<p>i heard and read that students at Colgate are extremely preppy. That they are very mean, not friendly at all... people just stick to their social group and dont care abt meeting new people</p>
<p>i also heard that it's extremely hard for minority to fit in. The separations prevalent.... and that people who are nice and friendly at first later then become snobby as everyone else.. everyone hid under a certain etiquette rules. </p>
<p>is this true?? iam scared of the social environment at Colgate</p>
<p>go to students review and read negative comments about colgate..</p>
<p>i can;t sot the link here... it's like cc censored it or sth.. all that show up was *******</p>
<p>I was there today. I would not consider it “preppy” but I suppose it depends on your point of view. Some students are, as anywhere. But that was not my impression. The student body is predominantly white, however, people of all ethnic backgrounds were interacting across the campus with no prejudices whatsoever. Keep in mind that the majority of students who attend Colgate are honors level kids. They are forward thinking and open minded. These are not people who crawled out of caves. </p>
<p>Now, having said that, understand that the cows outnumber the people in the surrounding towns. Hailing from Washington DC, you will find the remoteness of Colgate far more problematic than any falsely perceived preppiness.</p>
<p>oh hahah… thanks for the tip… i know hamilton is boring. however… i think since msot ppl stay on campus… it will be like a small town itself… so no problem…</p>
<p>I’m an intl and im worried about that too…but while ive heard negative comments, ive heard loads of good things at the same time…so i’m all set to experience it all! Lets see how it goes :)</p>
<p>There have been threads about this- go back a few pages to find your answers.</p>
<p>In sum, Colgate admissions choose students very carefully and they pretty much weed out the snobs who don’t care about anything except themselves and social status. Kids do dress preppy but it’s not a reflection of their behavior. They look for students who are open-minded, very active in the community/sports, and engaging with others… so… you will find lots of very nice people who would be… surprised at mean talk. Any meaness you’ve heard on campus are rather very isolated. Generally when isolated situations flare up (like racism), the whole campus get pretty upset and go into dialogue talks for a while to assure that everyone’s voices get heard that these are not appropriate behavior in a society.</p>
<p>The students seem very friendly (well at least the ones who volunteer in admissions office) but yeah, a bit preppy as far as that goes :p. Maybe a little too much for me. But in a local Colgate presentation in which a selection of current and graduated students were presented, I was VERY IMPRESSED with the alumni. Classy people, not only in their dress, but in manner, etc. ;). I’m still debating with myself over whether the legendary Colgate Connection is worth the cash and preppy atmosphere. I love the location though…the school appears to have a great relationship with the town, and the campus is…breathtaking!</p>
<p>I just got back from a visit to Colgate, and my biggest initial concern about attending was the preppiness. Although the girl I stayed with was an ultra-prep, most of the kids I met were pretty down to earth. I think a lot of kids are going this year who are worried about the preppiness… </p>
<p>I think if we all keep an open mind and meet lots of different people, avoiding the prep scene shouldn’t be too difficult.</p>
<p>I was there 25+years ago. I didn’t know preppy until I got to Colgate. I was one of very few Asians there. I knew almost everyone. I was able to go to any frat party and have a good time. What I got out of Colgate was a lot more than what I learned in classrooms. As an alum I will always respond to any student from Colgate. Students I have met are very smart and very put together. I will take preppy over grunge (spl?) anyday.</p>
<p>Significant lack of diversity in the student body: The administration is highly aware of this issue and working hard to improve the situation. Still, there are a lot of cliques and a limited number of social activities.
There is also a drinking issue on campus. During the visit we were verbally accosted by two different groups of obnoxious male students, several of whom were clearly inebriated. This was in the early afternoon. Living in an isolated village setting with an apparent scarcity of activities seems to be a significant problem including boredom and alcohol consumption.
Preppy: perhaps, definitely dominated socially by East Coast students (go figure). You gotta go and see if you fit in. And don’t just talk with the people provided by admissions. Talk with students in the various eateries and just ask someone if they would answer a few questions. You will get a good idea of “fit” pretty quickly.</p>
<p>Uhhh did you just get back today? There was a reason for a little excessive drinking this week… leading up to our notorious Spring Party Weekend.</p>
<p>So I wouldn’t be surprised if a few obnoxious students came along your way. Heck, it happens ANYWHERE.</p>
<p>Ticklemepink, These students were not just obnoxious, a few of them drunk, into the Spring flling thing…each group had several individuals who went out of their way to challenge the visiting students and family members verbally and in one case yelled ‘don’t come to Colgate’. Go ahead and defend the alcohol abuse (in your case the rationale seems to be tradition). That is what all too many people do in the face of alcohol abuse and social pressures to drink. But think of it this way…several students will not be coming to Colgate in part because of the message such drunken behavior imparts to visitors. It is not simply the drinking, which does go on at most colleges and universities. It is the utter boorishness exhibited by these students. Go ahead and fall down drunk and be some body…if that is what you think is real.</p>
<p>Two years ago we were at Tufts on April 20th for the admitted student day. As the tour group went by their library green roof top, there were a large group of students (maybe faculty too) celebrating the special day. Are we all going to conclude it is something large group of students do everyday? No. Next Fri is going to be Cornell’s Slope day to celebrate last day of school. Will there be some inappropriate behavior? Probably. It is no different than every college in the US.</p>
<p>As much as I loved my experience at Colgate, LAC is not a place for diversity in general. It is a pro to some people and con to others. Each LAC has it’s own “personality.” Oberlin is very different than Colgate. It doesn’t make one better than another, it is a matter of fit. If diversity is important to you, then you should be looking at large research universities.</p>
<p>HonestDescendent, I understand you had a bad experience visiting campus, but both Ticklemepink and I actually attended Colgate and are speaking from our experiences. It’s unfortunate that you ran into that particular group, but it’s far more common to see students yell “come to Colgate!” at passing tours. It’s also the end of the semester when students have projects, papers, exams, etc. due the next week and SPW is a way to blow off steam and frustration - it’s a lot of stress this time of year. It can be hard to remember why you voluntarily paid money to be at a school when you’re up at 4 am finishing a huge term paper, and that’s what Colgate kids will be doing this coming week. </p>
<p>I personally never liked SPW and never participated, but loved my time at Colgate. It’s 3/4 days out of 8 months when students are on campus - it is FAR from normal. It’s like visiting Times Square in NYC on New Year’s Eve and deciding not to visit NYC ever again because it’s always too crowded.</p>
<p>Agreed. I’m okay with SPW since Colgate IS a difficult school academically and it’s 3-4 days where the administration and campus safety lax their rules for partying. It’s a time-honored Colgate tradition. I do know several students who actually escape SPW- some to avoid all the drunk and others just were up in their necks with work due too soon.</p>
<p>There are other schools that have more out-of-control student bodies, especially at larger universities, especially with big-time sports. So I think Colgate is actually tame in comparison.</p>
<p>You may be paying for education, but you need to stop thinking like an adult every now and then and try to see the school from a teenager’s perspective. It’s all about independence and making own decisions and opportunities to make stupid mistakes of your life. </p>
<p>Give the kids at Colgate and other places a break this weekend and next week. There WAS a reason why Colgate scheduled their prospective visits in the first two weeks of April.</p>
<p>I get the impression, HonestDescendent, that this is your first kid going to college. Obviously, I may be wrong. But a few things you said struck me.</p>
<p>You said “there are a lot of cliques and a limited number of social activities.” That is just not true! There are sports clubs, dance groups, a cappella groups, CUTV, theater groups, etc., etc.</p>
<p>You also said “Living in an isolated village setting with an apparent scarcity of activities seems to be a significant problem including boredom and alcohol consumption.” What???
Alcohol consumption is a factor on every college campus except strict religious schools. An MIT student died from alcohol poisoning a few years ago. My nephew, a NYU grad, talks about the excessive drinking. Boston and NYC schools! Kinda debunks the isolated village theory.</p>
<p>I do not understand why people think you have to be in a city to get a great college experience. The colleges themselves provide the experiences and opportunities. In the last year at Colgate you could have seen the Dalai Lama or Colin Powell and Tony Blair is coming. My S was in an a cappella group at Colgate. They sang at the Boston Red Sox, US Open Tennis, NY Giants, Washinton Redskins, LA Lakers games. They sang the Stars Spangled Banner at the opening. They also sang at the Fiesta Bowl in Arizonia and did numerous other concerts for alumni events, at hospitals, nursing homes, etc. Too bad he had such isolated village experiences. Have you, or anyone you know, sung in front of 73,000 people?? </p>
<p>BTW, I work at a college (not Colgate). Some of the kids find it humorous to yell things to the “obvious” visiting student tour groups. Some shouts are positive and some not so much.</p>
<p>I also don’t get the complaints about colleges in the middle of nowhere. Cities will always be there. Getting to spend 4 years in a beautiful rural setting with tons of opportunities especially for you and 2800 of your peers while you get a fantastic education and amazing experiences will not. I was never bored. I grew up in a pretty suburban area, went to Colgate for 4 years, and now live in New York City, and I miss Colgate SO much. Gorgeous nature with real trees and plants instead of concrete and garbage bags… sparkling white snow instead of grey slush… peace and quiet instead of car alarms and honking and sirens 24 hours of the day… polite people… everything within walking distance instead of 30+ minutes by crowded train… people worry that they’ll be bored or feel isolated and I never did. We even call it the “Colgate bubble.”</p>
<p>I’ve been back to visit twice and I wish I had more time there. There will always be Broadway shows, the Met and MOMA aren’t going anywhere… but I can’t ever go back to Colgate… :(</p>