Son and I visited Hamilton on Monday. He had visited already with dad last year so this year he did an interview. I honestly can’t think of any drawbacks that were apparent. Except maybe the weather.
We was fortunate to meet with a professor that I took a class with almost thrity years ago (!) at Smith. He was a recent PhD at the time, and went on to teach at Mt Holyoke and Amherst, winding up with tenure at Hamilton. His perceptions are that the school has always been strong, but that it is on the rise. It is positioned to guarantee more growth, more diversity, more faculty, etc, etc. Alums are loyal and generous and the sense of community is real. A quick look at the faculty in various depts shows that they come from the ranks of other highly regarded institutions. Like this professor, they are there because they are committed to the liberal-arts-in-a-small-setting schools.
Amtrak runs to Utica and there is a jitney. If I am not mistaken the campus also provides bus service at break to NYC and Boston. Clinton is small but picturesque and the campus is active with lots of activities.
Students seemed to mix well ( athletes, hipsters, etc). Food was great. Arts facility is great. I can’t speak to STEM but that is son’s area. They do have a 2-1-1-1 with Thayer for engineering, and someone once got nominated at least in STEM for a Nobel. They get Natl Science Foundation grants. Getting off campus for junior year or at some point would probably be a good strategy.