<p>Colgate has alot of what my daughter is looking for in a school, beautiful campus,small, great academics and school spirit. She intends on being a chem major, but loves doing stage crew as well. She is an EMT, loves hiking and the arts. So she is basically eclectic and aside from hiking, not a traditional athlete. She comes from a large Public School in NJ, and we will be likely applying for FA. She is not preppie in appearance. Do you think Colgate could be a fit for her?</p>
<p>Neither of us knows how your daughter will fit into her new life in college- yet. Early on we can imagine her taking advantage of the EMTS volunteer and stage crew extracurricular opportunities and also consider other activities such as those her new friends find appealing. Her freshman seminar and Core courses will get her on track in areas of study alongside her major’s demands. She will certainly be very busy!</p>
<p>You say that she is enthused about what she knows about Colgate already. I assume she has visited and spent an overnight there. Who has she met with similar interests and tastes? When and how did the question of preppiness arise? What does she think and feel? That’s as much as we can read into the prospects for her success and happiness in college at this point. </p>
<p>Good luck with your college search and planning!</p>
<p>Your post made me chuckle because I was similar 30 years ago when I applied to Colgate. All of my friends from Colgate were (and still are!) preppy. My husband jokes when we meet them in NYC “Should I wear my turtleneck?” And they joke that they loved that I had my own style! I dont know how things are on campus now but my non-preppiness in a sea of preps had zero effect on me fitting in. I had also planned on majoring in chem but ended up taking so many math and physics classes in addition to chem that I concentrated in “physical science” … a topical major close to engineering. Best of luck on your college admission process!</p>
<p>Thank you, “Knows nothing”, that was a reassuring response! Marham, thanks for your response but you sound like you are in admissions! We are visiting this week for the first time. Of course, if she likes it , we will plan an overnight. I am not trying to be derogatory when I mention Colgate’s so called preppiness, I am merely repeating what I have read in almost every guide book about Colgate. I am also wondering before we embark on the long drive, if my daughters more liberal leanings ,attitude and dress will be an issue for her at Colgate, and what other people’s experience has been.</p>
<p>They will not be an issue at all. It still might not be the best fit or feel “right,” but not being preppy is not an issue.</p>
<p>The preppy kids are certainly a bit more obvious on campus (hard to miss the guy in pink pants!) but most people are pretty normal. I wasn’t preppy and never felt out of place in jeans and a witty t-shirt (plus a fleece or two and a parka…) and even the preppy people can be really nice if you get to know them. I’d say that politically Colgate is pretty moderate, leaning left (though it’s “conservative” compared to Brown or Berkeley, to be sure) and political groups on both ends of the spectrum are present on campus. There are a fair number of alternative/indie/artsy/hippie kids on campus - between the radio station, art students, Outdoor Ed, theater, etc., there’s a lot more non-preppy students on campus than you might think.</p>
<p>No, I am not an admissions officer but merely an engaged alumnus who graduated in the 70s with a BA and a high school teaching degree, the MAT. I found the setting of Colgate and Hamilton NY represent truly formative experiences and so deserving of support. The college is much the same as it was then but has become more sophisticated with additional numbers of minority and international students and programs, new and upgraded facilities, and yes, in some ways higher standards- in my view. </p>
<p>Maybe I sound like an admissions officer because I want to put what I see in context for high school students and their parents, much as they do. But I always suggest that the student and admissions people meet and the students spend time on campus to make up their own minds about their college plans and the adjustments that they face in their new settings.</p>
<p>Best of luck with your search!</p>
<p>Thanks Markham, appreciate your perspective! Lydia your post was very helpful Thank you, we look at Colgate tomorrow, excited!</p>
<p>She’ll be fine, there’s a lot more to Colgate than the prep. My D entered Colgate as a granola eating, Birkenstock wearing tree hugger… but she loved it when she visited. It’s also outdoorsy, there were people she was friends with working with local EMTs and lots of kids from NJ.</p>
<p>Just be forewarned, my D emerged four years later wearing pearls and black dresses.</p>
<p>“Just be forewarned, my D emerged four years later wearing pearls and black dresses.”</p>
<p>Haha, I certainly didn’t!</p>
<p>The pearl and black dresses comment cracked me up!!! My DS is also a very outdoorsy kid form CA who’s idea of getting dressed up is to add socks with his shoes… LOL!! I was wondering the same thing as OP. My DS is a free thinker, loves discussing ideas, is a true outdoors guy who has his First Responder, rescue scuba certification, works up in the local mountains on their Search and Rescue team, and spends most of his weekends climbing VERY high peaks. He as far away to preppy as they come but Colgate intrigues him just the same. I think it’s the whole outdoor club thing… also would love to work as an EMT.</p>
<p>Colgate as you probably know is way out in the Styx. Going up Rt 12 and 12B there are a lot of small towns…well Hamlets, any way where I believe I’ve heard of Colgate students serving as an EMT. There aren’t really any high mountains nearby though. You’d probably have to head over to the Adirondacks to get close to anything one “might” consider high…for an Eastern Mountain. But Colgate students are known for being active and outdoorsy.</p>
<p>BTW, it is a well known preppie trait to wear loafers without socks, so maybe there’s a potential compromise there.</p>
<p>Colgate is in the middle of nowhere but it is in the town of Hamilton which has a community AND a hospital. Very likely that there are volunteer positions right there for ambulance/EMT. There are lakes and mountains nearby for outdoor activities as well. It is, after all, in the Chenango Valley.</p>
<p>I don’t typically post, but I will say that Colgate has some awesome outdoorsy resources. From our boathouse to the Outdoor Education Rental Center, any type of equipment is available often for little to no charge. The campus itself is 515 acres with many miles of XC (both groomed ski and running) trails as well as mountain biking trails and the school boasts more than 1000 acres of additional undeveloped lands. There is also the Beattie Reserve with a low ropes course and yurt and, of course, Outdoor Ed–a student organization that teaches classes and leads freshmen orientation trips. Sperry’s are abundant, yes, but there is definitely more to the school than pearls and black dresses.</p>
<p>Lydia, what’s your obsession with “guys in pink shorts”? I’ve noticed this phrase every time someone asks about preppy kids at Colgate!</p>
<p>OP, I agree with every post here. I’m not much of a prep either. I don’t wear collared shirts unless I have to. I don’t get the whole country club vibe. Really. But I was perfectly happy to wear whatever I wanted to. Although people <em>might</em> give a weird look if you show up in pajamas.</p>
<p>Haha, I do use it a lot, don’t I! I think because it’s a good example of preppy dress that really stands out/people notice, since someone wearing a polo shirt isn’t necessarily preppy. Also because I did see it occasionally at Colgate and just had to laugh every time…</p>
<p>eagle2395, (and everyone else) I hope I didn’t give the wrong impression with my smart alec remark about pearls and black dresses. I just think Colgate makes you well rounded in lots of ways, because that was addition to all the other things being at Colgate added: trying rugby, camping, being fit, running and swimming working out, tons of volunteer work around Hamilton and in Utica… being in Kappa, writing a few commentaries for the Maroon and finally, being chosen for Konosioni. Colgate added a whole lot more to her and her life than that tiny (and only occassional) touch of prep.</p>
<p>@lydia08: I don’t remember seeing any guys wearing pink shorts… but I laugh at plaid shorts, worn both by guys and girls…That’s preppy to me!</p>
<p>As long as there are no embroidered whales or pheasants on red or green slacks I’m okay and can keep a straight face.</p>
<p>What’s so funny about pink shorts? or plaid shorts? Why mock being preppy?</p>
<p>This is an older posting, so perhaps it’s not very relevant anymore, but I found it kind of funny. Colgate does have some preppy (preppie?) students, for sure, but so do Amherst, Trinity, Williams and all top liberal arts colleges. But, Colgate also has many artists, musicians, football players, actors, scientists, and lots of other different types of students. I wouldn’t worry about a few people who might wear pink shirts and plaid shorts on a campus where there are gay students, international students, black, Hispanic, Asian, Californian, Texan . . . you name it! There really is no stereotypical Colgate student except that most are really good looking! Smile! Well, seriously, most are fairly smart, athletic, and hard working. Also happy and successful in life. Who cares about what color shorts they wear?</p>