry about bills/landlord issues and if anything breaks, Buildings and Grounds will come fix it ASAP.</p>
<p>well, there is no doubt a jewish community, many of my friends are jews (i am not). but regarding that kosher food issue, I am not too sure. The food that they have in the dining halls is definitely not kosher, and as far as i know, the Jewish center has kosher food only on Fridays (I might be wrong). In fact me and one of my jewish friends tried to keep it kosher by turning vegetarian. She gave up after a few weeks. But that is just an isolated incident, and there is a supermarket that does have kosher meat.</p>
<p>Hope that helps!!!</p>
<p>I’m both!</p>
<p>Re: CJU (Colgate Jewish Union) is just really, really great. Colgate is definitely not for the Orthodox but it’s much more geared towards cultural Judaism. In in a way, CJU strives to reach out to Jews from all walks of life. I was one of the lucky students who got to interview “Rabbi Dave” for his job. </p>
<p>Me: So, Rabbi, we have like 400 students on our mailing lists. A lot of them are not affiliated with CJU or don’t really participate much in our events on regular basis. A lot of students are really busy and it’s hard for them to make any kind of commitment to Judaism. How do you propose to reach out to those students?</p>
<p>Rabbi Dave: … In short, you just have to meet them at their comfort level. I want to do whatever I can to make them comfortable (lists different ways). I want them to see that they can be in touch with their Jewishness, even just for a few minutes a day. This is why I want to come to Colgate. I want to be able to reach out to students at more personal level.</p>
<p>That is… how he got the job. And students just LOVE him and give him a lot of respect. (he’s got that wonderful baby face to boot)</p>
<p>The Sap is a great place. The kitchens are kosher so your D is MORE than welcome to come in and make something for herself in a kosher kitchen. There are almost always leftovers from Shabbat in the fridge so she can run down there if she has a craving for a piece of kosher chicken. If your D is on work-study, she can ask to be a monitor for the Sap… which is one of the easiest and best jobs on campus because she has the whole place to herself (of course anyone can drop by!)-free food in the kitchen, tv, computer/wireless internet, and couches to lounge around on. Every Friday afternoon, a group of VERY dedicated student-cooks get together to prepare for Shabbat dinner. As others have said, CJU does what it can to help students feel at home and have fun being a Jew or learning about Jewish traditions. Rabbi Dave does his utmost best to help students find rides home for the holidays or make them feel at home when they can’t be with their families. And the students are very passionate about Israel but they try to be neutral when teaching the campus about Israeli-Palestinian issues (although the campus is more pro-Israel or apathetic).</p>
<p>As for Greek life… the rush (which happens in sophomore year) can be very intense if you make through a minimum of 2 nights. One night won’t do much. But to socialize for more than 2 nights in a row is quite intense. At the same time, they are a LOT of fun because you meet so many women with their own lives and interests. Potential new members are primarily judged on what they can bring to the sorority and whether they can fit in with the sorority’s current members. It also helps a lot to know several members before rushing because those members can vouch for those potential new members. Like anywhere else, first semester is the hardest because of commitments to help new members bond with the sorority and each other. </p>
<p>Being in a sorority wasn’t a huge plus nor a minus for me. I met some wonderful juniors and seniors whom I looked up to. I lived in a house with my very own room that looked out to Broad Street. I enjoyed some special nights/afternoons that the house put together such as a Super Bowl Party (that was insane, half the room was for the Giants and the other half was for the Pats…), Sunday brunches, and sometimes if there’s enough interest, weekly tv show get-togethers. The only downside really was that, like the rest of Colgate community, everyone was so involved with their activities outside of the sorority that sometimes I didn’t feel that “bond”. As for “hazing”… within my sorority, we were very responsible with our “outside” activities and made sure no one got herself in danger. Sorority life, at Colgate, is what you make of it. The Greek life at Colgate is quite unique because of the campus environment being more about being a community and cross-campus collaborations so students are quite balanced in their ECs, academics, and social life.</p>
<p>Ahmad - normally there is not kosher food provided, but during the week of Passover, there is matzo and matzo pizza available at Frank and (at least a few years back this was the case) there were kosher for passover meals provided at the Sap (catered I think?).</p>
<p>My daughter is a first-year at Colgate right now. She’s not much for boyfriend-girlfriend culture, did not have a boyfriend in high school, and doesn’t have one now. She mostly goes out with groups of friends. I wouldn’t call her ‘shy’ but shy, quiet people can be perfectly happy at Colgate. </p>
<p>There’s the usual “hook-up” culture at Colgate as at most other schools with a certain casualness about sex – if that’s the kind of person you are – but if you’ve been raised correctly and don’t find that particularly appealing, why get involved in it? It’s the same as drinking, I suppose. If that’s your way to have fun, I guess you’ll guzzle a lot of beer (Like that doesn’t happen at every college in the world!). But, if you don’t find drinking a big thrill, you don’t drink much. </p>
<p>There really isn’t a big deal of pressure to do any of these things–unless you’re the kind of weak person who gives in to pressure to do stupid things. </p>
<p>Colgate students have been described by a few people I know as “sporty” which seems to mean pretty outdoorsy, athletic, and healthy. Not everyone, by any means, but I find that a fairly nice thing. And they’re pretty smart, too. You know all those thousands of students the Ivies say were “just as qualified but they didn’t have enough room to admit them”? Well, many of them are at Colgate.</p>
<p>Colgate draws pretty heavily from New York City and suburbs as well as the Northeast, in general. The Jewish population is fairly significant. An awful lot of my daughter’s rugby friends are Jewish if names mean anything. </p>
<p>Cars aren’t all BMW’s and Mercedes. There’s a lot of old family second cars, too. It’s a bit easier to get some of those kind of cars tuned up in Hamilton than any exotic car. Most of my daughter’s friends do not have cars, but some upperclassmen do. It is not typical to have a car which is a bit of a burden to deal with, and you don’t need one at all to get around campus or into Hamilton which is 1 mile away. What’s that, a 20 minute leisurely walk? Or take the Cruiser shuttle which goes from campus to town regularly. </p>
<p>Living off campus isn’t unusual, but relatively few students do it. Colgate is a residential college so that nearly everyone lives in a dorm or campus housing of some kind. Some few live in fraternities and sororities, but only about 30-35% of Colgate students are members of them and not all of them live in the houses but in the dorms. There are many different kinds of “houses” offered for students to live in. </p>
<p>Everyone going off to college is a little nervous, a little unprepared. Whatever college your daughter ends up in, it will be her that makes it work or not, far more than the college itself. What I mean is if she’s not ready for college, there’s likely no college she’d be all that happy attending. If she is ready, she can be happy at many different colleges. It’s a little like marriage or children or buying a house. A few years on, and you can’t imagine doing it any other way. But, before you make the decision, it seemse pretty daunting.</p>
<p>There are two things wrong with your theory. First off, rich parents can’t buy their way into elite schools or if they can, you’re looking at less than 1% of the entering class. Secondly, the elite schools have so much scholarship money that most kids are likely to be like your daughter. In short, you’re daughter will be fine. Fret not.</p>