colinization

So, I appreciate the difficulty in generalizing 2,500 people, but can you give me a sense of what kind of kid goes to Colgate? My impression is this: wealthy white kids from a New England prep school who are pretty good students, fairly laid back, into drinking/having a good time, fairly outdoorsy, and moderately conservative (more fiscally than socially). Is this true? Any input?

lydia08

That's the stereotype many have of Colgate, but in my experience, there is no one type of student. There's preppy kids, eccentric art students, theater kids, athletes, hippies, hipsters, liberals, conservatives, international students , students from 48 states and plenty of plain old "normal" people. The only thing that everyone really has in common is that they're all smart and all active on campus, whether it's in the radio station, college democrats or republicans, student government, french club, geology club, intercollegiate or intramural sports, greek life, or the gaming club. Pretty much anyone would be able to find like-minded individuals, though it may not always be apparent on the surface from a campus tour.

The "preppy" stereotype comes from the fact that guys in pink pants tend to stick out, and there's probably a few more at Colgate than in the general population. The "conservative" thing is mostly in contrast to other schools that are particularly liberal - in my experience people tend to be moderate to liberal, which is supported by some basic facebook research (way more very liberal/liberal students than very conservative/conservative). Though Colgate's racial diversity doesn't match the general population, it's been increasing significantly each year.

The "conservative, white and preppy" stereotype makes me sad because though there may be a slightly higher percentage of that group, there's so many other people with such varied personalities and interests, and the stereotype can drive away students that would only make things more diverse.

poss791

I go to a very preppy high school, and I have friends who go to Colgate. When I asked them what it's like, they said "it's just like our high school if everyone wanted to be friends with each other."
Then again, my school was very mean and judgemental to the extreme....

starbucks08

Can an artsy, avant-garde, strange-dressing weirdo(very Vassar and Wesleyan feel student) survive at Colgate?

Kate@Gate13

I think Lydia's comments are right on. the only thing I'd add is what I heard the Dean of Admissions say the other day which I think captures it pretty well: "we want kids who will be sorely missed at their high schools". I think academically and extra-curricular wise this is a good way to explain the type of kids who go to 'gate.

starbucks08 - i definitely think so; it depends more on their sense of self than on others, right? In terms of numbers, Colgate does not have a large "goth" crowd, but definitely artsy-funky-fun dressed students...

ticklemepink

LOL Kate, that's fantastic. It sounds like something that the Dean would say!!!

It's amazing what he says about Colgate really, really defines his vision of admitted students and if you listen to him long enough, you realize why you were accepted in the first place. Unfortunately, it's up to us to get his words out in the public so these potential applicants know what they're in for when applying to a place like Colgate.

jeb1291

what about the town? Hamilton, really? sounds awfully dull. is it anything close to a college town?

ticklemepink

If you mean like Ithaca or Ann Arbor or Madison, then no. People go to Syracuse when they want "real" entertainment but we bring in SO much from the outside that Hamilton is really its true self during the day but on Friday and Saturday nights, it can turn into a funky town with music blaring from the bars, pizza being handed out, and students congregating and laughing. What makes Hamilton different and why Colgate students come to love is that it fosters more interpersonal connection, very little randomness going on. It's what small town colleges do- integrate the college students with the town residents to create a sense of community.

So if you like running into random people ALL the time, not just one year, and not want to connect with the locals, then Hamilton isn't for you.

morrismm

absolutely---Colgate!