<p>These are my top 3 schools. I am deciding between Hamilton & Leigh for ED. I had interviews at both and still love them both. Any one have any thought to help me. </p>
<p>The outlier here is Hamilton in that the Greek scene at Lehigh and Colgate is rather similar, with it being much tamer at Hamilton. Not sure about Colgate, but at Hamilton, everyone pretty much lives on campus all four years, at Lehigh, a substantial portion move off campus by junior year. Sports are much bigger at Lehigh, which can be a plus or minus, and no engineering at Hamilton, which eliminates it for some. Engineering also changes campus culture somewhat. And of the three, Hamilton probably has the least attractive campus, but it’s up against two of the prettiest and it’s still pretty enough, but after four years, those hills at Lehigh have got to suck.</p>
<p>As a student at Lehigh, I can answer pretty much any specific questions you have. If you are looking at engineering or business, we have some world renowned programs in both. </p>
<p>Thanks, I have a VIEW day scheduled 10/15 with a mix of engineering, business classes scheduled. I do like the mix of engineering and business but LA is also interesting. Are you in the Business Engineering program or just mixing classes? </p>
<p>I haven’t seen Lehigh’s campus, but I’ve seen both Colgate’s and Hamilton’s and disagree with MrMom62. Colgate is flat out beautiful, that’s true; but Hamilton has beauty combined with an architectural/spatial distinctiveness that is perfect for a small college.</p>
<p>Architecture and mood relate to each other, and Hamilton can be said to have three moods. A traditional mood, a modern, airy mood, and a creative mood connecting the two. (I’m referring to the north side, the south side, and Beinecke, respectively.) The fairly noticeable boundaries between these areas eliminate the aesthetic problem of mixed architectural styles among adjacent buildings, common on many campuses that have been built over decades or centuries. But more interestingly and meaningfully, the boundaries provide something: a great remedy to what otherwise could be small college claustrophobia – a way to change the feel of where you are by just walking a few hundred feet.</p>
<p>To clarify, I said Hamilton only suffers by comparison - it is a very, very nice space. Lehigh and Colgate regularly appear on “Most Beautiful” lists, Hamilton does not. I was there a few weeks ago for Fallcoming and it is gorgeous. It even smells good.</p>
<p>But nice analysis - that sums it up quite well.</p>
<p>@MrMom62: In retrospect, It was probably unnecessary for me to refer to your assessment in order to give my own, as it seems to be your honest opinion. Hamilton does, however, appear on campus-beauty lists from time to time. Try “Most (Overlooked) Beautiful Campuses.” I can’t say the writer’s analysis has much to do with my own, but we do come to the same conclusion.</p>
This ties into some of the other comments here: “The 25 Most Beautiful College campuses in America / Thrillest.” Hamilton is included in this alphabetical list, but not Colgate or Lehigh. I don’t know much about Thrillest. But in my opinion, some of the other colleges chosen for inclusion on the list (Kenyon, the University of Montana, Princeton) enhance the list’s credibility. And, btw, Hamilton gets the only NESCAC mention.
As always merc81, you enlighten. Hamilton is well deserved to make that list. I only question the choice of photograph, as I think there are much more aesthetic perspectives than that one.
I do like, and therefore appreciate, merc81’s mention of “small college claustrophobia”.
Hamilton College is very small in terms of its footprint and student body size while Colgate feels so much larger.
This plays out, among other characteristics, in all these subjective assessments of most beautiful campus surveys.
Of course visitors to both have a great day out in store for them. They are about 30 minutes apart by car.
When you visit Colgate, Princeton Review’s Most Beautiful College Campus, ask about the new career center which will be built on the Hill roughly below Lathrop Hall and above the Case Library and Information Technology Center, and also about the Center for Art and Culture by world famous architect David Adjaye in the Village. Its construction start date is this summer.
Go 'gate!
Markham, selective quoting is below you. Are you practicing for a career in politics? What merc said was:
@markham: If I had decided to write a longer post above, I would have included: “and Colgate’s and Cornell’s omission from the list make me a little skeptical.” So I do recognize the beauty of Colgate’s campus. Not incidentally, you led me to the rendering for the nascent art center, which looks terrific.
In terms of Hamilton, keep in mind that the College is a quintessentially-sized small college. (Within NESCAC, to illustrate, there are five larger and five smaller colleges.) So – whatever you perceive as the potential compromises arising from that size – they have often already been considered by the many Hamilton applicants who have decided they definitely want a small college and the many advantages associated with that.
But beyond that, and in only indirect reference to Hamilton’s architecture, I’d say a small college is at its best if it can offer aspects of being more expansive, imaginative and diverse than its enrollment alone would indicate. In my opinion, Hamilton does this quite well, and in a way, perhaps, that its peers cannot.
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CrewDad,
Sorry if I caused offense!
I do find Hamilton’s campuses interesting as I have witnessed their transformations since Kirkland days when people talked about the “dark side” and the other side. It’s just that I prefer the openness, size and scope of Colgate’s campus. It too has grown remarkably in terms of facilities and programs; since the 1970s Colgate has grown from 2500 students to the current 2950 or so.
About scope, momentum and architecture, another campus construction project starting next month is a $39 million athletic center next to the field house. The renderings are very impressive and can be seen at gocolgateraiders.com, Inside Athletics, Facilities and also on the Advancement section of colgate.edu. Sasaki is the architect and they are integral to our current 5 year strategic plan. One can google this 9 pager to see where we are heading with our campus master plan, among other things.
Go 'gate!
“I prefer the openness [and] size … of Colgate’s campus”
Hamilton’s campus size, listed at 1350 acres, compares favorably to even large universities. Colgate’s, in comparison, is 575 acres. And Hamilton’s setting – on the edge of a plateau overlooking the Oriskany and Mohawk valleys – seems pretty open.
Merc81,
And yet the Hamilton campus looks so compact on your campus map. All those hundreds of acres must be woodlands?
Nothing beats the dramatics views to/from the steepish Colgate Hill with our beautiful academic, administrative and housing buildings flowing from the quads down to our athletic facilities to the west, the Village to the north (home to Colgate offices, the Inn and Bookstore), and Seven Oaks Golf Club to the west, in my my opinion. All make for an exquisite presentation.
I hope that helps.
Go 'gate!
Oops,
Seven Oaks is to the northeast, in fact, as per the Colgate campus map.
Go 'gate!
Hey guys -
The original poster has long since dissappeared and arguing over which one is prettier is silly.
I have visited all three schools numerous times when my kids were looking. Both of them felt that the vibe at Hamilton and Colgate was totally different and liked one or the other.
^ Threads are not only for the benefit of the OP (who in this case may still be in the process of deciding). Discussions should flow naturally to their conclusion, without additional posts declaring why they should end. Ironically, after having done so, you then proceed to comment on the schools.
^^^ “on your campus map”
@markham: Hamilton is one of several schools that posters have suggested I am from. Based on what I have written favorably about Colgate on other threads, perhaps others have concluded I am from there as well.
“those hundreds of acres must be woodlands”
Two glens are included, Root and Kirkland. You can see images of the former online. The latter is particularly good for cross-country skiing.
upthread: The correct spelling for the website I posted is “Thrillist.”