@Mwfan1921 I think a good bit of the differential lies in Hamiltons location. If you are looking at LAC’s it’s kind of a rite of passage to do the Maine schools tour, and if you are going up there you might as well do all 3. If you have a liberal mindset then Colgate is probably not a must-see, leaving Hamilton as a long trek out from anywhere to see one school.
I also think Colby has more admissions associates that travel afar and talk about the school, and more PR in general - I have heard of several who applied having never seen the school but heard about it. I do not hear of Hamilton having that level of outreach nationwide. Simply put, Colby is a more recognizable name. D goes to Hamilton, and when I tell someone where she goes and they are stumped an easy out for me is to say “it’s kind of like Colby” and that gives them a frame of reference (although I personally do not think Hamilton is like Colby at all!).