Hamilton vs CMU vs Rochester

Colleges and Universities A-Z Hamilton College
1

<p>Planning to study Political Science/IR,Math,Econ, or some combination of the three.</p>

<p>Not sure what future plans are, but graduate school of some kind is most likely in my future, whether immediately after or within 5 or so years.</p>

<p>I will take out the maximum stafford loans at Hamilton (27K over 4 years) and 19K at CMU.</p>

<p>I will take out 10K stafford loans at UR (total over 4 years)</p>

<p>The loan amounts vary based on finaid packages and a set level of family contribution.</p>

<p>CMU: probably the most highly regarded of the 4, at least in Econ/math. Accepted as a Econ major (in the college of humanities and social sciences, though I think its in cooperation with Tepper). This might change. I'd like to try to get into the Quantitative Social Science Scholars and I like the fact that they have a decisions science major;it sounds pretty interesting. </p>

<p>Worries: Not sure if I would fit in socially given everything I've heard/seen about it..From all that I can tell their polisci department is incredibly lacking. If I decide to take the finance route, I will probably get screwed over by all of the tepper business students.</p>

<p>Hamilton:
It seems fairly strong in all of the departments I am interested in.
I Like the rural atmosphere and small school vibe from the initial visit, but I am a bit worried I might get bored of the environment/small size after a while.... </p>

<p>Rochester:
Wasn't initially on my radar but its starting to grow alot on me. Fairly strong econ and polisci departments, don't know about math. The city is lacking but it seems like theres a lot going on campus and there's eastman nearby so I don't think I'm going to run out of things to do. Will its lack of prestige hold me back? Since its the lowest cost option, should I just take it and run?</p>

<p>How do the academics at all of these schools compare? Employment opportunities? Chances for going to a top graduate school? What about costs, how much should this come into play?</p>

<p>I know that hamilton is really different from the other two, and that my decision will probably come down to LAC vs University preference, but I was looking to get some feedback from anyone that had any specific comments or anyone that was in a similar situation</p>

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<p>Hamilton is a great school and, as I just posted in another thread here, I have a friend who transfered to Wharton from here and then came back after a month. The quality of teaching, especially in Government and Economics is world-class at Hamilton. One of the Econ profs, Jensen, has just been chosen as one of the US’s top 300 professors. Also, as a government or economics major (or even as a major in anything else), you have the chance at Hamilton to spend a semester in Washington DC and/or New York City where you undertake an internship while taking classes from a professor in your apartment(!). My govt. major friend who just graduated from Hamilton worked in the White House during their semester in DC. Hamilton has the connections to put you right through to whatever job you want. + If the rural setting does appeal to you, don’t hesitate to choose Hamilton!</p>

<p>In terms of employment and grad school, Hamilton website has a ridiculously informative section called “Outcomes”. If you browse through you will find a (I think) detailed breakdown of students from specific majors and where they ended up after graduation.</p>

<p>CMU is also a good option and you can’t really go wrong choosing either though, so enjoy the luxury of having to choose between good and good:)</p>

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<p>I can’t speak to the academics of the other two schools, but Hamilton has pretty baller professors all around. They’re excellent teachers, but you get the added benefits of small classes, accessible office hours, and the opportunity to make real personal connections with your professors, which is huge when you graduate. Almost everyone I know ended up eating dinner at their professors’ houses, babysitting their professors’ kids, or at the very least grabbing coffee with them at Cafe Opus.</p>

<p>Re: Boredom–I don’t know many Hamilton students who complained of being bored. Obviously it’s self selecting; those who choose to go are those who were attracted to the rural campus in the first place. Regardless of your preferences, I think that the difference is not having LESS to do, but having it all in one place versus going out into a city for it. I recall plenty of times I couldn’t fit everything I wanted to do into a day. I divided my time mainly between concerts, lectures, parties, work-study, and school work (in no particular order), and as much as I liked to fancy myself a carefree college student, I spent a LOT of time doing work. Like, a LOT. There’s certainly no shortage of distractions. Being able to finish a paper in the library and cruise across campus to meet your friends at a concert or party is one of the best things about small schools. Most buildings are within a 12 minute walk of each other and once you get comfortable on campus, every single one of those buildings will feel like part of your house. It’s cozy as hell, but it’s not for everyone. You’ll recognize everyone after a couple months, so if you’re looking for anonymity, you won’t find it on the hill!</p>

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<p>i go to hamilton and im from nyc so i can address the boredom isssue… and i am not bored here at all. sometimes on weekends you wish you could get off campus more, and since i am a freshman i am limited to the jitney since i cannot have my own car. if you like rural areas, it is a place for you. as for sunday-thursday/friday i am usually so busy doing homework everyday that i do not have time to be bored, let alone get off campus. so i don’t think you’ll be bored especially considering the subjects youd like to major in</p>