<p>My son is considering LACs and has narrowed it down to Hamilton, Bates and Wesleyan. Now he needs to decide which to apply ED. They all sound great but after researching them from a distance (as well as brief visits) the factors become overwhelming and it's hard for him to compare. Is there anyone who is familiar with all three schools and who could provide some unique delineating characteristics of the schools? While you would probably want to know what he is looking for, I don't want to lead the discussion. I am seeking top-of-mind thoughts about how the schools compare.</p>
<p>Well, both are great schools, but there are some differences. Hamilton has a much larger endowment and has recently adopted a need-blind admissions policy. I’m pretty sure full-pay applicants have an advantage at Bates. Bates is in Lewiston, which is okay as far as Maine towns go, but it isn’t the prettiest. Clinton, NY is a quaint little town with not much going on. Bates is proud of its new dining hall and that it’s a gathering place for the entire campus. Hamilton has two dining halls, one each on the Light Side and Dark Side. Hamilton seems more sports oriented and both schools embrace their cold winters. Hamilton is also very focused on teaching their students how to write. My daughter looked at both and is now at Hamilton. Sorry I can’t add anything about Wesleyan. Good luck to your son!</p>
<p>I am not too familiar with Bates and Wesleyan (and I wouldn’t like to provide you with faulty information about them) but if you have any questions/concerns about Hamilton, please feel free to ask; as a current student here, I would be happy to make your son’s decision a little bit easier!</p>
<p>As you are not familiar with Wesleyan and Bates, what stood out about Hamilton – both pluses and minuses – compared to the other schools you were considering?</p>
<p>One of the most biggest advantages of this college is financial aid. This benefits both financial aid and non financial aid students. Let me explain; Hamilton offers lots of aid to those qualified applicants who otherwise could not attend. And the amount of aid Hamilton offers is often even higher than the family would expect based on their calculations, although you cannot really conclude this from simply comparing figures of financial aid at Hamilton with that of other colleges. Many of my classmates and friends here were accepted to some even more prestigious schools; I have friends who got into Cornell, Stanford, Yale, Georgetown, NYU, Columbia and the list goes on. And they still chose to attend Hamilton because they would have to pay less here. My point is that students here are extremely well qualified and half of the student body could be studying at an even more prestigious university but simply because e.g. Columbia offered them a few thousands of dollars more, they opted for Hamilton. This results in not only a very smart student body but also a pretty diverse one and this benefits those as well who are not on financial aid. </p>
<p>A possible negative about Hamilton could be the location. Bates is much closer to Boston and Wesleyan is much closer to NYC. But, of course, this fact does not really affect the atmosphere on campus nor on the quality of teaching. Oh, and also, I originally would have wanted to go to a school with more students but by now I realized how nice it is to be in such a small community where professors know your name from the first week of classes.</p>
<p>Another plus is the extensive list of off-campus study options Hamilton offers. Students can basically go anywhere in the world, and the college has two domestic semester programs, one in New York City and one in DC which are exceptional. If a student is interested in government (there is no need to major in the subject) they can pick a place where they would like to do an internship in Washington DC, and Hamilton makes it happen. Some older friends of mine worked in the White House for example. And this is all possible because of the extremely strong alumni network which is also something that is truly outstanding about Hamilton. Last weekend was alumni weekend and, just to give you an example, a good friend of mine easily made an appointment with the CEO of General Electrics, who is a Hamilton alumnus. </p>
<p>So, financial aid and alumni network are the two most important things that came to my mind right now but yes, the location is something that could be better. Oh, and don’t forget the open curriculum that neither Wesleyan, nor Bates have.</p>
<p>Thanks all. I am surprised (though pleasantly) to see how consistently positive everyone seems about Hamilton. The only negatives tend to be related to the location and cold winters, neither a big problem for our son.</p>
<p>Sorry, I just found some typos in my last post (eg. ‘simply because e.g. Columbia offered them a few thousands of dollars LESS, they opted for Hamilton’). </p>
<p>The students I know are happy here because we really are the foremost priority of the college and you can see and feel that everywhere on campus. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>ksanyee… Thanks you again for your amazingly informative posts. That was all new news to me and I really like what you said. We will be looking at financial aid in our college search. Hamilton sounds very generous. I also like the fact that with that brings diversity to the campus… another thing my S is looking for.
Hamilton is actually at my S’s school today visiting. My S is excited to talk to them… had his notes and questions to ask with him when he left this morning.</p>
<p>I don’t know that much about Hamilton, although I heard it has a beautiful campus. The problem with Bates is that Lewiston is a dump. It has nothing going for it. It’s not near the ocean or mountains and Portland is 45 minutes away if you have a car. It’s also second fiddle to Bowdoin which in a small state says alot. My S visited Wesleyan and was put off by the wierdo students. The girls were ugly and that’s no way to spend four years of college.</p>
<p>Wesleyan and Hamilton are quite different with Bates being closer to Hamilton. My sister attended Wesleyan and my DD is at Hamilton. Wesleyan is far-left liberal with little tolerance for the right, Hamilton is moderate with both sides well-represented.</p>
<p>What has been of great appeal to DD and something that few other schools offer is the lack of a core curriculum- no distribution requirements. Three writing intensive classes are required (can be taken in any subject) and some PE is the extent of what is not optional. The students are impressively engaged with their academics.</p>
<p>Hamilton has some Greek life and many of the all-campus parties are sponsored by them. The campus and town are quite lovely, if remote. </p>
<p>For a California girl, DD has adjusted to the weather and enjoyed getting familiar with another part of the US. This year she is studying abroad.</p>
<p>(As college confidental member mnozzi informed me I was wrong when I said that the CEO of GE was a Hamilton alumnus. He did visit during alumni weekend but he never went to Hamilton. His daughter did. Thanks and sorry!)</p>
<p>We visited all three. Wesleyan has traditonally had the best academic reputaton of the three. Middletown is discouraging. We were concerned by Hamilton’s rowdy Greek reputation- I know there will be dissenters- and perhaps I am wrong- but their own web reports parent/student complaints of problems during spring pledge period, frat suspensions, the current re-investigation of Greek life, etc. However, yes, the drive there is lovely. Until very recently, they were not needs-blind or meet “full need.” (Two years ago, at an info session, they stated, if you’re counting on financial aid, look elsewhere. Wow.) In fairness, it’s yet to be seen how the new FA changes affect the composition of the student body and social situation. Sorry if this seems negative, but those were our impressions. D1 has a friend there who is very happy; that gal chose Ham because ano relative had been happy there.</p>
<p>Bates, yes, is in Lewiston; not a ^ “dump.” Just another dying-but-hoping-for-the-best New England mill town. (Many of those in NE.) Across the river is the county seat, Auburn, a few minutes drive- that’s where the most restaurants, small shops, and chains are. There is so much going on on-campus that the only need to go off campus is WalMart (freakin’ huge) or to catch a bus home during breaks. Bates is highly committed to community service, with its own Community Involvement center. Students are considered individualistic (not extreme,) somewhat outdoorsy and probably mostly liberal. We started our visit on a Sat and I was impressed to see so many studying in various common rooms. Because of the winters, the school gets social interaction rolling early, sponsors a number of parties, concerts, etc. The joke among some is: they work hard during the week and party hard on weekend nights. But, of the kids I know there, there are just as many who stick with quieter pursuits. As with Ham and Wes, there are multiple study away opps. Many opps for kids interested in the environment to research/study in local preserves. One old tradition is 4 or 5 acapella groups- also a gospel choir open to all, orchestra, etc. Yes they have distribution requirements; though open curriculums are gaining popularity, the gen ed and minor reqs reminded me of a light version of what many parents took in college. Ie, not a bad idea.
D1 was accepted to Ham and Bates, decided not to apply to Wes based on…the town.</p>
<p>The very best way to get a quick and super read on all three schools is to read thru the 2010-2011 course catalogs online. See requirements, opportunities, and actual classes offered. Look up DS’s probable major- check the number of professors vs part-time lecturers/non PhDs. Check their bios- their backgrounds and current work. Then, dig thru every part of the web site you may have missed before, for all the small extras. We found this well worth the time invested.</p>
<p>Excellent insights and suggestions. Thanks!</p>