Hi, I’ve been accepted to UCSD and Colgate University, and am currently deciding between the two. I got into UCSD’s Marshall College majoring Anthropology with Concentration in Sociocultural Anthropology and just Anthropology at Colgate University. I am most definitely planning on attending grad school and maybe even work towards a PhD, just not sure whether it’ll be in the United States or another country (shoutout Trump’s budget cuts). I’ve toured UCSD and doesn’t feel strongly regarding the campus and location, except that it may have been a bit too big for my liking since I am quite an introverted person. It’s staff to student ratio is also a bit too high for my liking, and I’m worried about the potential allocation of resources/opportunities to students compared to a liberal arts college like Colgate. However, Colgate (at least on Google Maps), seem to be in the middle of nowhere as a college town separate from human civilization. I am definitely planning to tour it, this is just my thoughts for now. I’m scared that it may be too remote to live a fulfilling college life and have access to internships. Additionally, UCSD has a better brand name compared to Colgate, which I wonder if it plays a big role into grad school admissions and eventual career options (esp. considering international routes). I don’t have strong preferences in the weather or campus culture, but I am a bit concerned about Colgate’s diversity. I am East Asian, and Asians only make up around 5% of Colgate’s student demographics while it makes up 38% of UCSD’s demographics. Will the experience differ significantly for me at Colgate University compared to what has been advertised online, and overall what will be the better choice (excluding financial considerations for now)?
although i don’t go to colgate, i attend a school similar (colby college). you have two vastly different (and great) options. my first piece of advice is to tour colgate and learn about all of its resources. at colby, for example, we have a diversity center where kids who come from different cultural backgrounds can congregate, host events, etc. although it is a pwi, diversity is still very present on campus (if that makes any sense), and i wonder if colgate has something similar. the isolation is the major factor for many people when choosing colgate it seems, so i would try to connect with current students and gather their opinions. for your intended major, i feel like the liberal arts education would be best, which leads me to lean towards saying that colgate is better for what you want academically. overall, this decision really depends on you and how you feel towards the two schools. both perfectly great options, it just depends on what you are looking for in a school.
Two fantastic acceptances!
Make sure you tour Colgate before making any decisions. These are very different schools, and you can get an outstanding education at each. I disagree that UCSD’s “brand” is superior to Colgate’s – they’re just very different schools, both with outstanding reputations. As a university in the UC system, UCSD is surely known by more people. But as a top LAC that draws nationally, the people who need to know Colgate’s name (future grad/professional schools and employers) will know.
My husband’s family is a multi-generational Colgate family (he didn’t go there, but his father and sister did, and now our niece is there and is very happy). So I feel like I know it well. It’s an excellent school that offers outstanding opportunities – but you just need to know what’s most important to you. Does the size of the school matter? Are the principles of a liberal arts education important to you? Does weather matter? Does access to a major metropolitan area (or airport) matter? Think about the social scene – especially how you feel about Greek life. Both schools have it, but at UCSD, there are probably more social niches that are independent of the Greek scene. At Colgate, about 1/3 of students (I think?) join a frat or sorority, and I get the sense that the houses dominate the social life somewhat more. So you’ll want to ask about social outlets that don’t revolve around that scene (look at clubs and other organizations). You mentioned diversity – you’ll want to get a feel for the vibe and support for diversity at each school. At Colgate, ask how easy it is for students to venture off campus. I’ve visited the campus, and it is definitely separated from the small towns in there area. But when you’re on a campus like that, the campus itself tends to become your community (and you make friends with students who have cars). So ask students how often they choose to leave campus and venture out. Are there any clubs that would provide opportunities to explore off-campus?
Good luck! The good thing is that once you’ve visited both, one should pull ahead in your mind, just because the contrast is so significant.
When deciding between such different schools, the question is very much about fit. So make sure you’ve visited both before making a decision.
- Colgate’s brand name is not less than UCSD. I’d argue it’s stronger in fact because on a national basis, only two UCs have brand strength whereas Colgate is elite. UCs have system and US News rank strength - but not brand strength per se - although both measure well with other colleges (thinking PhD).
2.PhD strength- UCSD is #38, 5th amongst UCs after UCB, UCLA, UCSB, and UCSC. Neither school is in the top 50 per capita. That doesn’t mean neither will get you to PhD.
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Yes UCSD is larger and closer to society and will have a higher Asian population.
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Other differences are UCSD has a residential college system, UCSD will have the nicest weather in the country where Winter will be cold at Colgate, and UCSD is on quarters so faster paced where Colgate is on semesters.
Are both affordable ?
In some ways, I’m confused how a student would have these as a final two. There are no or little commonalities - so one will definitely stand out to you vs the other.
One is massive/large and by an ocean/beach. One is small, really in the middle of nowhere but not horribly far from a small city.
Good luck.
Congrats! Two amazing choices.
When you visit Colgate you’ll realize just how different your options are in so many ways. Both are excellent schools and I don’t think that one has a superior reputation than the other unless you get really specific in some STEM fields (e.g. engineering, CS) where a research schools becomes beneficial. My son goes to Colgate and he’s a CA kid. It’s been a great, but sometimes uncomfortable, experience going to such a small school so far from home…it’s also really freaking cold for about 4 - 5 months in case that’s a consideration. His first few months were an adjustment as he was working to find his people…it eventually happened and he built a really nice group of friends but it was likely the first time where he had that struggle for a kid that has been surrounded by a community of friends (mostly through sports) since he was in grade school. His sophomore year has been much more social (yes, he did join a social fraternity) - it’s fairly common at Colgate although plenty of kids do not go Greek and have a great experience at Colgate but it’s definitely more Greek than UCSD…which has a Greek system but it’s not large.
One thing that has been consistent is that the education at Colgate has been really excellent. His classes are small…like 15 to 40 students small. The class discussions are really personal and engaging and he gets to know his professors personally. The campus is beautiful and the little town is really cute but there’s not much to (2-3 blocks of shops, restaurants, cafes, bars).
UCSD is a great school in a great town (and you’ll get to wear shorts about 8/9ths of the year). It is so much bigger and bigger feeling that Colgate and will also be more diverse in the character and nationality of students largely due to the more diverse nature of CA state and the kids that apply and/or self-select to the schools.
In both schools you’ll need to put yourself out there and “be a joiner” and put yourself likely a little out of your introvert comfort zone to create a community through clubs, dorm events, etc.
Unless the sole criterion is size, this, in my opinion, might represent an inversion, at least to the extent that Colgate’s relevance to collegiate culture, national reach, student profile and 14% acceptance rate reflect its brand name and desirability.
Beyond its quaint village of Hamilton, Colgate resides in an authentically rural region of New York State.
I am very familiar with UCSD and my D24 and I toured Colgate. Both colleges are polar opposites. If you are not from SoCal and are not as familiar with the area or the UC system, all the UCs are fairly large schools with just around 30,000 students. This does not include grad students. The class sizes for lower division classes can be in the hundreds. Early on, you will likely not know, meet, or speak to your professors and likely will have more interaction with your TAs. However, your major sounds like it will not be overly impacted. I don’t think I knew an Anthro major when I attended the school, so your upper division classes may be much smaller, maybe 30-50 students. Maybe less. The campus is very large, too. A lot of walking. There is a shuttle and also a new tram that does take students around campus but also into downtown San Diego. La Jolla/University City is a nice city. The campus is walking distance to the Black’s Beach. There’s all kinds of things to do in San Diego. There’s good food on Conoy where there’s Asian restaurants all over the place. There’s bars and restaurants all over the city. LA and Orange are only 90-120 minutes away. Mexico is 30-45 minutes away. The weather is perfect. And you will feel at home being Asian since half the school is Asian. The school is a very good school and has a good reputation on the West Coast. It is only 65 years old so its reputation is growing. Although people consider it a STEM school, its social science programs and international studies program is phenomenal. Probably does not carry as much weight on the East Coast, though. UCSD has a reputation as being “socially dead” but I found it to be just right for me and so did many family and friends who attended. You will find your friends and people. The only complaint I have with the school is that there’s so much construction which makes us old timers sad to see the school change so much. It’s completely different in what it looks like since the 1990s. The school is pretty competitive as well, but I didn’t see it as being cut throat.
As for Colgate, it is in the middle of know where as compared to UCSD. It took me about 3 hours to drive out to Hamilton and Colgate from Williams where we toured and Williams is in the middle of know where itself. It’s about an hour from Syracuse which is how we flew out. Colgate is pretty, and there is a pretty big hill to climb or drive to get to campus. The dorms did not look all that great but the classrooms looked remodeled for the most part. I know the area gets very cold and snows in the winter. It would seem to be a school where you would likely just stay on campus for the most part unless it’s a long weekend or spring break. I don’t recall seeing many Asians and I would not be surprised if it’s only 5%. Personally, being from the West Coast and Asian, although I’d get used to it, I would probably feel much more comfortable at a UC School. But that’s just me. I would feel like I would have more in common with the students at UCSD than Colgate which does have a frat type of vibe. Colgate probably has a strong East Coast connection and I know that the alumni is strong unlike UCSD (except for the recent success of the men’s and women’s basketball teams). If you like sports, UCSD may have a slight edge but not much. Neither school is known for their sports programs (at least in terms of football, basketball, or baseball). The school definitely had the typical LAC feel to it.
Overall, I don’t think academically one school is necessarily stronger than the other. I would guess that if I was going into Anthropology, I’d probably choose Colgate since you would get a more hands on smaller school camaraderie although UCSD may be able to offer more opportunities since it is a larger school. However, if you want to live in an area that has great weather, good food, and where you might actually feel culturally more comfortable, UCSD may be a better fit. Depends on what you are looking for.
Good luck!
In terms of potential areas of caution, UCSD appears in this Princeton Review site, “Professors Get Low Marks”:
And Colgate appears in two sites on high alcohol consumption:
Like all of the UC schools, with the lone outlier being Merced, these schools are large research universities that have 300-400 students in the lower division classes with little professor interaction outside of the professor lecturing to the entire class. I experienced little to no connection with my professors except possibly some interaction with a grad student that had recently completed his dissertation that taught one of my upper division classes. However, if you desire to work with one of the professors which may be competitive depending on and considering the number of students in your department, you can and will form much closer bonds. I would take the professor ratings with a grain of salt. Going to a larger school offers you an opportunity to select better professors as long as there are multiple sections or classes where as at smaller colleges there are no choices and you get who you get, the one person who teaches that one class. Of course at an LAC, there’s much more teaching involved with the professors. My S20 graduated from an LAC of 3500 students and he did get to know his professors and they him. Some good teachers others not as good. But he had little choice as to what classes were offered. Very good experience for him and he would not change it. He was involved in 4-5 different clubs and organizations with leadership positions without any problem.
D24 goes to a UC and has the opposite experience. Huge classes with little professor involvement. But the classes get smaller as you take upper division classes and may be 30-50 students per class. She has to apply or try out for many of her clubs and many “cut” or reject. However, the social clubs tend to be open to all while the professional ones are competitive. She would not change her experience so far.
Both had and have many pros and a few cons with their schools. But neither would change their experiences yet. They made the most and are making the most of their opportunities whether big or small, out of state or in state, flagship or LAC.
I would consider fit to be very important and if you have not, you should visit the schools. If possible, which is probably not, I would visit the schools during the most typical time frame whether it’s during mid-terms, in the middle of winter, where the rubber meets the road. Unfortunately, spring break isn’t it for either schools. Colgate will likely have great weather and you may not see students milling about. UCSD will be empty and peaceful rather than bustling with thousands of stressed out students packing the library or going from class to class.
Maybe one thought is to go from a Colgate undergrad to a UCSD-like graduate program? Something to think about.
Again, good luck!
What are the financial considerations?
I.e. net price at each and what your parents will contribute. Or just that your parents said that both are comfortably affordable.
How friendly is the surrounding area to people who are of visible minority groups like the OP?
While interpreting aspects such as this on the behalf of another can be challenging, I wouldn’t be surprised if the OP encountered zero levels of ethnicity-based social discrimination in Hamilton or Hamilton’s surrounding area.
Thank you for the feedback! 
for sure! i’m a bit biased as i love the liberal arts education system haha. please let us know what you decide! i’m sure you’ll do great no matter where you end up.