mytra_ob_Crazier

i heard and read that students at Colgate are extremely preppy. That they are very mean, not friendly at all... people just stick to their social group and dont care abt meeting new people

i also heard that it's extremely hard for minority to fit in. The separations prevalent.... and that people who are nice and friendly at first later then become snobby as everyone else.. everyone hid under a certain etiquette rules.

is this true?? iam scared of the social environment at Colgate

go to students review and read negative comments about colgate..

i can;t sot the link here... it's like cc censored it or sth.. all that show up was *******

mytra_ob_Crazier

http://www.**************.com/NY/COU...e%20University

replace the **** with **************.. i cant post have no idea why

Sunny Down Snuff

I was there today. I would not consider it "preppy" but I suppose it depends on your point of view. Some students are, as anywhere. But that was not my impression. The student body is predominantly white, however, people of all ethnic backgrounds were interacting across the campus with no prejudices whatsoever. Keep in mind that the majority of students who attend Colgate are honors level kids. They are forward thinking and open minded. These are not people who crawled out of caves.

Now, having said that, understand that the cows outnumber the people in the surrounding towns. Hailing from Washington DC, you will find the remoteness of Colgate far more problematic than any falsely perceived preppiness.

mytra_ob_Crazier

oh hahah.. thanks for the tip.. i know hamilton is boring. however.... i think since msot ppl stay on campus.. it will be like a small town itself.. so no problem..

any one else on the preppy problems??

free

I'm an intl and im worried about that too..but while ive heard negative comments, ive heard loads of good things at the same time..so i'm all set to experience it all! Lets see how it goes

ticklemepink

There have been threads about this- go back a few pages to find your answers.

In sum, Colgate admissions choose students very carefully and they pretty much weed out the snobs who don't care about anything except themselves and social status. Kids do dress preppy but it's not a reflection of their behavior. They look for students who are open-minded, very active in the community/sports, and engaging with others.... so... you will find lots of very nice people who would be... surprised at mean talk. Any meaness you've heard on campus are rather very isolated. Generally when isolated situations flare up (like racism), the whole campus get pretty upset and go into dialogue talks for a while to assure that everyone's voices get heard that these are not appropriate behavior in a society.

Don't worry about it at all.

mytra_ob_Crazier

oh oh thanks so much... Do you go to colgate?

ticklemepink

No just an alum

1 Sky Pilot

The students seem very friendly (well at least the ones who volunteer in admissions office) but yeah, a bit preppy as far as that goes . Maybe a little too much for me. But in a local Colgate presentation in which a selection of current and graduated students were presented, I was VERY IMPRESSED with the alumni. Classy people, not only in their dress, but in manner, etc. . I'm still debating with myself over whether the legendary Colgate Connection is worth the cash and preppy atmosphere. I love the location though...the school appears to have a great relationship with the town, and the campus is.....breathtaking!

octhugg

I just got back from a visit to Colgate, and my biggest initial concern about attending was the preppiness. Although the girl I stayed with was an ultra-prep, most of the kids I met were pretty down to earth. I think a lot of kids are going this year who are worried about the preppiness...

I think if we all keep an open mind and meet lots of different people, avoiding the prep scene shouldn't be too difficult.

oldfort

I was there 25+years ago. I didn't know preppy until I got to Colgate. I was one of very few Asians there. I knew almost everyone. I was able to go to any frat party and have a good time. What I got out of Colgate was a lot more than what I learned in classrooms. As an alum I will always respond to any student from Colgate. Students I have met are very smart and very put together. I will take preppy over grunge (spl?) anyday.

HonestDescendent

Significant lack of diversity in the student body: The administration is highly aware of this issue and working hard to improve the situation. Still, there are a lot of cliques and a limited number of social activities.
There is also a drinking issue on campus. During the visit we were verbally accosted by two different groups of obnoxious male students, several of whom were clearly inebriated. This was in the early afternoon. Living in an isolated village setting with an apparent scarcity of activities seems to be a significant problem including boredom and alcohol consumption.
Preppy: perhaps, definitely dominated socially by East Coast students (go figure). You gotta go and see if you fit in. And don't just talk with the people provided by admissions. Talk with students in the various eateries and just ask someone if they would answer a few questions. You will get a good idea of "fit" pretty quickly.

ticklemepink

Uhhh did you just get back today? There was a reason for a little excessive drinking this week... leading up to our notorious Spring Party Weekend.

So I wouldn't be surprised if a few obnoxious students came along your way. Heck, it happens ANYWHERE.

lydia08

Yeah, SPW is a once-a-year event, and visiting within... 3 days before and 1 or 2 after it is not the best way to get an impression of Colgate...

HonestDescendent

Ticklemepink, These students were not just obnoxious, a few of them drunk, into the Spring flling thing...each group had several individuals who went out of their way to challenge the visiting students and family members verbally and in one case yelled 'don't come to Colgate'. Go ahead and defend the alcohol abuse (in your case the rationale seems to be tradition). That is what all too many people do in the face of alcohol abuse and social pressures to drink. But think of it this way...several students will not be coming to Colgate in part because of the message such drunken behavior imparts to visitors. It is not simply the drinking, which does go on at most colleges and universities. It is the utter boorishness exhibited by these students. Go ahead and fall down drunk and be some body...if that is what you think is real.