pianogurl45

I can't decide between these two schools. Any thoughts? Please help!

bestwhit

Wow I didn't think many people would be having trouble choosing between Hamilton and BC (like me) but I stand corrected!

I think it comes down to the kind of experience you want to have.

If you are into amazing sports, love being very close to a city, don't mind a religious affiliation (it's not that huge on campus anyways), and want both large and small classes for a mixed academic experience, BC would be great for you.

However, if you want more personal attention from the school, enjoy nature and living in a rural environment, want the freedom to take only the classes you want to take, and love quirky extra-curriculars that may or may not be found at most schools, Hamilton would be great for you.

As for me, I'm not that big into sports and I found BC to be a bit preppier than my style, plus I visited both and I fell in love with Hamilton (for a thousand different reasons). It all depends on who you are. Both are great schools.

Confused77

Hi bestwhit could you tell me why you love Hamilton...I don't have a chance to visit! I am especially worried about the dorms.

bestwhit

Oh god where do I start! I guess I'll go with the dorms because that's what you're worried about.

The dorms (and I saw quite a variety on my Residence Hall tour) are great! Great amounts of space, lots of options for students:
- freshmen can live in doubles, triples, or quads (upperclassmen can also live in singles)
- sub-free housing, quiet housing available
- dorms on both sides of the campus for freshmen (the older, more Ivy feeling north side and the newer, liberal feeling south side)
As well, none of the dorms are only freshmen - you will be meeting older students and making friends in all years.
There are two great dining halls and the food is absolutely incredible. I love Asian food and they have stir fry in McEwen and sushi (yes, everyday!) in Commons.
The academics there are superb. Hamilton provides fantastic facilities for their students, especially when you consider how much money they are spending per student for not just their classes, but for extra-curricular activity funding and such. I love the variety of activities, some of which I doubt I could find at any other school such as Hogwarts at Hamilton, a knitting club, multiple comedy troupes, multiple publications, and more. The campus is gorgeous and I can't even fathom how I'll react living there (everyday: "oh my god this place is so beautiful I can't believe I go here."). I'm into the arts and I am excited for all the options available, such as the Orchestra, the Oratorio, the Choir, and more.
A big plus for me (and I'd say 99.9% of the kids who attend Hamilton) is the lack of distribution requirements. There are no required classes (except some physical education classes, but they're a bunch to choose from and sound like a lot of fun) and you develop a bond with your academic adviser with whom you sculpt a plan for your education.
And one last thing... when I visited, it felt like home. The kids were so friendly and intelligent, interesting to talk to, and a lot of fun - I am excited to go to school with people like that. They are people I want to be friends with and that's a big difference between Hamilton and the other schools to which I was accepted.

Hope that helped! Ask more questions if you'd like.

Dodoro_Irene

bc is great.... at least i think....
but it all depends on yourself

bestwhit

Yeah I'm not trying to put down BC, sorry if it seems that way. I like BC, but not as much as I like Hamilton.

Confused77

I visited Colby and didn't like it which makes me kinda worried. I wish I could visit Hamilton, it sounds so great! What is your major?

bestwhit

Well I'm still a senior in high school but I'll probably major in biology.

staplesx123

freshmen can live in doubles, triples, or quads (upperclassmen can also live in singles)
^ i saw this on the website too but what do you mean by doubles, singles, etc.?
Singles = your own room in the dorm building?

"There are no required classes (except some physical education classes, but they're a bunch to choose from and sound like a lot of fun)"
aww shucks.
what kind of phys ed classes?

bestwhit

Singles = you and you alone! one bedroom!
Doubles = you and a room mate, one bedroom, use communal bathroom
Triples = you and two room mates, in one or maybe two rooms, usually use a communal bathroom
Quads = you and three room mates, in two bedrooms or one bedroom and one living area, usually comes with a bathroom too

Oh no the physical education classes are not like P.E. in lower/middle/high school. Some of the classes are aerobics, badminton, fitness, golf, jogging, lifeguard training, power walking, racquetball, scuba, skating, squash, swimming, tennis, toning and volleyball.

staplesx123

but do the dorms have air conditioning?
do the dorms actually even need it? I heard Hamilton gets like covered in insane amounts of snow?

also (sorry this is random) would you happen to know the deal with bathrooms/showers? is it different depending on whether you have a single, double, or triple?
cuz I've heard like horror stories (not about this college) where like everyone shares one bathroom and its really disgusting because no one ever cleans it.

???

bestwhit

Communal bathrooms cleaned every day. The quad bathrooms are cleaned once a week, but then again, only four people use them.
They don't need air conditioning, which is why I'm nearly positive they don't have air conditioning.

hudsonvalley51

The air-conditioning season in that part of New York State lasts from roughly July 4th to the 15th of August. You might get a short "heat wave" in early September but that's about it. You need to ask about the heating systems.

snowball

This weekend was a warm one at Hamilton; in the 80's the entire weekend! Usually this time of year the highs are in the 60's and the evening are in the 40's.

A few dorms do have AC, but most students depend on fans for the warmer days. On the other hand, the heat that runs through the dorms can choke you. I know many students leave their windows open year round just to be able to get some air.

The bathroom are kept clean, but can look bad over the weekends. Overall, I would say Hamilton does a good job of keeping the campus clean.