Hi everyone, I am looking for suggestions. I am a sophomore and currently admitted to transfer terms at Wesleyan, Colgate, and Davidson College. They are quite similar academically and I am having a hard time deciding which one to choose. I would like to pursue a JD later on. I am admitted to political science majors and I am intending to double major in Econ maybe. I need to make a decision this week. Thank you in advance!
Assuming prices are all similar, this should really come down to fit because these are essentially peer schools.
Wesleyan: Very politically active campus, artsy, liberal, in a town with 50k people (kind of in suburbia), greek life isn’t very prominent, D3 sports
Colgate: More on the conservative side (as far as LACs go), D1 sports, in a rural area with 4k residents, known to have a very wealthy student body, very prominent greek life, known to have a work hard / play hard atmosphere, upstate new york weather (very cold, lots of snow)
Davidson: More on the conservative side for a LAC, it’s in the south with southern culture and vibe, D1 sports, known to be pretty rigorous academically, greek life prominence is somewhere between the other two schools, the town of Davidson is small, but the school is right off the highway and fairly close to Charlotte, best weather of the 3 imo, smallest student body of the 3 (1800 vs 2800)
I’ve only driven by Davidson and Colgate, so I can’t provide any first-hand information. Hopefully, someone else can help.
Hi there, I was also just admitted to Hamilton College and now I am really deciding between Wesleyan and Hamilton. I would not prefer an environment with too much greek life or too hard of an academic strain. Does anyone have any thoughts? Much appreciated.
I don’t think one is more rigorous than the other academically although you might find a few more kids aiming for PhDs at Wesleyan.
Yeah, I wouldn’t say Wesleyan and Hamilton are easier than Davidson. I’ve just read that Davidson has a reputation for grade deflation, but I think that was mostly for things like pre-med. I don’t think you’d have a significantly different workload at either of the 3 schools.
This mainly comes down to weather, location, class offerings, dorm & food options. Things like that. I think Colgate is an easy one to eliminate if greek life isn’t appealing to you. I also think it’s slightly less academic and more pre-professional than the others.
Based on your career goals, you may want to search “Top Lawyer Producer Schools – Infographic.”
For an indication of this, consider entering student profiles:
Top Tenth of HS Class
Hamilton: 83%
Davidson: 72%
Colgate: 69%
Wesleyan: 67%
ACT Middle Range
Hamilton: 32–34
Colgate: 31–34
Wesleyan: 31–34
Davidson: 30–33
SAT Middle Range
Hamilton: 1410–1510
Wesleyan: 1320–1510 (sections totaled)
Colgate: 1340–1480
Davidson: 1320–1470
Ordinal Means for Above
- Hamilton: 1.0
- Colgate: 2.8
- Wesleyan: 2.8
- Davidson: 3.3
Thank you so much for your replies! I am currently a little uncertain regarding the strength of the prelaw program between Hamilton and Wesleyan. I know that LSAT and GPA are the primary factors of consideration, but is there any basis to attend a college with a better law school matriculation record? I was favoring Wesleyan over its CSS program but since I am a incoming junior, I am not eligable. Thus I am wavering again.
In at least two senses, maybe:
- If you do well at a college with a top law school matriculation record, then you will *know* that you are in a comparable position to others who have gone on to highly-regarded law schools.
- The college experience itself can enhance your skills and train your thinking over several years so that, with the better college, you will be better prepared to excel on the LSAT (as well as in law school).
With respect to another aspect with relevance to your intended career, consider further developing your writing at a college that emphasizes this skill. In this area, Hamilton has been recognized in U.S. News as one of the two top LACs in the country.
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/writing-programs
The 20 Schools
Amherst
Brown
Claremont McKenna
Columbia
Cornell
Dartmouth
Duke
Georgetown
Hamilton
Harvard
Middlebury
Northwestern
Pomona
Stanford
UChicago
UMichigan
UPennsylvania
U of Southern California
Yale
Yeshiva
Source: College Transitions.
Well, you may not be able to fully participate in CSS because of prerequisite and sequencing requirements, but CSS is basically an interdisciplinary program composed of teachers, many of who retain cross-membership in the Government, History and Economics departments. You still have time to major in one of those stand-alone departments.