This is the official discussion thread for Hamilton Class of 2027 RD applicants. Ask your questions and connect with fellow applicants.
RD Application Deadline is: January 4
My dd just applied, still has to submit her arts supplement and optional essay…. What are thoughts on the optional interview? Is it really optional?
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My personal feeling is that if this is her first choice, it’s not really optional. If there were no slots or it was almost impossible to schedule, it would be a different story, but if it is fairly easy to schedule and it’s virtual, than I view it as not really optional. My D’s (accepted ED 1) interview was super relaxed and conversational with a senior admissions fellow. Again, if it’s her first choice, I personally wouldn’t leave anything to chance.
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On its Common Data Set, Hamilton marks the interview as “important.” For comparison, this is one level higher than standardized test scores, which are “considered.”
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Thank you! She doesn’t have a first choice yet, is applying to several similar LAC’s that we haven’t visited yet.
I believe there aren’t any more interview slots for 2023 applicants applying RD (we missed it too). Seems like it had to have been done before mid-jan and all the slots are now full. When you click on the available slots now, it appears to only be for juniors. Does anyone have any idea what the supplement prompt is? It seems like you only see it after you commit to doing it but we were hoping to see what it was first before committing to it.
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hey! i applied RD to Hamilton and was very lucky to schedule a interview back in Mid-Dec for next week. I attended a campus visit and info session back in the summer and was told that the interview is a great way to boost your chances for admission. As for the supplemental essay, you’ll be able to submit it after you apply and get your portal. The prompt ask how you can thrive at Hamilton.
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My D20 applied EDI to Hamilton a couple years ago. At that time they were also using current students to interview applicants. She had an interview with a student (a senior) and it went great. They had similar interests and my D said it was more of a conversation with a peer. Her acceptance letter actually referenced one aspect of that interview, so I think they place significant weight on it. If your D has the option to interview, I would take it.
Anyone know how important the “Hamilton Hello” is? My S23 already did an interview and just submitted the supplemental essay last week. He’s not terribly enthusiastic about the video, but will do it if important.
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That’s great you got to schedule an interview! Unless someone cancels, it appears there aren’t any more slots at the moment 
We never got to visit Hamilton (figured we would if there is an acceptance). What was your impression? The only concern we had was whether it felt isolated since it seemed more on the rural side and coming from the west coast, how long/indirect it could be getting there. Random question: Do you also remember what the word count was for the supplement? thanks so much!
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The word count for the essay was no more than 250 words. I’m from nyc and I totally understand you. It’s very different from the way I live and before I visit the school, I was told it was an active environment, but to be honest it was pretty quiet. I can’t personally take that to heart since I visit the school in the summer and during those times a lot of schools are that quiet. The school is near a small city called Utica, which in my opinion isn’t the best, but definitely a place to hang out with friends. However, the college itself is beautiful and I’ve done the research and seen a lot of events take place there, so I wasn’t as worried about not being busy. I think everybody will have different opinions about the school but if you’re a person that’s always been in a big environment and wants change like me, I definitely believe it’s a great place to be. I ED to Colorado College and hopefully I get in but if not Hamilton is definitely my top choice. Good Luck on your college journey!!!
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Thanks so much for your honest take! What you’ve shared sounds similar to things I’ve heard. Best of luck with Colorado ED and your college process too! 
the supplemental response question can be found with a simple Google search. And it’s short.
100-250 words.
We are also west coast and did visit. The school is extremely isolated by west coast standards. The “town” is barely a wide spot in the road and there’s a huge hill between campus and town. Many students love this aspect of Hamilton.
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I’ve seen tiny villages that this might describe. However, this doesn’t appear to describe Clinton’s several facets, most notably those surrounding its large central green.
Clinton, N.Y.
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for those whose comparison point is the Bay Area CA, Clinton is teeny tiny (not sure where “west coast” the person I responded to is from). I liked it personally, but many young people would not and definitely should know what they are signing up for. I think it’s one of those schools that is very important to visit to see if it’s for you.
My S23 is fine with small town living–applied also to Williams, Middlebury, Colby. My D23 wasn’t interested in this setting at all.
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forgot to mention…we flew from Syracuse airport and its still a longish drive to Hamilton. Not really sure how students without cars manage. I think the school runs airport shuttles but not sure how timing works in practice. For comparison, our D attends Smith College and it’s about 45 minutes from an airpot with no direct flight to the Bay Area. or 2+ drive hours to Boston-- no train service. It’s been a pretty big pain to get her there and back again. We weren’t going to look at Hamilton or any of the rural NE schools until we decided to move to the east coast ourselves (ETA Aug 2023).
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The aspect that I recommend visitors clarify with respect to Clinton is whether they actually have seen the village. Certain routes of travel to the college (such as that from Syracuse) may bypass the business district entirely. For these visitors to see the center of town, they need to travel the few extra blocks to get there.
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Yes, we found the supplement online and she just submitted it. We live in a suburb near LA. If she gets admitted, then we will definitely visit and see how the travel and school is like but right now, the location/access is our main hesitation.
The town square is cute, like they say, but that is all there is. Maybe about 10 businesses (restaurant, barber, natural food shop, etc.) that would be of interest to students. Another recent thread linked to an article with photos on Clinton, which seemed to cover every building in town. There is nothing bad about that at all, but one shouldn’t imagine that photos are just the highlights of something bigger.
On the other hand, the suburbs of Utica are pretty close. When we visited, we stayed in a hotel about 15 minutes away from Clinton, where there was a mall, movie theater, nice sushi restaurant and other places. With a car on campus, I don’t think one would feel isolated at all. For freshmen, maybe the point is to be stuck on campus a bit to bond with your classmates.
To keep this on topic, I’ll note that my kid has applied for ED and did the Hello a few weeks ago.
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