sportsboy821

I am wondering if anybody can compare and contrast these three schools. Also, if you've been to any of these, I would love to hear about your experience. I'm trying to decide which one of these schools to attend but it is very difficult to decide since I seem to like all of them. Any advice or information that could help me decide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

CK2308

i dont know much about hamilton but i am also trying to decide between colgate and bucknell. (im already into colgate but havent heard from bucknell yet). when i visited bucknell i LOVED it so much! the campus is gorgeous and everything, but then again, so is colgate. i need some help comparing them also lol!

GateNY09

Here is my take, from visiting the three schools [and applying to all of them]. I am a current student at Colgate, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Bucknell: A beautiful campus in a bit more moderate climate than Colgate or Hamilton, although the difference is arguably negligible. The school is larger than Colgate or Hamilton, but I am not sure it is bigger enough to make it feel that much different [especially in comparison to Colgate]. I think the biggest difference between the 3 schools are the demographics of each. Bucknell's population is less geographically diverse than Colgate, has a lower proportion of kids from boarding/private day schools and doesn't come with the same rich kid image that Colgate or Hamilton does [although it certainly isn't exempt from the stereotype]. I am not a proponent of stereotyping the student bodies of any campus, but there is often a reason these stereotypes exist. Bucknell's engineering program is certainly a benefit if you are looking for that, but also means that the school's sole focus is not on liberal arts.

Hamilton: The student body at Hamilton is far and away the smallest of any of these schools - almost 1600 students less than Bucknell, certainly enough to make a difference. My biggest complaint about Hamilton is that half of the campus if beautiful while the other half [the former Kirkland College] lacks to same appeal that Colgate or Bucknells campuses have. The school shares an almost identical socioeconomic profile with Colgate, although I believe it is a tad less geographically diverse [from what I know]. The school has been consistently tied with Colgate on the US News and World Report list [not that I am suggesting you should put faith in that report].

Colgate: I think Colgate is the prettiest of the campus [the architecture is consistent] and with some of the new facilities on campus offers some incredible opportunities. Colgate and Bucknell both have DI athletic programs which is certainly great in a lot of ways. Hamilton, however, is the only one of these schools not to have a greek like whereas both Colgate and Bucknell do. I think that you could easily make the case that Colgate is the most regarded of the three schools - I can't tell you how often I have met people who will just rave about Colgate [only from what they have heard]. Colgate is also more conservative than Hamilton, but not so much so that it really makes a difference. The work hard-play hard mentality at Colgate is something we embrace and are probably too proud of.

At any of these schools you are going to have the advantage of small classes and professors that care - just go where you feel is best for you. If you are worried about prestige and stuff like that, Colgate is certainly very well regarded.

theplace

Great overview Gate NY09. Assuming I get into Colgate & Bucknell, I want to do an overnight to get a real feel for the differences. Do you have any advice on when to go, what to definitely include and who to stay with? I don't know anyone from either school, but may be a walk-on swimmer. Do you think it would be wise to ask to be hooked up with a swimmer so I can get a real flavor for life at both schools?

CK2308

there are "april visit days" at colgate offered for accepted students..its an overnight program..so when you are accepted you will be notified of those (they are mid-april)

GateNY09

I would definitely recommend staying overnight at both schools - I think it is best to go during their accepted students programs as opposed to on your own during the year. Both schools are great, but a visit to any campus on a random night of the week with someone you don't know can be pretty awkward and give you a bad taste of the school [no matter what campus you're talking about]. During an accepted students program, the school does its best to show you what's offered and plus there are many other accepted students there and so you have plenty of people to hang out with, etc.

I would definitely email/call admissions about being set up with a swimmer - it couldn't hurt to talk to someone. Both Colgate and Bucknell have great swimming programs, so you can't go wrong there.

I wish you all the best - if you want to talk more about Colgate, send me a message and I can answer anything else you want.



Cheers

gellino

I would generally agree with GateNY, although the student profile of Colgate (66% from public school) is on the margin closer to Bucknell (69%) than it is to Hamilton (60%). I have met a lot more people in Wall Street jobs from Colgate than Hamilton or Bucknell for what that's worth, so part of it would depend on what you're looking to do.

When did Hamilton get rid of fraternities? Last I knew, they still had them.

otis

I have visited all three schools and in my opinion Colgate is superior to Hamilton & Bucknell.

I was not impressed by Bucknell. I found the campus to have older buildings and the Bucknell students were unfriendly.

In my opinion the Bucknell campus lacks the level of personality which the other schools enjoy.

GateNY09

I couldn't find info on fraternities at Hamilton - from talking to my friends who are students at Hamilton, I am pretty sure that there are no official greek organizations on campus.

Gellino - I am surprised to hear that Bucknell's profile was 69% from public school. Were those figures based on enrollment or admitted?

gellino

^Enrolled, according to princetonreview.

Papa Chicken

some demographics...source US News online subscription, derived from Common Data Sets which are now about 2 years old. The entire undergrad enrollment is measured.

Ethnic Diversity
School / White% / Minority% / International%
Bucknell / 83 / 15 / 3
Colgate / 79 / 17 / 5
Hamilton / 79 / 16 / 5

Economic Diversity (at least an indicator)
School / Pell Grant%
Bucknell / 9
Colgate / 9
Hamilton / 11

Religious Preference
School / % claiming no religious preference
Bucknell / 34
Colgate / 46
Hamilton / 26

Geographic Diversity Indicator
School / Out of state%
Bucknell / 73
Colgate / 69
Hamilton / 65

I am sure there is some movement/diversity improvement in these numbers, as for example, Colgate reports that their incoming class of 2011 contains 23.8% "multicultural students" (not sure if what they are measuring here lines up precisely with the US News & CDS buckets, a significant difference than the 17& reported above), 5% international (same as above), and 73% out of state (vs 69% above). Colgate: Profile of Class of 2011

tennismom02

It's interesting how opinions differ for each student on campus visits. My daughter visited 8 schools and of the 8, she found the students at Bucknell most friendly... 2nd only to Washington and Lee where the campus practices the southern "speaking tradition". Bucknell's campus was by far the most beautiful and inviting to her. She also preferred the slightly larger size. It is really important for you to visit to gain your own sense of where you feel most comfortable.

MADad

D applied to both Colgate and Bucknell. Both offered need-based aid, but Colgate offered about 13K more! Same FAFSA/CSS, different interpretation, I guess.

GateNY09

Colgate is known to give larger packages than its peer schools - unfortunately we also give fewer packages than most of our peer schools.

Multi-cultural students are students of color and international [whether or not they are white]. Interesting data on the out of state numbers, I am surprised Colgate is only at 69% - then again with the size of New York's college population, this number makes sense. I think it is telling that California and Colorado are on the list of top 10 states represented at Colgate [Cali is often #5].

neuroticparent

Is the student body at all three of these schools relatively conservative, or is that an unfair stereotype?