<p>Current students or alums (or anyone else knowledgeable about Colgate)</p>
<p>I am a senior in high school and strongly considering Colgate for next year. I really love the liberal arts college feel and the size and location of Colgate seems great, not to mention how nice the campus was. Do you know if kids generally like their classes and academics at Colgate? Is it a big party/frat school (b/c of the isolation)? Are there other popular things other than parties (is hockey, sports, etc. popular)? Finally, do you know anything about recreational skiing and golfing at Colgate? Thanks for the help, if there's anything that you really like or dislike about Colgate, let me know. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Son will be an entering freshman in the fall. Colgate has one of the most challenging public courses in the area. Seven Oaks hosts many of the top State events and is a great value. It is walking distance from campus. In fact, a couple of the holes border it. I think Colgate students get a special rate, but I am not sure. Awesome little clubhouse and favorite local haunt. Probably a lot of professors play there.</p>
<p>Back in the day, Colgate had a cool ski hill. Unfortunately, like many small ski areas, the liability became too much and they closed it down. That doesn’t stop the students from bombing down the hill on any sled they can get their hands on and flying out into trafic at the bottom. Fortunately, there are a number of decent ski resorts within a hal-hour drive including Toggenburg, Labrador, Song Mountain, and Snow Ridge. Greek Peak is a little bit further.</p>
<p>thanks…sounds…how do Colgate students cope with the weather in winter? i assume that students find a way to avoid the pain of winter…also, do students miss not living near a city? or is it nice to be in a scenic town for the school year but take part in internships in the city during the summer? and back to the social scene…does it only revolve around frats? i sometimes hear people say the “social scene gets repetitive” at some colleges…does this seem to be true? i don’t know if this is always a bad thing… thanks very much…</p>
<p>Colgate is big definitely on greek life. The literature says that only 33% of students (which is already a lot) are involved in greek life, but that number is misleading since freshman are not allowed to rush. In reality 50% of eligible students are involved in greek life.</p>
<p>Also, Colgate is filled with kids from wealthy families. Around 35% of the whole student body receive any aid, meaning that 65% of the students can afford to plop down 55K+ a year for school. Additionally, a large percentage come from boarding schools and private schools.</p>
<p>33% of the total population is actually 45% of those that are eligible to rush. I think it really depends on if your group of friends ends up getting involved if you think it’s that big - mine didn’t, so Greek life really didn’t have much to do with my experience at Colgate.</p>
<p>40% of students currently receive aid - it’s gone up. However, again it depends on your social group - not everyone who can pay full tuition is snobby about that fact. I was surprised to learn how well off some people were, because they really didn’t act like it.</p>
<p>There is definitely a stereotype about Colgate, and it’s not baseless, but there is also plenty of room outside of that and many, many non-rich/preppy people having a wonderful experience.</p>
<p>In regards to not being near a city, you have summers and the rest of your life to live in New York or Boston or wherever. You won’t always be able to live in a community like Colgate in a beautiful rural area. I’ve since moved to New York City and am attending grad school in a different city, and I really miss Colgate sometimes. Especially the snow! Snow upstate is pretty and handled well by Colgate/towns. Snow in the city is nice for about 5 minutes and then gross and annoying. Do invest in a good winter coat and boots though!</p>
<p>Yes, it snows in upstate New York. I think we’ve pretty well established that fact. Plus, if you didn’t know, it gets cold in the wintertime. Is this different at Middlebury, Wesleyan, Skidmore, Cornell, or Amherst? Not much. If you compare Northeastern colleges to schools in other parts of the country there will be less snow and so forth. But, everyone already knows this, I imagine. You wear warm clothes, you enjoy the beauty of winter, there are 3000 other people there doing the same thing, and it’s hardly a major problem for anyone. </p>
<p>As for living in a small town for four years, why would that be a problem for any but the most intensely urban-needy person? I’ve lived in large urban areas all my life – NYC, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. I loved being in upstate New York for four short years, getting to know lots of people I probably would not have talked to as much in a more hectic urban environment, and loved the beauty of the campus, too. The idea that you are cut off from the world is a bit strange in an age of communications like ours. </p>
<p>My own daughter is a Colgate junior from Los Angeles and she loves it in Hamilton, has good friends, takes excellent challenging courses, doesn’t even have a car but others do so she gets around well, and she lives very comfortably in a nice apartment with a few roommates. She’s currently in Paris for a semester studying French and art history. I don’t think she feels deprived in any way by attending Colgate.</p>
<p>ColgateDad is correct, your college experience is what YOU make of it. I grew up in Manhattan and went to a small, state school in Maine and the neighboring town had nothing(a supermarket, a burgerking and an Italian fastfood/deli chain that’s it)! I had the best time there because I chose to have fun, meet people and enjoy the small campus.</p>
<p>Colgate is a huge step up from that campus in both beauty and facilities and while everyone’s taste and sense of enjoyment is personal, I’m gonna say that if you attend Colgate and are miserable for 4 years it’s because you allowed yourself to be . . .</p>
<p>When Colgate chose me as an ED candidate from a typical suburban Westchester County, NY high school I was in seventh heaven. Why? I knew the campus and the curriculum from a visit and the catalogue and recognized what a unique place this would be for me for my 4 years which included the Dijon study group. Yes, it was a much different setting from what I was accustomed to but a welcome one. And what a preparation for life!</p>
<p>Further, when I was applying I would not have thought about calling anything or anyone “uppity”, nor would I do so now. Who needs a judgmental and divisive vocabulary? Where does that get you? As stated above we are all individuals and we make our own way. If you see a fit at Colgate for yourself with its thoughtful curriculum, superb faculty and top flight facilities (have you seen Case-Geyer and Ho?) just go for it and when you get there distinguish yourself. A terrific journey awaits.</p>
<p>As far as town/gown relations go you will also find that Colgate is intimately connected with the town of Hamilton, a few minutes’ walk away from the Hill. The Bookstore, the largest independent one in central NY, is a relocation from campus of several years ago while the $7 million plus renovation of the venerable Colgate Inn, a block away, was done last year. They reflect and address my points well. </p>