<p>Hamilton, although is ranked well, seems to be associated with schools like skidmore and F an M or hobart possibly, when it is above these schools in selectivity and i think quality. is it still being compared to these schools or is it more associated with the nescacs now, specifically the higher tier ones such as bowdoin or middlebury? I know it can't compete with amherst or williams in terms of name recognition, but what do people think?</p>
<p>i know this is similar to other threads but I'm not quite getting the questions above answered. thanks.</p>
<p>A Friend’s D is a Sophomore at H. She begrudgingly matriculated after being rejected at Amherst, Williams and Vassar, although she is enjoying herself. They live in Vermont, so Middlebury was disqualified as being too close.</p>
<p>Hamilton is more on the level of Bates and Colby. I think the school it is mostly associated with is Colgate because they are so close (and Colgate is in Hamilton, NY).</p>
Yep, most of your posts seem fixated on this. If you’re insecure about Hamilton, I think the problem is with you, not with Hamilton. (Also, don’t be.) Most people haven’t heard of ANY of the liberal arts colleges; if one wants name recognition, go to Penn State, not Amherst or Middlebury.</p>
<p>Hamilton is a very fine college, one that’s respected by a lot of people. I don’t know what else you’re hoping to hear.</p>
<p>“Far more elite” is a stretch. In reality, these schools are very, very close in terms of prestige. If Amherst and Williams are first tier in the NESCAC, then Middlebury, Bowdoin and Wesleyan (and Tufts) are second, Colby, Bates and Hamilton are third, and Trinity and Connecticut College are fourth. </p>
<p>Is Middlebury more prestigious? Yes. But the few people that have heard of both regard them highly. In the grand scheme of things, there is a very small difference between the two. Especially because most students go on to attend graduate schools.</p>
<p>Parchment’s 2013 revealed preference ranking has some flaws, but is unique in how it ranks colleges. They analyze data from thousands of students who were accepted to multiple colleges, and rank the schools based on which schools students prefer when presented with options. Of course there are many reasons why someone might choose one college over another (including location, financial aid, etc.), but this ranking does give a general sense of where schools stand in the food chain. In this ranking, Hamilton comes in at 92. You can compare that with some of its peers (inc. Colby (61), Bates (40), Vassar (40), Colgate (56), Union (61), and Conn College (100).</p>