I have been offered practically full rides at both.
I have also been offered a Transfer Option to Cornell (InfoSci at CALS).
I plan on taking that it unless I really like the school I’m at; positive that I’ll transfer though.
I need to maintain a 3.0; Where should I attend?
I don’t seem to fit the class profile for either school [1920 SATs / Top of My Class / Asian / Poor / STEM Prospect].
However, I feel like I’d fit in more at Colgate and Colgate did offer me a full ride (I pay absolutely nothing) but I don’t really know how I feel about the Core curriculum there nor do I know how I feel about how severe the grade deflation I keep hearing about (as I really might want to transfer, Cornell or not). I like the idea of having an Open curriculum but I can’t really figure out what Hamilton’s average undergraduate GPA is as much as I tried to find it (I also have to pay a couple thousand more). It might sound like I should be happy with where I’m at right now but the GT offer by Cornell is just too good to pass and I feel like I’d fit better at a bigger school with the options of engineering.
Essentially, where should I go if I want to maintain at least a 3.0 that’s practically guaranteed given that I put in the work? The issue I have right now is that I live too far to visit and right now, I’d like to pick the school I’d feel the most at home at while being able to keep my options open by having a 3.0+.
Congratulations on getting into these schools, but the guaranteed transfer to Cornell is a load of malarkey and bs. You are basically taking a spot from someone at Hamilton that actually wants to be there.
*taking a spot from someone who wants to go to Hamilton
@TransferKid15
I’m sincerely sorry that you feel that way and I understand that you weren’t offered admissions or that you’re trying to transfer in and I applaud the effort and dedication and I hope that you do make it in!!
The GT to Cornell is truly an opportunity that I will most likely have a hard time refusing because I’m going for CS and an InfoSci degree from Cornell is much more applied and will most likely carry much more weight than a CS degree from either of the two. It also has a median annual starting salary of $83,333, so the post-graduation prospects are honestly much too hard to pass, whether or not I like the institution more or less than the one I’ll be attending. Therefore, I’m sorry if it seems that I’m being ungrateful and stealing someone’s spot but it’s in my best interest to take it; as I will most likely have more financial aid there as well. It’s just too good of an opportunity to pass upon.
Please don’t tell me that I’m taking someone else’s spot because you’re probably doing the same assuming that you’re also applying as a transfer applicant (meaning, there’s someone else who might love to be in your current school and is probably thinking the same thing). It’s borderline hypocritical to state something like that when you’re honestly going to do the same thing. It’s not like I don’t want to be at either schools; I just have to take the best opportunity that feels tailored to who I am as a person and what I’m looking for.
If you’ve applied to more than one school, you’re basically taking someone else’s spot as well, assuming that you get into more than one school. If you plan on transferring, you’re still doing the same. I feel bad knowing that I’ll have to reject a couple of offers and I know that people might’ve been yearning to get in but it’s honestly how reality is, considering that most applicants nowadays are applying to over five schools.
I feel like I’m currently leaning towards Hamilton at the moment and if there are any questions you might want to ask me about the school, I can definitely tell you. If you want support along the way during your transfer application; contact me. I’ve done my fair share of research, visited, etc.
@Userr001
I wasn’t trying to be malicious in any way. I am not saying you shouldn’t take advantage of the GT to Cornell. It is a great opportunity and you have every right to chase that avenue. Nevertheless, you are going into Hamilton knowing that you will only be there for 1 year and go to Cornell since you were offered GT, and that isn’t what Hamilton had in mind when they accepted you, and, that is unfair to them and students who would love to go to Hamilton for 4 years.
I would say that our positions are not the same at all and I am not being hypocritical. Coming from a CC, I am not taking up anyone’s spot…Also, even if I was from a 4 year university, there is no guarantee that I would get into Hamilton, so I would need a secure position if the transfer didn’t work out. There is still a very good chance that I wouldn’t get in so I wouldn’t be taking up anyone’s spot. On the other hand, you are taking a spot that could potentially go to someone that is dying to go to Hamilton, especially since the spots are limited. A state school would matter less since there are more spaces available. Again I am not trying to condemn you. I guess I am just frustrated by the system. sorry if I am offending you. Truly that is not what I intended.
Colgate has an average GPA around 3.35, so where are you getting “severe grade deflation” from? Grades have been inflating pretty consistently at most schools over the last couple of decades. Anything above 3.0 is certainly not deflated overall. Though Hamilton has one of the highest average GPA’s in the NESCAC so perhaps by comparison to it’s inflation Colgate appears “deflated.”
@TransferKid15
I understand that and I didn’t sense any malicious intent behind any of your posts. I’m stating that now but there are many possibilities in between today and next year. I might not meet the prereqs, I might not like Cornell and I might really like Hamilton, or they won’t give me a good financial aid package. Who knows? Honestly, no school thinks that a candidate will do GT to another school, however, it’s honestly just how GT works and it’s messed up, I understand that. Yet, it’s not the student’s fault for accepting a GT offer because at the end of the day, if colleges didn’t offer GT, then there wouldn’t be the course of outcome even available.
Sorry if it sounded like I was trying to say state that you were, I wasn’t. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t criticize a person or automatically assume anything because there are many things you might not know about me that would change your mind. Colgate and Hamilton are both respectively cheaper than CCs, which is why I decided to go there. If the GT didn’t work out or I didn’t want to take it, I know I’d be happy at both. Ultimately, even though Colgate was cheaper, I chose to take Hamilton because I really liked the college and I really liked everything about it, especially the dorms. State schools matter too; my friend wanted to go to RU Engineering so badly but got rejected while my pre-med friends applied just because and got in. It’s really messed up as well but ever since the Common App, competition has been getting harder. Therefore, more students are going to be like me and apply to 15+ schools if they could. The system does suck and honestly, it’s not like people are actually rejected to schools, they just aren’t picked, whether it’s fit, academics, or anything else.
Anyways, I really do hope that you can transfer into Hamilton College and if you want, you can PM me for information about the school or if you need help with the process. I’m pretty available for the most part.
@citivas
I asked multiple Colgate profs and practically all said that the avg there was a 3.0, which is the bare minimum to meet the transfer. Regardless of whether or not I take it, I like to have my options open.
Ultimately, it wasn’t the grade deflation that threw me off, it was mainly the atmosphere there v. the atmosphere at Hamilton. Therefore, I chose Hamilton!!