@CrewDad, there are numerous CC threads about the fear of isolation at all of the schools I noted - Yes, even Williams and Middlebury are frequent participants; it’s just one more factor that needs to be taken into account - for some it’s a plus, for others not so much.
In the “one of these is not like the othets” game, Mac is it. So I would ask whether you really like this one. Urban and less "mainstream " students.
Colgate is probably the most popular with kids from the greater nyc area and has a little of this vibe. This may be related to the pre-professional feel. It is definitely the most rah rah with D1 sports) so if you like some kind of game day culture, this is the one.
Carleton feels more Midwestern, but is more similar to Hamilton, I think.
It really depends on why you’re picking one. Fit? Best odds of acceptance?
All 4 are excellent schools so you can’t pick wrong on that front.
As stated, this is not an accurate quotation from the Princeton Review because the original author’s intent has been altered by italics added by the poster.
The below uses the same words, but produces a different meaning (and would be a similarly inaccurate representation of the original author’s intent):
It appears that there’s significantly less fear of isolation by Middlebury and Williams applicants than those of Hamilton.
Middlebury applications…8900
Williams applications…8600
Hamilton applications…5678
Middlebury has a 36% larger student population so the applicant pool is appropriately larger. The same holds true for Williams.
OP, apologize for the off topic swirl as my posting #36 was my last relevant comment.
Being that a match between personality type and environment can be important, prospective collegians without a suitable sense of adventure may not be ideal future Hamiltonians:
Note: Mature content, though generally familiar to a ~tenth grade student.
I don’t think it is accurate to use the number of applicants to judge geographic isolation. As mentioned already, some schools are larger. Also, in a rankings crazy culture, Midd and Williams are both higher ranked which = more apps.
The reality is that all the schools are fairly isolated. Discussing how isolated is kind of splitting hairs. If you are a student attending any of these schools you need to be happy with 98% of your college life revolving around campus.
Williams only enrolls 200 more students than Hamilton but received 66 percent more applications.
Amherst enrolls an equal number of students as Hamilton. Amherst also received 66 percent more applications.
Ranking may play a small role in the descendancy, but as was pointed out in the video that Merc was kind enough to link was produced by a Hamilton student, Hamilton is located in the armpit of NY. I’m sure that fact is significant to many students when deciding where to apply.
OP, the Forbes Grateful Graduates Index may be another helpful tool in understanding how alumni viewed their college experience - looks like the “armpit of NY” is beloved by many - https://www.forbes.com/sites/schifrin/2017/08/02/2017-grateful-grads-index-top-200-best-loved-colleges/1#7d5056b0128e :"> :">
Link may not be working properly, so here’s the top-50 in the Index:
RANK College 10-Year Median Donations per Student 3-Year Avg Alumni Participation 2017 Grateful Grad Index Value
1 Dartmouth College $29,561 42.3% 100.00
2 Princeton University $28,869 41.6% 99.97
3 Williams College $23,346 49.4% 99.76
4 Bowdoin College $22,502 45.3% 99.61
5 Amherst College $21,320 45.2% 99.37
6 Claremont McKenna $23,595 35.6% 99.27
7 Davidson College $20,659 45.5% 99.22
8 University of Notre Dame $19,509 35.6% 98.39
9 Duke University $32,107 28.5% 98.36
10 Wellesley College $17,451 50.4% 98.25
11 Haverford College $17,593 40.1% 98.17
12 Washington and Lee University $18,184 37.4% 98.16
13 Stanford University $30,826 26.8% 97.97
14 Yale University $31,936 24.2% 97.22
15 MIT $47,755 23.6% 97.01
16 Brown University $21,932 25.0% 96.97
17 Carleton College $14,716 43.6% 96.91
18 Middlebury College $15,671 31.9% 96.43
19 University of Chicago $25,548 21.5% 96.21
20 University of Pennsylvania $20,132 23.8% 96.17
21 Rice University $17,585 25.5% 95.92
22 Bryn Mawr College $15,789 28.6% 95.89
23 California Institute of Technology $53,845 19.7% 95.31
24 Swarthmore College $13,234 35.1% 95.28
25 Pomona College $13,983 30.4% 95.17
26 Harvard University $25,122 18.7% 94.76
27 Washington Univ in St Louis $17,711 21.3% 94.44
28 Hamilton College $11,767 39.0% 94.29
29 University of Southern California $14,352 25.3% 94.24
30 Colgate University $11,436 38.9% 93.92
31 Colby College $11,265 40.5% 93.84
32 Vassar College $14,088 24.5% 93.82
33 Trinity College $13,215 26.3% 93.69
34 Kenyon College $10,860 36.4% 92.98
35 Lawrence University $11,912 26.7% 92.61
36 Smith College $11,837 26.9% 92.57
37 Reed College $12,112 25.2% 92.39
38 Cornell University $15,267 19.1% 92.25
39 DePauw University $12,153 23.8% 92.00
40 Wesleyan Univ $10,056 32.7% 91.40
41 Vanderbilt University $14,368 18.6% 91.37
42 Centre College $9,367 37.3% 90.79
43 Northwestern University $17,449 14.8% 90.14
44 Whitman College $9,367 31.8% 90.13
45 Oberlin College $10,146 24.9% 89.89
46 Wake Forest University $12,557 18.4% 89.87
47 Lafayette College $9,332 30.5% 89.84
48 Johns Hopkins University $29,504 12.6% 89.78
49 University of Rochester $14,643 15.8% 89.62
50 Sewanee-The University of the South $9,646 26.7%
FWIW, son and our family loved both Hamilton and Colgate, and found their beautiful rural location a positive attribute. (Ditto for Middlebury and Williams, also mentioned on this thread, but these are not part of OP’s post or decision.). Both Hamilton and Colgate meet the OP’s criteria of a pretty campus with great programs in poli sci/govt and history.
I did not visit the Minnesota schools, but Carleton sounds similar to C and H. Macalester offers the most contrast, being in an attractive part of a major city. If the OP’s interests tend toward international studies, Mac is superb in that. Mac may also be the most likely admission for the OP, although all are possible.
As far as “laid back” vibe goes, none of these schools is famous for the intensity of the experience like U Chicago or Swarthmore or Reed, but all have very studious students and none of them boast the degree of mellowness of some other schools.(I am having trouble thinking of examples, since we didn’t look for that. I am thinking of Brown, but I am sure there are even more mellow schools.)
Four great choices, OP! A lot of this thread has focused on geographic setting, which is one major factor. You also might consider how you feel about fraternity/sorority presence or absence, open curriculum vs. core classes, and other factors that also differentiate these four schools. You would get a great education at any of them, so what is the best personal “fit”?
The “grateful grad” list is one guy’s theory on appreciation. Amazing that schools that cost over $60k/year have the largest gifts. Apparently, if mom and dad pay for college, you love your school more. Could it be they have more to give, either because they have no loans or more money to start with? Silly ranking.
I don’t find it silly. Happy and connected alums are more likely to donate. I have no doubts about that. It’s not about the size of the donation but the give.
For grads graduating with no loans, colleges that provided generous support, I think many alums are grateful.
High giving rates can also indicate a strong alumni network which could help with internships and jobs.
@doschicos, absolutely agree. What’s great is that many of the schools listed are need blind and meet 100% of demonstrated need which means it’s a wide spectrum of alumni that donate as evidenced by the giving % rate.
– John Keats
By aesthetic criteria, Hamilton or Colgate would work exceedingly well.
The Forbes website doesn’t really explain how they arrived at their denominators (number of alumni), only referring to “government statistics”. I suspect they just multiplied the graduating class by ten. :-?
Alumni giving rates are meaningless. Although the Wall Street Journal article is 10 years old, I’m sure with race to the top of the US News ranking that not much has changed.
http://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-alumchrtbk0703-1.html?printVersion=true
:-?? I don’t find alumni pleased enough with their college experience to open their wallets plus the extra stream of revenue for college operations meaningless. If you’ve ever been connected in any way to the development arm at any nonprofit, you know that the willingness to write a check, given all the other demands on one’s money, does speak to levels of satisfaction.
Haverford College would be a great option. They have an amazing political science program there.
Out of those Hamilton for sure. Great school!