i was accepted to hamilton and waitlisted from bowdoin which has been my 1st choice for a while but was a reach. i loved hamilton too when i visited and would be happy to attend. from my perspective though bowdoin is more well known “prestigious” not that it really matters to me- and perhaps better education/opportunities offered? i definitely preferred the surrounding town of Bowdoin and it just seems more impressive… i was wondering if it’s worth it to stay on the waitlist if it’s unlikely that i’ll get in, and if the difference between these 2 schools is that large? any input appreciated, thanks
Based on your post, you don’t (as of yet) seem like the ideal Hamilton fit, so I’d recommend you maintain your waitlist position at Bowdoin. Regarding available comparisons, while Hamilton reports slightly higher standardized scores on their CDS, Bowdoin places higher in U.S. News. Either way, you would be attending a top-notch institution.
Do you have any other acceptances?
Hamilton is an impressive school too, and the student body seems fairly balanced, so most kids would find other students with similar interests.
If they were universities, it would be like getting into, oh, Columbia and Dartmouth. You couldn’t go wrong with either of those, just like you can’t really go wrong with either Bowdoin or Hamilton. (as long as they’re affordable and offer majors you’re interested in…)
thank you! i was also accepted to bates, davidson and some safeties. but have been leaning towards hamilton the most
Then why wouldn’t you stay on the waitlist? You have nothing to lose.
If you enjoy Maine and don’t want to attend a rural college, why not consider Bates?
i am definitely considering it and like it a lot too. i thought i preferred hamiltons campus and focus on writing/speaking. but i am revisiting both!
Bates is equity adept at graduating students with exceptional writing skills.
We looked at both schools seriously, including a trip with overnight visits back to back (home - Bowdoin - Hamilton - home). Never applied to either…so these opinions aren’t biased.
Brunswick is the nicer town. Hell…it may be the nicest “college” town I’ve seen. Good mix of people, very good food options, close to campus but not intrusive. Clinton is OK, but limited.
One bias…we LOVE Maine. We’ve had 5 admissions visits to Bowdoin for 2 current college students (again…no apps ever filed). Bowdoin seemed almost too perfect, and with so many visits you start to look for weaknesses…so here’s one for you to consider: the perfect campus quad and dorms aren’t for 4 years. You may get a year or two inside ropes, but there will be some time spent in housing that you didn’t see on the tour. Depending on location…it might take a bit longer than you imagine to get to classes / meals, and since the housing tends to be on the side of the school away from downtown Brunswick, that late night gelato just got a bit further than you imagined.
Hamilton on the other hand, out of necessity, seems a bit more self-contained…more of a complete 4 year experience. I think Hamilton can be a bit of a shock to the senses, especially with the “dark side” across the road (the former Kirkland campus). The second visit we made really improved our opinion of the campus. Hamilton is also very well run.
You have all upside here. I would stay on the Bowdoin waitlist, but if possible attend the accepted students day and see if maybe there is more to Hamilton than you thought. If Bowdoin becomes an option…you really can’t lose regardless of your decision.
Well, Bowdoin beats Hamilton , but I think Bates beats Hamilton, too. Clinton is a very depressed small town with a couple of pizza places, and it isn’t near anything. The school is great, of course, and the students great. But so is Bates, and Lewiston has more opportunities for volunteering and internships(the hospital if you are pre-med minded) and then you have LLBean and the wonderful Maine coast just 20 minutes away. Bates profs are excellent mentors, and make strong connections. Great choices! Nice job!
Wow congrats! Bates alum and Hamilton Parent here- S liked Bowdoin A LOT when he visited but after an overnight at Ham the deal was done for ED. He is flourishing there. Neither of my kids loved Bates- a bit too crunchy for one (now at Ham) and a bit too “sporty” for the other (headed to Wellesley) lol- but it is certainly a good school as well. Lewiston vs Clinton is pretty much a wash, which doesn’t much matter as both have whatever you need within easy ride/shuttle/uber. I don’t think you can go wrong with those choices but visiting, as someone already suggested, is HUGE. Overnight if possible!
thank you so much everyone, it’s proving to be a very difficult decision!
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I get a kick out of how so much is made of the whole Kirkland “dark side” thing here. Once you’re living on campus, it’s all part of Hamilton. When I was there, everyone wanted to live in the suites senior year, and you were lucky to be and underclassman pulled into a double. Those Brutalist buildings are actually pretty cozy and comfy.
I haven’t visited the other schools, and I’ll admit I grew up in upstate NY, so Hamilton didn’t feel terribly isolating to me, but it’s not like there’s NOTHING to do there. There’s a lot going on on campus, and there’s lots of good food to be had in New Hartford and Utica. Sure, the shopping isn’t great, but doesn’t everyone shop online now anyway?
My daughter would have been legacy at Bowdoin, but, after a visit and interview, Hamilton became her clear ED1 choice. She wouldn’t have said that Hamilton blew Bowdoin away, she simply would not have contrasted colleges in that manner, but she felt that Hamilton had a special appeal that she hadn’t truly experienced at any of her other choices.
I wouldn’t recommend you base your decision on an online article. However, if you believe you might benefit from a degree of external confirmation for a choice you might make, Forbes could suffice:
@apple23 I’m always fascinated with the stories of kids who had such a strong impression from one LAC versus all the others. I’m in the late stages of the second round of college tours that bias heavily toward the major LAC’s with my second kid and so far both kids have had exactly the same reaction – they don’t get any strong impression or differentiating vibe between any of the LAC’s the visit. They both definitely like the small LAC vibe versus the big university. But within LAC’s they both have had exactly the same struggle of even recalling what they experienced at which school. Both toured Hamilton and Colgate on the same day (3 years apart) and both that same evening were already having trouble differentiating them. Even the LAC my oldest eventually went to was not some stand out to him on the tours, even though he’s ended up quite happy with it. If you ask my daughter to rank her preferences among them she struggles.
@citivas
In my daughter’s case, she seemed to genuinely appreciate Hamilton’s spatial and architectural connection to its bi-college history. The fact that Hamilton once supported a progressive women’s college was not lost on her. So, beyond features common to varying degrees among Hamilton’s peers, such as resources and beauty, she did recognize intrinsic aspects to Hamilton that really have no direct equivalent elsewhere.
The claim up-thread that the charming Clinton is “very depressed” certainly cannot be supported by available statistics. Clinton’s unemployment rate is lower than the national average, while its income levels are substantially higher:
http://www.bestplaces.net/economy/zip-code/new_york/clinton/13323
Since the comparison led to Bates, the data for Clinton indicate income levels about 45-50% higher than those of Lewiston:
http://www.bestplaces.net/economy/city/maine/lewiston
Regarding Hamilton not being “near anything,” the College itself provides regular transportation to a range of nearby suburban amenities:
https://www.hamilton.edu/campuslife/transportation/the-jitney
https://www.hamilton.edu/campuslife/transportation/utica-jitney-service