<p>Can't decide -- I know they are very different schools. What do people think about the campuses? would love to hear from graduates/current students.</p>
<p>Yeah, ditto to the OP’s question.</p>
<p>Wow! i am literally making the exact same decision
I am visiting skidmore tomorrow and Hamilton monday
I think i’m really leaning towards hamilton right now, just because it is much more prestigious and a lot more competitive to be accepted to
my parents also HATE skidmore because it is so overwhelmingly liberal-artsy
the thing pulling me towards Skidmore is the fact that it has a business major (unlike any other liberal arts school) and that unlike Hamilton it is not in the middle of nowhere.
If you dont care about either of these factors, I don’t see why you wouldn’t choose Hamilton. The population is more diverse; you’ll be able to find artsy and preppy people and you will probably have an easier time finding a job after college
I’m also praying that I get off the waitlist at middlebury…
what are your thoughts? Im dying to hear from someone in the same situation as me!!!</p>
<p>hamilton’s campus is supposed to be gorgeous by the way
Skidmore’s isn’t half bad either
I like the fact that at skid there arent many hills so students can bike around</p>
<p>When you visit, you’ll really notice the difference. Rankings, ratings and reviews aside (which generally favor Hamilton), you have to feel right about the college. Don’t go for prestige. Go for fit and how you feel you can study your field, make great friends and enjoy the culture. Both Hamilton and Skidmore are great colleges, full of liberal arts academic excellence and a stupendous alumni network. As an serendipitous anecdote, I just saw a Colgate alum on the west coast yesterday, and he was so praiseworthy and excited about Hamilton College. I was surprised at his enthusiasm. Just go to both and decide based on your intuition.</p>
<p>Here’s something to consider:
[The</a> Most (Overlooked) Beautiful Campuses - Buildings & Grounds - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/blogPost/The-Most-Overlooked/21809]The”>http://chronicle.com/blogPost/The-Most-Overlooked/21809)</p>
<p>We went to Admitted Students’ Day at Skidmore last Friday and my daughter loved it. The town can’t be beat!! The only downside she could think of was that the buildings were not beautiful. Plenty of green space though. A variety of different types of kids too. On Monday we’re going to Conn. College accepted day to compare. D is on the waitlist at Hamilton and Bowdoin and feels they have a better emphasis on writing and English lit., so she’s hoping to get selected off one of those. But the fact that she fell in love with Skidmore makes us both happy. They had an awsome psychology teacher give the parents and students the opening talk and he was so interesting. She also loves their “Creative Thought Matters”
She does feel that Hamilton (or Bowdoin) have more prestige. I really just want her to be happy and comfortable wheerever she is as I think all of these schools are fantastic. Good luck on your decisions.</p>
<p>libiem, I think you can also find a business major at Muhlenberg and Dickinson and, I think, Claremont McKenna. Skidmore is not the only LAC with a business major. I’m sure there are others.</p>
<p>As noted above, Skidmore is a good school in an appealing town.
Hamilton is superior academically, but is really in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>Skidmore is located in Saratoga Springs, and having lived here all my life, I can say without reservations that it is an awesome city with lots of history. As for Skidmore compared to Hamilton, Skidmore tends to be much more artsy; and while I am friends with a student there who I knew in high school, he is not what I would classify as the “typical” skidmore kid. This being said, I think that the culture of both schools should be investigated before deciding since there are different feels to each. While Skidmore has a business program, Hamilton has a strong economics program and has very good alumni connections in the business world.</p>
<p>“superior academically”. How so? Is that just perceived or is it real? So confused, my D just now got a call that she’s been taken off the waitlist at Hamilton. We already mailed deposit to Skidmore and she really loves it there, but now feels she needs to go back and take another look at Hamilton. Any thoughts on the 2 schools?</p>
<p>Hamilton does have more perceived prestige. It’s much more Greek oriented than Skidmore. It’s a beautiful campus. Hamilton is known for its emphasis on writing.</p>
<p>That said, I think your D should attend the school that makes her feel happiest. The student, not the school, is the important thing.</p>
<p>Thanks, mythmom. My D is a writer – that’s her “thing”. And yes, I agree, it’s her decision, but she is so confused now, as well. We are going back to see Hamilton this week and she’ll have a tough decision. Am actually glad it’s not mine.</p>
<p>Hamilton is well known for its writing program. very diff vibe at the two schools despite some strong similarities (size, somewhat rural locale, etc) one consideration for your daughter -Skidmore has unequal gender make-up. i forget the exact balance but def. more women then men, also has a reputation of being quite “gay friendly” so i have heard from my D that a larger percentage of men are gay (nothing wrong w this, but may impace your D dating experience if she is looking for that). Skidmore definately more “artsy/theatre” but Hamilton has a definite group of students that fall in this category (the “dark” side of Hamilton tends to attract these types and the "light"side of campus has larger percentage of the jocks/greeks). As far as reputation, Hamilton consistently ranks well above Skidmore on most if not all of the various rankings - so this is not just a perception, but certainly a pretty well accepted up-tick in status. Again, that may not be relevant for your daughter. Hamilton has an incredibly welll connected alumni group - my D is doing a great summer internship this year through an almuni connection. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for you input, AK. Well, in any event, she has no later than Monday at midnight to decide.</p>
<p>Hi Sarmom,
I don’t know if my observations will help you & I realize your daughter has to decide soon. My D was accepted at both Hamilton & Skidmore several years ago. Unfortunately, she didn’t like her accepted student visit at Hamilton because they put her on the “dark” side and her hostess ditched her for the evening, so she attended an event by herself & had to walk back across campus at night alone. so this gave her a bad taste & she decided to go to Skidmore. I am not criticizing Hamilton because this was not their fault. I do think that Hamilton is better academically & the campus is beautiful. The downside is that Clinton is small & more rural than Saratoga Springs. My D did transfer after one year at Skidmore because she decided that it was too “artsy” for her even though she started out as an art major. In all honesty, she didn’t feel as academically challenged as she would have liked, & felt there were many students who didn’t care about their studies. So my D transferred to a mid-size university in a city where she definitely was challenged. I think your D has a difficult decision to make. I do think that she will be more challenged academically at Hamilton but I think that Saratoga Springs is a better location. But everyone is different & perhaps she won’t mind small Clinton. Was your daughter accepted into the Honor’s Forum at Skidmore?<br>
Let us know what she decides to do. If she isn’t happy where she goes, she can always transfer but I do realize that is not ideal. My oldest D graduated from Bowdoin & loved it there. Bowdoin academics is awesome! Mayabe your D will get off the WL at Bowdoin.
Good luck to your daughter! Can she visit Hamilton one more time?</p>
<p>truly amazing</p>
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<p>I think Accepted Student Days are important to make prospective students feel welcome & present the college’s best face. My daughter was put in what she described as a depressing looking dorm, & as a 17-year old, she didn’t appreciate having to walk far across campus very late at night by herself. When she arrived at her hostess’s dorm, the dorm was locked so she had to wait for someone to arrive & let her in. She wasn’t able to experience the true feeling of the campus and students. In fact, she met very few current students because her hostess, for the most part, was never around. There were other reasons she chose Skidmore at that time, but this was one contributing factor.</p>
<p>All in all, I do believe Hamilton is the better school academically.</p>
<p>Thank you for sharing. Sounds like a one-off lemon experience. Really too bad for your daughter at the time. That should have been reported to the Admissions office. Perhaps, still should. From so many discussions with prospective and current students, reviews and gleaning from the Class of 2014 Facebook pages, that experience seems like quite an anomaly. Hard to find anyone who didn’t enjoy the campus overnight visit, tours and class audits and mingling with current students and faculty.</p>
<p>Kwoo, thanks for your insight as well. Much appreciated! Yes, we are going back to Hamilton this coming Sunday and Monday and my daughter will make her final decision directly after. Not being enough of an academic challenege at Skidmore is EXACTLY what I’m/she is most concerened about. Bowdoin would be fantastic, but unless they call in the next 3 days – not gonna happen. From what I hear it’s much more difficult to come off their waiting list. I’ll keep you posted on her decision, though. :)</p>
<p>Hey, aren’t decisions due Saturday May 1st?</p>
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