Wesleyan University vs Hamilton College

College Search & Selection
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I am currently deciding between applying early decision to Wesleyan or Hamilton, and was wondering if anyone could tell me a bit about their experiences with either college? Below are some of the features I am looking for in a university…

  • Strong Studio Art, Film and English programs
  • Strong careers centre and alumni connections
  • Collaborative atmosphere rather than competitive
  • Liberal student body
  • Varied campus with good places to study/eat and constant activities during both weekdays and weekends
  • Strong campus facilities (I am under the impression that Hamilton has a generally nicer campus than Wesleyan, but I may be wrong about that?)
  • Good(ish) surrounding area (Middletown VS Clinton?)

If anyone has experiences with any of the above at either campus, I would love to hear your thoughts! Thank you so much for the help.

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Hamilton, in Brief (Opinion)

Legacy of having been two colleges of complementary characteristics and emphases manifests in enhanced academic, social and architectural dimensions and balance. Beautiful, spatially luxuriant campus. Access to nearby suburban amenities. Academically strong across humanities and fine arts (see top photo of arts center), sciences and math and social sciences. Rarefied student profile. A writers’ college, for those who wish to enhance this skill. I know some people who don’t like snow, but I’m not sure I trust them. Surrounding area among the safest collegiate locations in the nation, with no reported violent crime in a recent year. Charming Clinton (see bottom photo), as well as the authentically rural countryside in its vicinity, will appeal to you in relation to your preferences.

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clinton-chamber-of-commerce-clinton-ny!

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  • Strong Studio Art, Film and English programs -

Both colleges made big investments in the arts in preparation for what would ultimately be the admission of women in the late 1960s. I’m an alum of Wesleyan but spent a summer at Hamilton right after they became co-ed. I’d say the facilities for studio art are comparable.

Film Studies, OTOH, is a Wesleyan specialty. It’s one of the top programs in the country.

Strong careers centre and alumni connections - I’m more familiar with the Gordon Career Center at Wesleyan; it’s literally in the middle of campus, right next to the main dining hall. Campus lore is replete with stories of successful partnerships forged on campus including the creators of “Hamilton” (the musical, not the college), the television sitcom, “How I Met Your Mother”, the band, “MGMT”. There is an entire group of alumni in the Hollywood film community that refers to itself as, “The Wesleyan Mafia”.**

Collaborative atmosphere rather than competitive -
(See, above particularly with regards to the arts at Wesleyan)

Liberal student body - I’m pretty sure both colleges lean left.

Varied campus with good places to study/eat and constant activities during both weekdays and weekends - Can’t speak from personal experience, but to give you a hint of what life at Hamilton is like on the weekends, their alumni often point to the 1960’s Liza Minnelli movie, “Sterile Cuckoo”, as an accurate depiction.

At Wesleyan, OTOH, approximately 10% of its student body not only majors in the arts but a sizable number of them also intend to pursue it as a career. That means a lot of free concerts and recitals and just plain dance parties on the weekends.

Strong campus facilities (I am under the impression that Hamilton has a generally nicer campus than Wesleyan, but I may be wrong about that?)

I dunno. I suppose it’s a matter of taste. I like Wesleyan’s library better. More students live in traditional dorms at Hamilton. Perhaps, that’s where the impression comes from. Wesleyan has lots of funky Victorian and Colonial houses that students vie for through a housing lottery each year

Good(ish) surrounding area (Middletown VS Clinton?)

Clinton NY (Hamilton) literally has one traffic light. The nearest big city is Utica which really isn’t much bigger than Middletown CT, Wesleyan’s host city with a downtown only steps away from campus.

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My D21 was accepted ED1 to Hamilton last December and is in her first semester there. PM me if you have questions about how ED1 went for her.

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@jrek, My son was a studio art (and art history) major. He ended up at Williams, but Wesleyan and Hamilton (and Kenyon) were close seconds. I believe he would have been happy at any of these choices.

What art medium are you interested in pursuing? Both Wesleyan and Hamilton have strong studio art (and art history) programs and impressive facilities. I would, though, give Wesleyan the edge for film. Both have superb English programs and overall rigorous academics. And both provide helpful platforms – advising, alumni connections, reputation – for whatever you choose to do after graduation, though your mileage my vary depending upon your ultimate career direction.

Wesleyan may lean a bit more toward activist and Hamilton toward sporty/outdoorsy, but there’s a wide range of overlap in student body “personality”: friendly, happy, energetic and intellectually curious kids.

You mention on another thread that you have visited Wesleyan and that you’re “not sure about” Middletown. It’s been some time since I’ve been in Middletown and it may have been spiffed up since then. I would have described it as a bit run down, not gentrified, which may be a plus or a minus depending on your perspective. I thought it had a kind of scruffy appeal. The major advantage is that it is contiguous to Wesleyan’s campus and offers most of what a college student would need.

Have you actually visited Hamilton? If not, you really need to try to do so before you apply ED. Clinton is full of charm, but it’s a fair distance from Hamilton’s campus. There are frequent shuttles, but walking to town wouldn’t be practical, especially in the winter. Hamilton itself is far more rural than the area around Wesleyan. For my son, who enjoys instant access to nature-driven activities, Hamilton’s location was a plus, but it really depends on how you would define “nicer.”

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@momrath wrote:

You mention on another thread that you have visited Wesleyan and that you’re “not sure about” Middletown.

Not sure if that was this OP:

As an international student, I have not been able to properly tour the campus and would love to see some of more of the dining halls, theatre-spaces, art centre etc.

In any event, if - as you say - you have not visited Middletown “in some time”, you likely have missed a lot of changes to the downtown area, including a major urban renewal project on the city’s southside. And yes, there has been a not insignificant degree of gentrification in the area, as can be attested to by the opening of an RJJulia bookstore now in its fourth year of operation.

In your absence, Middletown has become an appealing place to dine out, grab some coffee and window shop.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I have not visited Hamilton in many years and their new studio art building looks fantastic.

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I hadn’t seen the thread that you quote. I was referencing Jrek’s thread titled “Wesleyan University pros and cons” in which they wrote “I visited the campus last month…”

Maybe the operative word is “properly”

At any rate my point is that the combined environment of the Wesleyan campus + Middletown is quite different from the Hamilton campus + Clinton.

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Since you like film, you may want to watch The Sterile Cuckoo, which offers a visual perspective of Hamilton’s surrounding area.

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The two schools you are considering are on this list (often posted by @merc81 so sorry for misappropriation). Perhaps worth considering all of those mentioned…

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Hamilton offers art courses in areas not always available elsewhere (even at colleges otherwise strong in art), such as in ceramics. If you seek variety in your creative opportunities, Hamilton’s courses and facilities would offer this. Hamilton’s free-standing art museum also should appeal to you.

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Timely interview in the Wesleyan student paper with a Film Studies major:
The Wesleyan Argus | Artgus Artist Spotlight: Abbi Abraham ’23 Talks Music Videos, Filmmaking, and Wesleyan Film Culture

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