Confused77

Too scared to go east. Should I jsut stick with a state university? Could it be that bad?

thinker88

What's so scary about the East?

Yoopermom

Confused77, my son had exactly the same decision to make. In his case it was the University of Michigan honors program or Hamilton, which will be a long way from home in a very, very different environment. We visited Hamilton last week, and I couldn't have been more impressed. Everyone was friendly and the atmosphere seemed relaxing despite the fact that the end of the term is approaching.

My husband and I both teach at a regional state university and here's what impressed us about Hamilton:

--Student/facutly ration of 9 to 1

--All faculty have terminal degress and almost all are in full-time, regular positions (an increasing rarity nationwide.)

--NO graduate students teaching classes or taking up the majority of the faculty's time and energy.

--Very small classes and a collaborative, supportive environment for learning vs. a competitive one.

--Discussion-based classes.

-- A very strong, individualized advising system.

--No distribution requirements which means that you're never in a class full of people who don't want to be there.

--Many, many opportunities for student research. Our student tour guide told us how her roomate had her name on a peer-reviewed journal publication before she started her sophmore year

--A variety of lving situations and NO massive, brick box dorms

--Healthy food and a wide variety of it

--Lots of opporunities for various outdoor activities and sports of all kinds and at all levels from varsity to intramural to club.

--Their outdoor rec center which not only has equipment available for use, but also sponsors many trips throughout the year, including a choice of 27 Adirondack Adventure trips before the fall term starts.

--A very strong study abroad program

--A strong and active alumni network. In fact, Hamilton has the highest percentage of small, LAC alumni who donate in the country. That says a great deal about the school.

I'm sure there are things I've forgotten....

The most important thing is to visit if you haven't already done so. We almost didn't, and it would have been a huge mistake.

Good luck with your decision!

Confused77

It just doesn't feel right. But my chances at a good grad school are probably higher at a school in the east...who knows