Wesleyan VS. Colgate

Colleges and Universities A-Z Colgate University
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<p>I got into both Wesleyan and Colgate, and colgate gave me a much better finaid package. Ignoring that for a few moments, I just want to know which one you guys would prefer and why.</p>

<p>I haven't visited Colgate yet, but i'm planning to do that really soon.</p>

<p>I want to major in Neurscience and Economics, or Biochemistry and Economics.As such, I feel it's important to go to school with students who care about the work they're doing and are genuinely interested in it. Yet, they also know how to have fun and separate work and fun (even though the two aren't mutually exclusive).
I'm an indian, and i lived in india for 11 years, so diversity is important to me. Also having quirky and interesting students is far better than having an homogenous bunch on campus. </p>

<p>Thanks for all your help, I really Appreciate it!</p>

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<p>if you want quirky diversity, DEFINITELY pick wesleyan</p>

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<p>That's not an end all thing though, i'm looking for the plusses and minuses for each. Thanks though, i've heard about that and felt it on the wesleyan campus haha.</p>

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<p>I'd agree, quirky plus diversity would favor Wesleyan. Neuroscience and economics are both very strong at Colgate.</p>

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<p>I presume you've already looked at the Nuroscience Dep't page: </p>

<p><a href="http://departments.colgate.edu/neuroscience/default.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://departments.colgate.edu/neuroscience/default.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>and the Colgate Journal of Sciences:
<a href="http://groups.colgate.edu/cjs/2002/neuroscience.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://groups.colgate.edu/cjs/2002/neuroscience.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I'd compare what you find there with the equivalents at Wes and then before going up on visiting days, schedule a visit with the Dept when you are there. </p>

<p>The soon to be new Ho Science Center <a href="http://www.colgate.edu/desktopdefault1.aspx?tabid=2036%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.colgate.edu/desktopdefault1.aspx?tabid=2036&lt;/a>
scheduled to be ready in July 07 will emphasize multipledisciplinary work and research and may provide the ability to coordinate your other interests as well. You'll be in an area which Colgate will be putting a lot into to see that its students and its reputation succeed. That in itself could be very exciting and open many doors.</p>

<p>In HS my D had been very interested in Wes and when we visited I thought she fit in quite well (too well) to the ethos there. But she felt that many people there where trying to wear and display their quirkiness and found it not to her taste.</p>

<p>Not to knock Wes in any way, 'cause it's a fine fine school underneath all that, but come for a visit to Colgate, check out the areas you are interested in and see how you feel about it.</p>

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<p>Also, since you're thinking economics as well, its economics department and program is among the best in the country, ranking well within the Top 10. Visit the campus before making any decision.</p>

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<p>Collegeparent, where can I find the rankings for that?
Can I have a link please? I've been trying to find that information, without any success, for a long time. Thanks!!!</p>

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<p>Collegeparent, where can I find the rankings for that?}}</p>

<p>You won't find the ranking. Collegeparent makes up facts as he goes along. He's made the asinine statement Colgate’s bio dept is "the most rigorous in the east, if not the country" I'm sure JH, Princeton, Cornell; MIT might take umbrage with that statement.</p>

<p>Collegeparent, I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again; Colgate is a wonderful college, but by misleading future students you’re doing the college and it students a serious disservice. Because you can’t back up a single stat, but for some unexplainable reason feel it necessary to post erroneous info, you make it appear Colgate needs to have inflated/false statistics b/c the college can’t stand its on its own merits.</p>

<p>Do future students the courtesy of saying nothing unless you have a link to verify your BS</p>

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<p>Yikes! That's crazy!!!</p>

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<p>On the CC boards is a 1997 Berkeley report on rigor of academics and lack of grade inflation in which the toughest schools academically were named because they were the toughest to get an A. First, Swat. 2nd Williams, following by Duke. Tied for 4th, Carlton and Colgate and then the rest. It lends credence and veracity to comments about the bio program as well as the economics courses. </p>

<p>As for the econ programs, look at Stanford, Wharton, Chicago, Hamilton, Dartmouth, Harvard, NYU, Colgate, Haverford, Emory and WUSTL. </p>

<p>Also, consult Rugg's Recommendations.</p>

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<p>Here's the link on the 1997 Berkeley report:</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=167740%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=167740&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Thanks for the link. Haven't things on that report changed since 1997?
I would assume they have, hopefully an updated report is availiable somewhere.</p>

<p>I do find it slightly hard to believe that chicago has more grade inflation than colgate...</p>

<p>And I'm on the waitlist for UChicago, so I know how awesome they are :-)</p>

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<p>Chicago is an amazing campus; sounds like you'd go there if you got off the waitlist -- In the meantime, you need to visit both Wes & Colgate to see where you'd be most comfortable. Wes has reemphasized the sciences lately (to counter its "artsy" reputation) and Colgate's got a new state-of-the-art science building going up. If you're more liberal, Wesleyan would be your school; if you're athletic and outgoing, Colgate.</p>

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<p>LOL--That’s a 9 year old <em>very subjective</em> study, with no scientific basis, by the Berkley’s law school measuring how students ranked from various colleges according to how its students performed on the standardized law board exam, the LSAT, and the relation and difficulty of obtaining an A at various colleges and the corresponding relation to the aforementioned LSAT. </p>

<p>The study in no form rated, or even mentioned rating any depts. as part of their study at any college, nor was it intended to do so..</p>

<p>1st- A 9 year old study is of little if any value.</p>

<p>2nd- How did you extrapolate Colgate was one of the top 10 colleges in econ or had the best bio dept in the country from a Law school study and its relation to difficulty acquiring A’s and the relation to LSAT scores form data gleaned almost a decade ago?</p>

<p>{{It lends credence and veracity to comments about the bio program as well as the economics courses.}</p>

<p>Didn’t you think for moment something was amiss when colleges such as Bates. Harvard MIT, Williams, JH, Princeton Yale, Stanford ,Amherst ( which is the 9th top college for med school admits) et al put far more students in to the top Med, B and Law schools on a percentage base than almost any another U or college it the country, including Colgate but were scored lower on the bogus ranking. Any sane researcher would have discounted the entire study on that fact alone. There is no correlation to the difficulty receive an A with grad school admission success. Although, one caveat to that statement, Harvard students b/c of alleged grade inflation need a slightly bit higher gpa to stay competitive in ked school apps.</p>

<p>Just post a link regarding the econ and bio ranking by some reputable institution and all will be good</p>

<p>Or post the average MCAT or LSAT, GMAT scores of Colgate students. Be careful if you do. You may find the results disapoinining. </p>

<p>I’ve posted the med school admissions stats---which are recent, not 9 years old. Please show us which top med school Colgate placed students in their admitted classes</p>

<p>Would you like to look admit rate for the top at B and Law schools also? I should think not.</p>

<p>{Colgate's got a new state-of-the-art science building going up}} </p>

<p>So? It’s not completed or even near it. And when it is, it still doesn’t relate to how good the bio dept will be. Colgate still needs to attract the top professors and research funding. As of now, many colleges are far ahead in that dept.</p>

<p>Btw- If the bio dept is the best in the country, why is Colgate wasting millions on a new science building when they're #1?
Why not allocate the funds to depts. that need a boost?:)</p>

<p>I know you mean well CP, but if you really care about Colgate, don’t make a mockery out of the college and its academics by stretching stats that are of extreme suspect at best, and total BS at worst to suit your needs to make Colgate alums appear of higher value to grad schools than the colleges graduates in fact are in reality. </p>

<p>Not to many years ago Colgate was a safety to the safeties for Ivy applicants. </p>

<p>The college has made great strides in its academic reputation but old reps die hard. </p>

<p>The college didn’t do itself any favors by not recommending SAT subject test anymore after this year. As far I know, Colgate is the only top 40 LAC to do so. Hmmm, wonder why? Maybe their running out of students who can pay full ride, they give only 30% of the students aid, the lowest of any LAC. Could it be colgate needs to loosen up the app process to attract the wealthy kids who wouldn't apply otherwise because their Sat subject test are less than steller?</p>

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<p>More info to consider….“This is a great list. It's a brilliant idea to match standardized test scores with GPA data to obtain a college difficulty index. TOO BAD it hasn't been done with <em>GREs</em> and <em>MCATs</em> and that business test (GMATS???). Too bad it is just one school and not national data. This kind of information is very useful. Thanks!}}</p>

<p>******Additionally, Boalt *no longer8 uses this grid.</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=167740%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=167740&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>
[quote]
Could it be colgate needs to loosen up the app process to attract the wealthy kids who wouldn't apply otherwise because their Sat subject test are less than steller

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Huh? The SAT I scores keep inching up, and I suspect the SAT II's do too. "Wealthy" kids from private schools or wealthy public school districts don't have any problem on the SAT II front - SAT II's are easier to do well on for these kids - take the Chem SAT II after AP Chem or the US History one after AP US History - the SAT II's are really easy for these kids. I know plenty of kids who were tutored or took SAT prep classes for SAT I, but who took the SAT II's with no prep and easily racked up scores in the high 700's or 800. The colleges don't find these tests all that helpful in the admissions process.</p>

<p>In part I think Colgate did away with the req for SAT II's to broaden their admissions base to other areas of the country, particularly where the ACT is popular.</p>

<p>I think the more ridiculous approach by some colleges is to allow kids to specify which standardized tests will be looked at in admissions: SAT I, SAT II, some combo? That really skews results. My kid scored in the high 1400's on the SAT I, but at one LAC, his "standarized test" score would have been considered to be 1580 (his two highest SAT II's).</p>

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<p>Back to the original question: Wesleyan v. Colgate? They are both great schools, with very different personalities. If you can, visit both and see which one you feel more comfortable at. You'll get an excellent education at either one, and if you do well at either you'll do fine in graduate school admissions. You can get all caught up in rankings, etc., but the bottom line is that grad schools just care about how well you did in college.</p>

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<p>For a fuller and more complete picture of rodelesstraveled's views, go over the the Smith board where this particular road has not only been travelled before but has deep grooves and ruts in it.</p>

<p>Geez, guys, the question was about Colgate vs. Wes. Wouldn't you and collegeparent be happier and better off with a fantasy baseball team?</p>

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<p>{{In part I think Colgate did away with the req for SAT II's to broaden their admissions base to other areas of the country, particularly where the ACT is popular
No, you could always submit the ACT instead of the SAT s or Sat subject tests}}</p>

<p>They did away with the SAT subject tests the same time they made the application free.
It's a why to boost apps, b/c with the common app anyone can now submit a <em>Hail Mary</em> application and it won’t cost a dime. It will also allow a kid with high SATs to have a chance, and encourage them to apply, even though their Sat subject tests were horrible. </p>

<p>Believe it or not, there are many students who score in the mid 1400s (old test) but score only in the 600’s on the subject tests because they test an entirely different aspect of ones knowledge base.</p>

<p>At least Colgate didn’t make the SAT optional as some colleges have--e.g. Holyoke, Holy Cross et al, to boost their SAT averages /and/ increase applications. Obviously only the higher scoring apps will submit their scores, thus skewing the true SAT average or mid 50% range of the matriculating class. US News doesn’t account for the skewed number unfortunately..</p>

<p>{{I think the more ridiculous approach by some colleges is to allow kids to specify which standardized tests will be looked at in admissions: SAT I, SAT II, some combo}}</p>

<p>No kidding. Midd has always been notorious for playing with the numbers but now it’s getting ridiculous.</p>

<p>Another interesting fact is the SAT middle 50 % range Midd reported to US News is the <em>admitted</em> students, not the enrolled class. The students with the top SATs usually go to another college, e.g. William, Dartmouth etc.</p>

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<p>Mhc, I have ties to Colgate and love the college. I know students who are enrolled now, many alums are my friends, and it wouldn't surprised me in the slightest if my daughter attends Colgate in a few years.</p>

<p>I also have VERY close ties with Hamilton and Wes too. If you noticed, I didn’t say a word when Hamilton was presented in a less than favorable light compared to Colgate.... Why? --because some of what was said was true. That’s all I expect on these boards is fairness and that future students be informed of the facts.</p>

<p>Collegeparents statements were BS and you know it</p>

<p>I never said Wes was better than Colgate. As a matter of fact, I know the op who is trying to decide between Wes and Colgate personally and he can inform you I <em>never</em> disparaged Colgate in private conversations.
PM him and ask.</p>

<p>If you went back and read any of my previous comments, you’d have read I believe Colgate is equal to Cornell with regards to receiving a great Liberal Arts education.</p>