Thoughts on Colgate University

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The atmosphere is similar to a North Korean prison camp, but enjoy.

Adonal Foyle is a bum.

??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is is considered prestigious?

Very solid , a good safety school for those who can't get into Davidson or W&L. Comparable to Smith, Bates, Colby or Macalester.

This sounds pretty accurate based on rankings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Colgate is a wonderful school with a beautiful campus without a doubt. DC got into Colgate and some of the NESCAC schools and decided on one of the NESCAC schools instead. She decided that the frat scene and emphasis on sports at Colgate wasn't for her.

My daughter made the same decision based on the same criterion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Colgate '94 grad here, Colgate is more competitive than BU and Syracuse and they are not comparable to Colgate because they are large and urban. Most of the people there from what I recall had also applied to Amherst, Williams, Dartmouth etc. And, for a lot of people like myself, it was their first choice.

Colgate is a great school. It is not currently as selective as Amherst, Williams and Dartmouth. Colgate is on par with Hamilton, Colby and Bates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is is considered prestigious?

Very solid , a good safety school for those who can't get into Davidson or W&L. Comparable to Smith, Bates, Colby or Macalester.

This sounds pretty accurate based on rankings.

I am ^ poster. I really wouldn't consider Colgate a safety school. Just as I wouldn't consider Smith, Bates, Colby or Macalester as safety schools. Trinity or Conn College might be safety schools for those with competitive applications at Davidson or W&L.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colgate is much better than Davidson, W&L, Macalester, and Smith. Equivalent or slightly better then Bates and Colby.

I'm not sure about Macalester as none of my 3 kids currently attending college nor any of their close friends even looked at it (which doesn't necessarily mean anything, of course) but I know several kids who applied to Colgate along with Davidson, W & L, Bates &/or Smith in recent years. Colgate seemed to be a safety school among those who considered Davidson or W & L to be target schools & a target school among those for whom Davidson & W & L were considered reaches. My DD's guidance counselor told her that she had a good, but hardly guaranteed, chance of getting into both Colgate & Colby but that admission to Colby was generally slightly more competitive. Bates & Smith both seemed to be more in the same category as Colgate as far as reach vs. safety schools, though it seems like the kids who ended up at Bates & Colgate were generally not quite as strong academically as the girls who ultimately attended Smith

FWIW, I know several current college students (at least 6 that I can think of just off the top of my head) who didn't get into Davidson but were accepted to Colgate. I know of none for whom the reverse was true. I only know of 2 kids who applied to both W & L & Colgate. One was accepted at both but ultimately chose to attend Wellesley while the other got into Colgate but not W & L (or, for that matter, Davidson) & now goes to Colgate.

My middle DD, who is now a sophomore at Vanderbilt, is so far the only one of my kids to apply to Colgate (3 college application processes down, two to go !). She also applied Colby, Middlebury, Davidson, Bates, Elon, Lehigh & Villanova. She was told by her guidance counselor that Davidson, Middlebury & Vanderbilt were reaches for her but that she had a better shot of being admitted to Vanderbilt than to Davidson or Middlebury, which she was "about equally unlikely" to get into (luckily, DD already figured Davidson & Middlebury were definitely long shots & wasn't too upset to hear this confirmed ) & that Elon, Villanova &, more than likely, Lehigh could be considered her safety schools. The counselor's take on things turned out to be pretty accurate. DD was admitted to Colgate, Bates, Lehigh, Villanova & Elon (which offered her some merit-based aid), waitlisted at both Colby & Vanderbilt & denied admittance to Davidson & Middlebury. She was ultimately accepted to both Colby & Vanderbilt off their respective waitlists.

Your middle DD had basically the same results as my kid a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

If you are looking at Colgate, what are the comparables?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are looking at Colgate, what are the comparables?

Lafayette and Hamilton College are the two closest in my view.

[Anonymous]

Colgate is surprisingly frat based and more conservative than most northern LACs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are looking at Colgate, what are the comparables?

Lafayette and Hamilton College are the two closest in my view.

And Bucknell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Colgate is much better than Davidson, W&L, Macalester, and Smith. Equivalent or slightly better then Bates and Colby.

Good schools, but reading them all in a row made me realize they are all wasps first names that would be trendy today.

[Anonymous]

Hamilton used to be comparable but is no longer. In the last 15 years or so they moved to an open curriculum and it has changed the student body quite a bit. Back in the day it was front and center in "The Preppie Handbook," but it has a much more progressive vibe now. They do still have frats, but they are non residential (so more like just a club) and fairly minimal impact.

DS and I looked at Hamilton (and he loved it) but didn't even consider Colgate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hamilton used to be comparable but is no longer. In the last 15 years or so they moved to an open curriculum and it has changed the student body quite a bit. Back in the day it was front and center in "The Preppie Handbook," but it has a much more progressive vibe now. They do still have frats, but they are non residential (so more like just a club) and fairly minimal impact.

DS and I looked at Hamilton (and he loved it) but didn't even consider Colgate.

Not sure if your frat house comment is about Hamilton or Colgate, but Colgate most definitely has frat houses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends where they want to live after school. Colgate has a much better reputation and name recognition in the northeast than W&L. W&L has such a southern, preppy vibe so they're very different.

True, but the economy in the Northeast is not exactly churning out jobs for college grads (apart from top tier business schools). W&L has a better reputation here and throughout the south (where jobs are being created).

I had to look up what W&L is, I know all of those other schools.

[Anonymous]

Of the two, Colgate has more of a drinking reputation (which is why my daughter applied to Hamilton). Hamilton sits atop a hill, and has classic, old stone buildings. We found the student body to be welcoming & friendly.

We drove through Colgate, and did not find it to be as breathtakingly beautiful as they say. It has a lake, but to get to it you have to tackle a pretty steep hill to enjoy it.