Hamilton or Wesleyan?

[Anonymous]

Wesleyan is still considered more prestigious, that doesn’t mean that schools like Hamilton and Colgate are also very good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan is still considered more prestigious, that doesn’t mean that schools like Hamilton and Colgate are also very good.

Aren’t also considered very good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan is still considered more prestigious, that doesn’t mean that schools like Hamilton and Colgate are also very good.

Aren’t also considered very good.

Ah whatever you say...

[Anonymous]

OP: Wes definitely was more prestigious but is it now? Doesn’t it seem tainted as a school that has declined whereas Hamilton has risen?

[Anonymous]

Go with the better fit. They will both provide outstanding education for a hardworking student.

[Anonymous]

Wes has larger total endowment but Hamilton is is much larger per student . Either school is an excellent choice.

[Anonymous]

Wes is "needs aware" and Hamilton is "needs blind" if that makes any difference or means anything...

[Anonymous]

curious by what metric or rating?


People who grew up in the NE and mid Atlantic going to top high schools would consider Wesleyan “better.” Traditionally it was more prestigious. I’m not saying it actually is better for every kid. I’m just saying it was traditionally harder to get into and more prestigious. I went to a top three and I remember meeting someone who went to Hamilton and I had never heard of it. I think that has really changed in the last fifteen years. Hamliton’s reputation has improved.

Actually, you don’t speak fir all people in that category - I think Hamilton is better. The kids I know going to Ham in the last 8-10 years are more impressive than the kids I know who went to Wes. Wes attracts a more quirky kid, IME. Ham students I know are very happy.

[Anonymous]

Wesleyan is still considered more prestigious, that doesn’t mean that schools like Hamilton and Colgate are also very good.

Are you over 50? Hamilton has been considered more prestigious for about 10 years. USNWR seems to agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

curious by what metric or rating?


People who grew up in the NE and mid Atlantic going to top high schools would consider Wesleyan “better.” Traditionally it was more prestigious. I’m not saying it actually is better for every kid. I’m just saying it was traditionally harder to get into and more prestigious. I went to a top three and I remember meeting someone who went to Hamilton and I had never heard of it. I think that has really changed in the last fifteen years. Hamliton’s reputation has improved.

Actually, you don’t speak fir all people in that category - I think Hamilton is better. The kids I know going to Ham in the last 8-10 years are more impressive than the kids I know who went to Wes. Wes attracts a more quirky kid, IME. Ham students I know are very happy.

Yes, that's what I hear--Hamilton kids/families super happy. Well run school with a very positive "can do" attitude. Responsive administration. They did an exceptional job during COVID keeping all students on campus and lots of in person classes, which reflects the above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Wesleyan is still considered more prestigious, that doesn’t mean that schools like Hamilton and Colgate are also very good.

Are you over 50? Hamilton has been considered more prestigious for about 10 years. USNWR seems to agree.

You confuse popularity/acceptance rare with academic prestige, which seems to be common on this board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wes is "needs aware" and Hamilton is "needs blind" if that makes any difference or means anything...

It means a lot. Hamilton is in a position to be more generous with financial aid

[Anonymous]

The era when Wesleyan was considered one of most select 'little three' SLACs along with (after...) Amherst and Williams while Hamilton was generally viewed as a tier below (albeit still "highly selective" to use the old Barrons terminology) is long past.

But that reflects both general trends (toward much more competitive admissions for top SLACs) plus great efforts by Hamilton's administration, not a decline at Wesleyan. In the real non-DCUM world, i don't think anyone looks at one school's "rise" in the all-hallowed rankings as coming at the expense of another college's decline. The assertions made on this site about the "decline" of various colleges that continue to turn away 85-90 percent of their applicants are actually kind of ridiculous.

Both Hamilton and Wesleyan are great, well-resourced colleges that attract smart and dedicated students. There's no reason to select one or the other because it's "perceived as better" rather than perceived as offering a better mix of what the individual student might want.

[Anonymous]

Wesleyan is no longer elite. Like Oberlin.

[Anonymous]

I woulda said Wes but I am 50 and definitely dated. Go to better fit. Both great.