Colgate University Top Questions

Yes

For the most part, this is true. People love to go out and party - hard - but you see those same kids the next morning in the library, getting their work done.

Colgate is a fairly liberal school, but is by no means comparable to some of the other liberal schools such as Wesleyan or Skidmore. Politics aren't a main issue at Colgate. The majority of the student population is categorized under "prep" and many do wear expensive brand names to classes. Colgate students are also very work orientated but are not your typical "nerds" that are anti-social and spend all of their time in the library. There exists a great balance between a student's academics and his or her social life.

Colgate is not Oberlin, but it's not Notre Dame. There are plenty of preppy students, but it's not a Jcrew catalog.

The wealthiness of the campus is impressive, I know people whose parents are CEO's of major companies, but in most cases people don't flaunt their wealth and it's extremely difficult to know who is on financial aid and who isn't. I was happily surprised by the variety of political viewpoints on the campus. I don't feel overwhelmed by a conservative contingent at all, and most of my friends are actually liberal. The school is definitely predominated by East Coasters, but every state is represented and many countries, which is impressive considering Colgate's small size. I have come to feel proud about the fact I am from someplace that isn't Connecticut or New Jersey because it sets me apart.

There is definitely a preppy side to Colgate but the students there all got in on their own merit, so yes they will work hard and party harder. There is a diversity beyond east coast prep if you look for it.

Unfortunately, they can be to a large degree. There are a lot of good people on campus, too (and I'm not saying that these stereotypical people can't also be good ones), but there's not enough activism or solid defense of some opinions and respectful criticism of others.

For some, yes. For others absolutely not.

For a good chunk of the people, yes

we do party hard, a lot of the kids here are rich and white, and a lot are very good at sports, but the athletics here does not define the school; the really great academics is what makes this school the way it is.