<p>Anyone have any thoughts and experiences on the differences between these two schools, which are located so close to one another?</p>
<p>Given that so much has been recorded on this site in the recent and not so recent past, I suggest you use the search function to retrieve earlier posts. They will focus your mind.</p>
<p>And when you have made visits to these 2 schools located about 25 minutes apart it will be interesting to read about your own impressions.</p>
<p>Good luck with your efforts!</p>
<p>We visited both schools on a college trip DD planned around Colgate, her dream school based on guides and their website. Hamilton was on the itinerary only as it was nearby. Daughter was disappointed in Colgate, fell in love with Hamilton and applied ED. </p>
<p>DD found Hamilton to be friendlier and a better fit for her. I think visiting the two schools is the best way to contrast and compare. Both are great choices…but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.</p>
<p>We visited both places. Colgate has a real magnificent campus. But Hamilton has unpretentious charm and beauty that makes kids and parents feel welcoming vs. some castle-like atmosphere of knights. Hamilton seems to have slightly higher academic admission standards and has a good balance of arts, sciences, communications and athletics. Son applied ED and is really enjoying his life, professors, friends, etc. And he’s from the West coast. Go visit both of them. Both schools would give a kid a great education and collegiate experience.</p>
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<p>Although I ended up not applying to either school ED, we had an extremely similar experience on our trip. I was set on Colgate and liked Hamilton better. I visited three schools (Hamilton, Colgate, and Cornell), and Hamilton was the clear winner. I talked to someone in admissions for a while and I told her that we just visited Hamilton because it was convenient and was extremely pleasantly surprised. She said this was common. Figures.</p>
<p>I liked Hamilton better for really the same reasons. The kids at Hamilton seemed really genuine and the professors were very welcoming. Kids at Colgate had a different vibe. They seemed more like kids who do just enough to do well in school. This could just be the people I was with though.</p>
<p>But what about getting in? Colgate is quite harder to get in right? Also, Colgate only looks at the composite score, and anyone having a 1500+ can easily get in. And Hamilton on the other hand is a totally writing focused college.
I couldn’t even dare apply to Colgate, because I have a 1300 composite, but I think Hamilton may be a reach.</p>
<p>For the class of 2014, Hamilton accepted 29%, Colgate accepted 33%. For both schools, 92% of the class was made up of people in the top 20% of their high school graduating class. Colgate’s average SAT score is about 10 points higher, which is nothing. In US News, Hamilton is ranked number 18, Colgate is 21. On paper the two are extremely similar, and I think it would be difficult to conclude one is significantly better than the other (unless you visit, at which point you will realize Hamilton is a FAR superior school 
)</p>
<p>The enthusiasm shown by the poster above is understandable. Hamilton does have lots of supporters who may be attracted by its relatively small size when compared to Colgate and Cornell. All three have excellent student to faculty ratios and reputations.</p>
<p>Perceptions will vary of course and we all start with whatever research one does. I looked again today at the Princeton Review to see their rankings of these 3 names. Colgate and Cornell do very well indeed across an impressive number of categories. I have also looked at their own websites which show how much is going and how people stay busy both inside and outside the classroom settings. Arguably a larger faculty, staff and student body are able to coordinate more of whatever it is one is seeking. It’s really up to the individual to consider the depth and quality of offerings and opportunities and then one’s likely access to them.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone selecting the right place with the right fit!</p>
<p>As a Hamilton student who has spent multiple Fall Breaks visiting friends at Colgate, I can say that fate pointed me in the right direction. I got rejected ED1 at colgate and into Hamilton, (i speculate need-blind didn’t hurt my case). Anyway, buddies at Colgate love it, but the feel of the school is so different. For only a thousand more students, the school feels like 3 times the size everytime I visit.</p>
<p>In my view, Hamilton clearly fills its liberal arts niche where Colgate tries to pack in too much. Hamilton is much more centralized and on weekends most of the fun is happening in om-campus social spaces with kegs and music. I don’t walk more than two minutes from my (truly spacious) quad to any of my classes. While my buddies live the colgate creed of “boot and rally,” (throw up and keep drinking) i do think Hamilton knows how to kick it too. </p>
<p>In short, most non-athletes here got in for a reason. We are good people.</p>
<p>As a current Hamilton student, I’d say Hamilton is better, definitely - sorry if this sounds biased.</p>
<p>I visited Colgate a month ago. It looks pretty much the same as our light side - the old Hamilton side, just a bit larger-size buildings. The campus is not bigger than ours. That makes me feel so crowded in Colgate. And you need to walk up and down the hill every day in Colgate. But they have an awesome library, which I can’t deny.</p>
<p>Academically, Hamilton students are more intellectual, for sure, and are all genuine kids. I fell in love with the college at first sight and consider it my home immediately. I never thought about applying for Colgate. They are too different in the whole environment. Campus tour is the best way to feel by yourself so =)</p>
<p>Also, Colgate is really far from all the shopping malls around there. They even order Indian food from Clinton - where Hamilton College is. So, I guess there’s more to do at Hamilton.</p>
<p>But sometimes it’s just a feeling. Go for it!</p>
<p>Really?</p>
<p>As a Colgate alumnus I have to inquire about the most recent poster’s assertions:</p>
<p>"Academically, Hamilton students are more intellectual, for sure, and are all genuine kids. I fell in love with the college at first sight and consider it my home immediately. I never thought about applying for Colgate. They are too different in the whole environment. Campus tour is the best way to feel by yourself so =)</p>
<p>Also, Colgate is really far from all the shopping malls around there. They even order Indian food from Clinton - where Hamilton College is. So, I guess there’s more to do at Hamilton."</p>
<ul>
<li>On what basis are you able to make claims about Colgate students’ intellectual capabilities?</li>
<li>What does you really mean by the sentence “They are too different in the whole environment”?</li>
<li>What do shopping malls have to do with the college life environment? And what does ordering Indian food from Clinton, NY have to do with how busy Colgate students are? </li>
</ul>
<p>I trust that the writing courses you take as part of your curriculum will help you better express your ideas. In the meantime I suggest you work through whatever verifiable facts you can gather and then deliver your thoughts clearly for what they are- personal opinion.</p>
<p>markham, I will try to answer some of of questions although I realize that they were not addressed to me. </p>
<ul>
<li>What does you really mean by the sentence “They are too different in the whole environment”?</li>
</ul>
<p>That’s what crazyshin’s post is all about; he or she mentioned the location of the colleges and his/her own experience over the campus visits. </p>
<ul>
<li>What do shopping malls have to do with the college life environment? </li>
</ul>
<p>Isn’t it useful when applying to college to consider the proximity of metropolitan areas or at least bigger towns to the schools? I think it can be an important factor to some (and I think to the most) applicants and I guess that’s why crazyshin mentioned the shopping malls and restaurants. Also, I believe that college life environment is really dependent on the surroundings of the college; I assume the campus environment at Columbia is different from that of Colgate or Hamilton, partly because of the obvious difference in location… By citing an example of Colgate students ordering food from Clinton, crazyshin indicated that there is more to do around Hamilton, off-campus.</p>
<p>I do not agree with the statement that Hamilton students are more intellectual and I don’t think there is any point in bringing up such claims…But crazyshin’s whole post starts by apologizing for the possible biased viewpoint and opinions…so I don’t see why you are so outraged.</p>
<p>I am pleased to see that you are assisting your colleague with his or her opinion piece. Sadly it wasn’t more clear, convincing and compelling in the first place. I expect that the writing curriculum that Hamilton emphasizes will serve that student well going forward with this exchange as a useful teaching moment.</p>
<p>And as far as my sense of perspective is concerned, I am not confused or even upset. You can believe me when I say that I wish the best for applicants to Hamilton or any other LAC.</p>
<p>Of course I don’t know about shopping and other diversions that the student is promoting in or near Clinton, NY. Is it the Sears-Macys-Jc Penney center in New Hartford. It’s a good 10-15 minute drive from Clinton, NY. Oh, and there may well be an Indian take-out in Clinton. It’s still a fair question to wonder how enriching these options are to students generally when there is no mention of amenities in and nearer Hamilton, NY (a 20-25 minute drive from Clinton) and other places.</p>
<p>I do know from both colleges’ websites that Colgate has about 1,100 more students and 86 more faculty than does Hamilton College. Colgate has a couple of more majors and a Division 1 sports program that offers a lot to the campus. Presumably this size campus affords lots of opportunities to engage. I perceive Hamilton, NY as a charming small town. It does have Chinese, Mexican and Japanese restaurants but no Indian. Maybe the Clinton eatery will evaluate if it wants to expand? That said, from my viewpoint shopping was not important while I was studying and I am not sure why it would be these days. But then I am not applying to college in 2010 either.</p>
<p>Good luck to all applicants with the college searches!</p>
<p>First of all, I appreciate markham that you are so concerned about my ability to write clearly and effectively. As I’m just a freshman yet, I’m hoping that my writing will improve in the future. I’m sorry if my post was not clear enough or if you had problem comprehending what I intended to say. Hopefully, the more time I spend here, the better my English will become (it’s my second language). But it’s hardly related to the original question of this thread.</p>
<p>I believe the relative proximity of New Hartford is an advantage of Hamilton especially because the college is the middle of nowhere and that’s the only place where we can go to buy anything from a pair of socks to a new lightbulb…I understand why you believe that some posts here are rather one-sided; this is why I would encourage you to share some more pieces of information with us about Colgate as a Colgate alumnus. Instead of (or in addition to) worrying about the fact that “there is no mention of amenities in and nearer Hamilton, NY”, it would have been useful if you had given some specific info about this. Are there any places like New Hartford close to Colgate University?</p>
<p>And please, refrain from using faulty figures after advising others to “work through whatever verifiable facts you can gather and then deliver your thoughts clearly for what they are- personal opinion”. According to collegeview.com (the only place online I could find this figure), Hamilton has 52 majors, while Colgate has 51 (as stated on their website).
To clarify something to the thread starter, Hamilton does pretty well on several Princeton Review Rankings (e.g. it is above Colgate or Cornell on the Best classroom experience ranking) and it is above Colgate on the U.S. News & World Report Ranking. But I wouldn’t rely on these lists too heavily as they are almost as random as college admissions:) It’s really the campus visit that should help you decide!</p>
<p>I’m not saying that hamilton is better, nor that colgate is worse. I don’t even think that the number of majors offered has any bearing on the overall college experience. Colgate and Hamilton have a lot in common, yet there are some obvious differences- some of which this thread has already revealed, such as DI and DIII sports, student population, location (oh, and the LAKE!), etc.:)</p>
<p>Peace and good luck to everyone applying to college!</p>
<p>The exercise is paying off as I can see that you are applying logic to reflect on what you might have meant by those odd claims from your original boasts about Hamilton. That’s good for you as you improve your written English as well as for the readership.</p>
<p>About shopping in New Hartford, I can see that you view this as an activity of sorts that keeps students engaged. As I said, I don’t view shopping as recreational. For major purchases I suppose I would drive the the 35 minutes there or possibly to the immense Carousel Mall in Syracuse about 45 minutes from Colgate. That’s fine all around too. I personally prefer local shops and the charms of small towns. Have you been to the beautiful lake-side towns of Cazenovia or Skaneatles? From Colgate they are about 20 and 50 minutes west on Route 20.</p>
<p>Yes, I have seen the rankings you mention on third party sites. Both Hamilton and Colgate are well regarded with many top 10 rankings. But it was the hamilton.edu site that said you have 49 areas of study and the colgate.edu site that listed that Colgate has 51. What did I misrepresent? </p>
<p>I see that you visit Colgate occasionally. I hope that you will take more opportunities to visit friends there and enjoy its facilities and programs!</p>
<p>I don’t see you why you are so reluctant to agree that the proximity of a Walmart or Target can be advantageous (even if your own preference is to shop at local stores). Shopping (e.g buying a pair of socks or a lightbulb) is by no means recreational and I never said it was. I think we both like charming little towns, that’s why we are/were students at such places. But these towns don’t have too many stores and products and they are also more expensive than a department store.
From Hamilton, you can take a free shuttle bus to Target/Sears; from Colgate, according to what you have said, you need to drive 35 minutes. For a prospective freshman without a car this might be something to consider.
Lastly, could you quote any “odd claims from my original boasts about Hamilton”?
thanks</p>
<p>I find that you and your colleague Crazyshin (whose post prompted me to respond and for whom you volunteered to involve yourself) have pretty much exhausted my interest in this part of the thread. Your persistence is interesting to say the least. So I will close out my side of the dialogue very shortly, if you don’t mind.</p>
<p>Anyway, forgive me if my remark about odd claims have become a concern of yours. The specific quote was made by your colleague. It was “Academically, Hamilton students are more intellectual, for sure, and are all genuine kids.” Did you- or he for that matter- expect the readership to let such an unverified and downright silly claim to stand? And then there was the bit about Indian food delivered to Colgate students somehow shows there is more to do at Hamilton College.</p>
<p>Now if you think that it’s of value being within a 10 minute shuttle to Target or Walmart, that’s fine. As I have said, I don’t know why college students would spend even an hour in these places when a local shop has enough choice to satisfy. To me saving a bit of money is not worth the time unless, of course, you are making major purchases such as outfitting a new flat. The question of a shuttle from Hamilton College or a 20 minute drive from Colgate to Walmart in Oneida on such occasions is hardly worth discussing further since a student will do what he or she chooses to do to get the result. And since I don’t know how important this is to anyone I won’t offer opinions. After all, and as you suggest, applicants have plenty of criteria to consider which an overnight campus visit, meetings with professors and staff, study group opportunities, specific facilities and programs, and the look/feel of the place will reveal. </p>
<p>Good luck with your time at Hamilton.</p>
<p>Let’s bring it to an end. But next time, please think before you disdainfully evaluate someone’s post; I did not at all “expect the readership to let such an unverified and downright silly claim to stand”, on the contrary, in my first post I wrote “I do not agree with the statement that Hamilton students are more intellectual and I don’t think there is any point in bringing up such claims”.</p>
<p>So now, I could start talking about the lack of your basic reading and text comprehension skills but it would not only be an irrelevant generalization but also hard to justify. It would be nice if you too could refrain from making vague and presumptuous statements about other posters’ ability to write since 1) it does not bring the thread any further 2) you are unable to provide evidence for such claims.</p>
<p>Thanks and good bye!</p>
<p>“The kids at Hamilton seemed really genuine and the professors were very welcoming. Kids at Colgate had a different vibe. They seemed more like kids who do just enough to do well in school. This could just be the people I was with though.”</p>
<p>I’ve visited both schools, I live 10 minutes away from Hamilton and 25 from Colgate, and I have to say, this is the exact impression I got. Everything talked about by the “presenters” at the information session seemed really superficial. They talked about this summer trip, or that study abroad program, but nothing about the actual classes or students. The student speaker, a language major from Brooklyn, was horrible. Imagine a language major who speaks like a 13 year old girl from the slums, and that was her. </p>
<p>“Academically, Hamilton students are more intellectual, for sure, and are all genuine kids.”</p>
<p>I seem to get this impression. Sitting in on a few Hamilton classes, everyone had something very intelligent to say. I’ve never been in classes like those, where not one person didn’t belong. </p>
<p>I am partially biased toward Hamilton, and I had a terrible experience on my visit to Colgate, so take that into consideration.</p>
<p>Ksanyee,</p>
<p>Aren’t you taking all this a little too personally? Is outrage and fulminating appropriate? Is this really the tone you want to leave in your wake? Just look at your last line, the one about “Thanks and good bye.” Really!</p>
<p>Why not try calm down and try to manage the flow of this thread and also coach your colleague Crazyshin so his writing improves. Wouldn’t that be a tad more productive?</p>
<p>Good luck and take care!</p>