Colgate University Top Questions

Somewhat

Not everyone falls into these categories...there are mild alcoholics here as well! Seriously though, not everyone is a party animal/drunkard. It's not accurate to stereotype the entire campus population by the actions/behavior of the more publicly seen partygoers ( although it's understandable why one would). But...the stereotypes do exist for a reason... And there is always something going on at Colgate... even too many at times. However, at times it would be nice to have a larger variety of consistent options for food, entertainment, shopping, or just a change of scenery -there's definitely a benefit to being in/near to a city.

So true

I wouldn't say so. Colgate can be many different things for many different types of people. It isn't just a school for rich kids, although there are certainly many here. What you see at Colgate is really determined by what group you join; I'd say there's really a little bit of everything here.

I actually think a lot of these stereotypes are accurate. I am in the greek system and I consider most of the students I am surrounded by to be very similar to me. Most kids dress preppy, from the tri state area, love to have a good time, but also care a lot about their grades. The combination of smart, conscientious and fun makes for a really great environment.

Closer inspection of the student body reveals a largely talented, enthusiastic and capable student body with wildly diverse talents and interests. While it's easy to peg some Colgate students at first glance into one specific mold, almost every stereotype will start to fall away under any real scrutiny. Colgate's strength lies in the way in which different types of people can and do coexist and work together to broaden the horizon's and enrich the college experience for every other student.

Yes and no. Freshman year I was pretty caught up in everything and blinded to them, but recently the stereotypes seem to be gaining legitimacy. There are a lot of wealthy students, but most are not good looking and there's a tendency to wear J.Crew but a lot branch out to Ralph Lauren and Lacoste. There are a lot of high noses and a strong sense of entitlement in many students. Diversity is scarce, and it's definitely possible to have fun without drinking, but in order to have fun without being surrounded by alcohol, you need to be creative. That being said, that's mostly "main-stream Colgate", and although it seems to dominate the school, it's only a small minority. These legitimized stereotypes were merely a loud minority and there are many many insanely amazing people at Colgate who don't define themselves with brand names and cars.

Although the majority of students are well-off, white, and have polos, very few flaunt their money and there is no pressure to dress or look a certain way.

Looking around campus you can very easily see that these stereotypes are founded in reality. Looking deeper into the student body, however, and really putting yourself out there, can reward you with some genuine and nice people.

Yes and no. There are those who fit the stereotype, and like all other colleges and universities, there are those who party more than the average student and those that don't party at all.