Colgate?
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Anonymous
Everyone who went there knows it's a safety school. Most don't care at all. |
Anonymous
Do tell, Spill the beans. |
Anonymous
Right? Are we the only ones who get this? 
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Anonymous
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Honestly, if you've come to DCUM for encouragement you've come to the wrong place. Most of the know-nothings here would if asked dismiss Yale as a past-its-peak fallback for Harvard rejects.
Colgate offers phenomenal learning opportunities. It's a beautiful campus in a beautiful setting. The town of Hamilton is small but pretty, and struck me when i visited as offering a surprising amount of options for a small college town (compared to say a place like Middlebury VT -- and the town Hamilton is convenient to campus unlike Clinton NY). The people i know who went to Colgate (and subsequently went to top grad schools and became tech and national security professionals) look back really fondly on the friendships and faculty mentors they had there, which they felt were strengthened by the manageable size and relative isolation. They also commented they felt Colgate was a perfect size -- small enough that they recognized faces and could easily meet people, but large enough that they continued to meet and make new friends (which they didn't feel would be the case at a smaller college). I went to a highly ranked school similar to Colgate (size, rural setting, social environment) that wasn't my first choice. I spent my first month rolling my eyes, appalled by the drinking/frats and the neanderthal behavior of my classmates, and thinking of transferring. I threw myself into my classes and developed some strong faculty relationships; i forced myself to join some activities as a way to be around hardworking upperclassmen who weren't just hosting parties; and I got to know more of my fellow freshmen and realized there was a lot more to them than the awkward performative behavior on weekend nights I was witnessing. By Thanksgiving I realized my experience there would be a lot richer than I had initially assumed, and I dropped thoughts of transferring. And I also saw that most freshmen's behavior normalized considerably after the rumspringa of freshman fall. People have been going to Colgate, and having great experiences there (probably coupled with some bad ones -- that happens everywhere), and going on to accomplished careers for a couple of centuries. 19 of 20 students who matriculate at Colgate opt to return for sophomore year; and over nine in ten stay to graduate -- they can't all be thick or passive. If your son insists on finding reasons to determine Colgate is a bad "fit" for him (not a concept i invest a lot in -- open-minded students should be able to find their fit among the accomplished students at any highly ranked school), he probably can (and realistically I suspect that may be his first inclination upon arrival). But encourage him to give it a little time, and force himself into activities (and not just be a passive observer of behavior he dislikes), and he should come to realize it's a privilege to be given the opportunity to attend a school like Colgate, notwithstanding that there were other schools he was more focused on during the application process. |
Anonymous
I have never seen men look at women the way I have seen Colgate alums look at them. Never. The only word to describe it is prey. And I am a middle aged guy who appreciates a beautiful woman. But there’s something off with these guys and there is no way I would let my daughters any where near them. |
Anonymous
You were a geed, weren't you? |
Anonymous
Lol. Men are like that everywhere. You just haven’t noticed because you are a dude. |
Anonymous
You are proving my point. |
Anonymous
No. I was a hound when I was young. This is something completely different. |
Anonymous
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It has always been solid as a lac; certainly over the last 25 years.
It’s recently worked hard to become more popular and to protect its yield. Heavy focus on ed1 and ed2, lots of social media presence, lots of on-campus investment in nicer dorms and a career center that includes a flashy entrepreneur extra curricular. It all looks good and appeals to students, as does their recent push to basically give everyone money who demonstrates need. These efforts have driven up applications and appear to be appealing to student popularity, overcoming some inherent issues with being in the middle of nowhere. But they don’t really contribute to its substance in terms of quality of education. Most academics remain where they were a quarter century ago (albeit excellent), and things like the entrepreneur program are not what they could be if it were to become an academic program. They’ve prioritized campus life and popularity. It’s also driven a very strong school spirit, anchored in athletics and a very heavy focus on Greek life. If that’s what your son wants, certainly he can get a great education. If he’s not big into the giant Greek system party culture, it can feel a little isolating and “not one of us”. |
Anonymous
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Colgate's admission rate this year was about 17% - low, but not quite in Amherst/Williams/Midd territory despite huge increase in applications.
Part of what's driving the spike in numbers at many competitive schools is applications from non-score-reporting applicants who would not previously have applied. And some of these applicants are shotgunning 20, 30+ applications just to see what sticks. Which means, at many schools, accepted students will have more options and yield will trend down. So the decline in admission rates is not linear. |
Anonymous
| Midd is indeed a nickname for Middlebury. middkid.com? Club Midd? |
Anonymous
Colgate has benefited from this shotgum approach. |
Anonymous
+1 Smart, happy, "normal", well-adjusted people. And they LOVED their college experiences! |
Anonymous
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First, I'd let him have his feelings for a bit longer.
It's normal and understandable for him to be disappointed. It's been a long, intense road to here, and it didn't turn out the way he hoped. It's understandable that he's upset and unhappy. Some people are wired to shake off those feelings and make an immediate transition to embracing their next best option. But my guess is they're in the vast minority. So while it's HARD as a parent to watch your kid be unhappy, let him feel the feelings and work through them. He'll survive this stretch and so will you. And . . . has he visited the campus? If not, I would plan a trip up to visit SOON. There's nothing like being there to help him visualize next year. Timing is probably a bit tricky with finals and graduation coming soon, but it's worth trying before the students leave. |