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!

kingkouture

I actually visited these three schools on one East Coast trip, and after visiting Hamilton I chose to do Early Decision. To me, the atmosphere was much more laid back, and being from the West Coast that was really important for me.

Obviously Colgate is DI, whereas Hamilton laughs at how bad their football team is, so there's a rift there. From your screen name, I'm assuming that sports are relatively important to you. I'm pretty sure Bucknell is DIII along with Hamilton, but I couldn't tell you anything vis-à-vis sports there.

I'd say these three schools are right on the same tier academically-- they're all highly selective (I'm pretty sure their admissions rates are all under 30%). I've heard that academics, generally speaking, are much more competitive at Colgate and Bucknell than at Hamilton.

sportsboy821

Thanks for your response. So what made Hamilton stand out to you. What was it about the atmosphere that differed from Colgate and Bucknell. Also, it doesn't really matter whether the school is DI or DIII since I only want to play on a club team. And could you also explain what you mean when you said Colgate and Bucknell are academically more competitive than Hamilton because from what I've been told they all rank within the top 30 liberal arts school, but if Hamilton isn't academically a top school then maybe that made my decision easier. And lastly, were there any other differences you found among the schools that could possibly influence one's decision? Thanks so much for your help.

MADad

Bucknell is D1, Patriot League, same conference as Colgate.

mnozzi

I think it is the difference between collaborative learning and competitive learning. Less competition and more sharing of info at Hamilton. Hamilton and Colgate are rated 'slightly' higher than Bucknell by USNWR.

Don't know much about Colgate but I think Hamilton is much more friendly and a lot less status conscious than Bucknell.

Bucknell is almost twice the size (undergraduate) of Hamilton plus some additional grad students. Bucknell is 50%+ Greek, Hamilton probably less than 25%. Hamilton does not have grad students and is strictly Liberal Arts. Bucknell has both an engineering and business school.

Most of the people who attend Bucknell are from the mid-Atlantic states whereas most of the students at Hamilton are from the northeast.

Both are very strong academically but the campuses have a much different feel. IMHO competition is much more fierce at Bucknell and you notice it the moment you step on campus. If you thrive in this type of environment then it's Bucknell for you.

lacigam04

Hamilton and Colgate are both ranked #17. Bucknell is 30-something.

What sold me on Hamilton was the friendly and funny people. They weren't cut-throat like I saw at other colleges. I also loved the open-curriculum and the beautiful facilities.

Academically, there is almost no difference between any top-tier school. You really need to visit Hamilton, Colgate, and Bucknell to see which social atmosphere feels right and which school has your major.

kingkouture

I agree with both mnozzi and lacigam. By saying that Bucknell and Colgate were more academically competitive, I was referring to the academic atmosphere on campus rather than admissions. Hamilton did not seem like the kind of place where you were competing for an A, but rather a place where you work with fellow classmates to do well.

I sat in on classes at all three schools (all an intro art history course), and Hamilton's was by far superior. Not only was it half the size of the other classes (at about 12 students); it was also very discussion oriented. The entire class seemed like an ongoing dialogue between students with the professor there to guide the conversation. In addition, I would say that Hamilton's course seemed much more rigorous yet simultaneously much more interesting than those at the other schools. On the walk back to my friend's res, the discussion continued.

The people at Hamilton are probably the best attribute to the school, although the aforementioned facilities and beautiful landscape add to its allure. Everybody was incredibly friendly, funny (often downright hilarious), and just laid back in general. Being from the West Coast, I was able to key in on the more casual atmosphere immediately, and it really appealed to me. "Cutthroat" seems like the perfect adjective to describe the kids at Colgate and Bucknell in comparison.

I'm probably a bit biased, having applied Early Decision and already matriculated, but I would highly recommend Hamilton over the other schools. I want to try out crew in college, and the club/intramural atmosphere seemed really chill and fun at Ham. If you're not looking to do varsity sports but rather go club or intramural, I increasingly recommend Hamilton. Good luck with your search, and please don't hesitate to message me for anything!

dawglb

Hmmmm...
I have been to... and know students at all three schools, and I would say that all three have a very friendly atmosphere. And all three seem not to be grade competitive… but grade collaborative.

mnozzi has it pretty spot on. The one thing I would note, is that these schools all “feel” a little different when visiting.

Plain and simple, you need visit all three places. Each will give you a great education (Do check out specific majors). For me, this would be much more about feel.

colberTreporT

I have three questions for comparison between Bucknell and Hamilton (I didn't even apply to Colgate):
1. Which school is stronger in economics?
2. Which is stronger in pure math?
3. Which school sends the most students to grad school?


And then I have a question for just Hamilton: are there other extremely unathletic, uncoordinated students at Hamilton whom are pure nerds from families of lower middle-class status that just like to study, study, and then study some more, but not in a mean, cut-throat manner? -->I know, that was a very poorly worded, runon question, but I don't think I got accepted to Hamilton because of my SAT critical reading score, lol!

gellino

I have heard that the atmosphere of Colgate and Hamilton are pretty different despite being so seemingly similar; however, in no way would I say the environment at Colgate is at all 'cutthroat'. I don't know where you're getting that from, but I have never heard or seen that to be true and think that Colgate is generally thought of as laid back in comparison to Dartmouth/Cornell type of schools. One way that Hamilton and Colgate are different is that much closer to 50% of the class at Hamilton are coming from private high schools than there are at Colgate.