Thoughts on Colgate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Colgate isn't that great. It's to pepperminty. Crest is better.

If you brush with Colgate, your smile will become a political and business asset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to Colgate 10ish years ago. Like all schools, there are pros and cons. I've listed mine below, in the order in which they stick out in my mind. Overall, I'd recommend it, but it's not for everyone.

Pros:
-A really, really great education. Seriously. I went to a "top" law school, and I was one of the few people who was prepared, in terms of being able to write cogently, and engage with the assigned materials, and organize my work (others of course adapted, but mine was an easier transition, in my view). This of course depends on the courses you take, but you actually get a great education at Colgate, not just admission into the diploma club.
- The school is small, so you get a lot of attention. So I had my thesis advisor walk through every paragraph of my draft thesis to explain what worked, what didn't, and ways to fix it. It also means I had a real relationship with my professors. You can't hide, but you won't fall through the cracks.
- The school is small, so there are opportunities to participate that might be harder in a larger school. I joined the debate team on a whim, and they taught me debate then flew me around the world to be in tournaments. I had friends who walked onto D1 sports teams (most of the walk-ons I knew were onto the crew team, FWIW). Also, as a PP noted, lots of study abroad opportunities.
- the campus is really, stunningly beautiful

Cons:
- That is a cold winter.
- You are in a small village. This can be nice, in that people are really invested in the school. It can also be stifling, if you want to get some headspace. It can also limit going out activities.
- Not sure if this is really a con, but the school feels a bit like two or three schools within a (still small) school. There are a lot of privileged private school kids, who are somewhat homogeneous. But this is also a D1 school, so there is also a lot of economic and racial diversity, especially within the sports teams. Then you've got kids who fall into neither camp, who, if I had to generalize, would be nice, smart, go-get-'em types, who seemed to get really involved in non-sports, non-greek life on campus and then go on to do really interesting things (e.g., social issues, intramural, joining peace corps, enviro studies, etc.) I'm not saying you can only fall into one camp (most people probably fell into two, or even three).
-You want a car

What “top” law school was not full of people who could write?

I think probably all of them, if we are talking about 1L. You learn in law school how to write in a very organized, cogent way. I didn't mean that others were bad writers, just that it was an easier transition for students who already had received one on one attention to their writing.

[Anonymous]

I like aquafresh. Look, this is a Williams, Amherst reject school. Gets a boost because the parents are wealthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like aquafresh. Look, this is a Williams, Amherst reject school. Gets a boost because the parents are wealthy.

.

And Williams is an HYP rejects school. Doesn’t mean it isn’t great. Every school is some other “better” school’s reject school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like aquafresh. Look, this is a Williams, Amherst reject school. Gets a boost because the parents are wealthy.

.

And Williams is an HYP rejects school. Doesn’t mean it isn’t great. Every school is some other “better” school’s reject school.

What? No. No everyone wants to go to the same schools! It's a question of fit! I went to Colgate and didn't consider Williams or Amherst because Colgate is Division I.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing I noted about Colgate when we were looking for DD#1 is that 46% of students come from private schools.
https://www.colgate.edu/admission-financial-aid/first-year-class-profile

It was a stat that surprised me and turned of my daughter. I have since noticed that almost no other school reports this figure so I dont know if this is typical of top SLACs (Yes I know Colgate is D1 and technically a University but they had literally 11 grad students in the most recent year so I put them w/ undergraduate-focused colleges).

Notre Dame and Washington & Lee also report their private school students enrolling. The percentages are similar.

Lots of "valedictorian/salutatorian from the diocesan high school in Peoria, IL" types at Notre Dame. That to me is different than an east coast prep school kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing I noted about Colgate when we were looking for DD#1 is that 46% of students come from private schools.
https://www.colgate.edu/admission-financial-aid/first-year-class-profile

It was a stat that surprised me and turned of my daughter. I have since noticed that almost no other school reports this figure so I dont know if this is typical of top SLACs (Yes I know Colgate is D1 and technically a University but they had literally 11 grad students in the most recent year so I put them w/ undergraduate-focused colleges).

Notre Dame and Washington & Lee also report their private school students enrolling. The percentages are similar.

Lots of "valedictorian/salutatorian from the diocesan high school in Peoria, IL" types at Notre Dame. That to me is different than an east coast prep school kid.

Different how?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing I noted about Colgate when we were looking for DD#1 is that 46% of students come from private schools.
https://www.colgate.edu/admission-financial-aid/first-year-class-profile

It was a stat that surprised me and turned of my daughter. I have since noticed that almost no other school reports this figure so I dont know if this is typical of top SLACs (Yes I know Colgate is D1 and technically a University but they had literally 11 grad students in the most recent year so I put them w/ undergraduate-focused colleges).

Notre Dame and Washington & Lee also report their private school students enrolling. The percentages are similar.

Lots of "valedictorian/salutatorian from the diocesan high school in Peoria, IL" types at Notre Dame. That to me is different than an east coast prep school kid.

Different how?

Middle class Catholic versus affluent east coast establishment. Even I know there's a difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing I noted about Colgate when we were looking for DD#1 is that 46% of students come from private schools.
https://www.colgate.edu/admission-financial-aid/first-year-class-profile

It was a stat that surprised me and turned of my daughter. I have since noticed that almost no other school reports this figure so I dont know if this is typical of top SLACs (Yes I know Colgate is D1 and technically a University but they had literally 11 grad students in the most recent year so I put them w/ undergraduate-focused colleges).

Notre Dame and Washington & Lee also report their private school students enrolling. The percentages are similar.

Lots of "valedictorian/salutatorian from the diocesan high school in Peoria, IL" types at Notre Dame. That to me is different than an east coast prep school kid.

Different how?

NP. Really? You don't see the difference between a kid from a high school in a smallish Midwestern town that costs $7K/year and a kid who lives in say, Bethesda and goes to Sidwell Friends?!

[Anonymous]

Articulate them.

[Anonymous]

Yes, looking forward to your sweeping generalizations and judging.