RockyMountains

Any thoughts?

rachel212

colgate :P

RockyMountains

Why do you say Colgate?

imwithyouguysdogsaregreat

hamilton! i hear its less jock-oriented. colgate worries me a wee bit because such a huge percentage of the students are athletes.

existentialpony

Colgate has a lot more spirit and prestige if you ask me.

SP135

I like both schools but I don't think Colgate has more prestige. Depends on who you talk to. Some people say it is a jock school and prefer Hamilton for its academics much more. People usually feel strongly one way or the other. Did you visit both? I think both have great reputations but are different from one another.

jrpar

Hamilton is pretty sports-oriented - it's a smaller school, and a lot of kids are on sports teams.

You should visit both and see which one you prefer.

hshtein

hamilton if you're into conservative religious students

mhc48

They're ranked pretty close, Hamilton is smaller and is D3 vs. D1

But from all I have heard the ethos at the two are very different. Visit and see which you feel more at home in.

curmudgeon

Have y'all actually visited both? LOL The similarities are much more prevalent than the differences IMO. The differences are a matter of degree.

Colgate is friendlier feeling but Hamilton is friendly. Hamilton is quirkier but Colgate has some quirky people. More artsy intellectual types at Hamilton. More preps at Colgate.

Both are excellent schools. Both have very loyal followings. Both appear to have an abundance of spendable cash as their facilities are top notch and getting better. Colgate is substantially larger but Hamilton is larger than many LAC's. Both have large campuses in cute small towns. Both are expensive to get to and from. Colgate is more well known outside of NY and New England. Both were very generous with aid to my D. Both campuses are beautiful and well maintained.

Both are on my kid's short list. I would be very happy with either if they end up her final choice. Good luck.

kingsleyzissou

If for nothing else, Colgate has more prestige because it's more widely-known than Hamilton. Hamilton also has an inferiority complex in relation to Colgate, and I have heard that whenever a Hamilton student group wants money, all they have to do is say that Colgate has something similar. It's also known for being a lot more boring than Colgate. If you feel you don't really fit a mold, you are better off at Colgate because there will be at least a greater number of different people than at Hamilton, but then again you'll be pretty likely to consider transferring someplace bigger if you consider that an issue.

acceptance

how about middlebury and colgate?

jnm6297

my friend's mother had to choose between middlebury and colgate, and she chose middlebury and fell in love with it.

that was also a good 30ish years ago.

SP135

I thought that Colgate was more isolated than Hamilton and there is heavier drinking. I believe four people died on their campus a few years back from an alcohol related accident. As far as academics is concerned Hamilton and Colgate are rated the same in the last US News etc I saw. Don't get me wrong I like both places but don't feel Colgate is superior to Hamilton, just different.

SP135

How about Bowdoin v. Colgate. Any thoughts there? By the way I like Colgate a lot in case that wasn't clear.