Colgate University Top Questions

Academics at Colgate are comparable to those of the majority of similarly directed liberal arts colleges. The class size is generally small, with 20-30 kids in most lower-level classes and even smaller classes when you start to specialize. The professors are, in my experience, always helpful and available when you need them, although there always a few that no one likes. The core curriculum at Colgate is interesting but really not entirely helpful in the long run. The concept sounds more interesting than it really is. It's the distribution requirements that are more useful. They force you to experience subjects beyond what you think you're comfortable with, and that's actually a really good experience for a student to have. Getting a job after school is a big reason for coming to Colgate; we have a great alumni network for that, and Colgate is a good name to have on your side if you're looking for a job. However, the students are fairly diverse in their focuses. We've actually discussed the position of education in society in both of my core classes about Western thought. I see both scholars and motivated job seekers at Colgate. It's really a very good place to be for anyone.

A great aspect of Colgate is that the professors are so accessible and they get to know their students most of the time because the classes are usually small. They genuinely care about their students and their doors are always open for office hours. I have found that the majority of my professors here are extremely helpful outside of the classroom because they want their students to succeed. Most of the classes at Colgate are very discussion based. The professors, as well as the students, are extremely interested to hear what people have to say and usually are not afraid to disagree with one another. This makes it interesting because you can hear different points of view and learn more than you would if you were simply listening to a lecture. I do not find the students here to be overly competitive. Everyone wants to do well and works really hard but will always help their classmates and group studying is very common. Students usually work together instead of against each other. I think the education at Colgate is definitely just geared for learning for its own sake because the liberal arts education gives you a wide variety of a lot of different material.

Small classes, tons of personal attention. Work hard play hard is definitely the motto here. Intelligent student body even if they don't flaunt it. Education here is not always about what you learn as a lot of the appeal of colgate is the ability to form excellent connections and graduate with a good name.

Academics and student-professor relations here are great. Classes are so small that the professors would have to be impaired to not at least recognize you by the end of the semester, but most know your name and stop you on the quad to chat, even after the semester is over. The education here is definitely geared toward learning for its own sake, which I like because I love to learn, but I feel pretty lost when I think about the future.

Academics are pretty intense. If you do your work thoroughly and honestly you will be just fine. Professors for the most part will help you if you ask, and they seem to have a knack for picking out the students who are trying and those who are not. The rewards are given out accordingly. One of the professors I have had has been so good that I go out of my way to find ways to enroll in her classes. As a result I have been out of the state (and even the country) a couple of times with class, and have a chance to do research with her over the summer. The history department doesn't impress me as much as do some of the other departments. Perhaps a bit ironically most of the professors take a rather old school approach towards teaching, giving only straight lectures and engaging with students only in class or office hours. Nevertheless they get the job done. The biggest problem with the department is definitely in regards to the numbers of courses offered (if you have a bad course selection spot you are likely to have to fight for a spot in a class you want to take.

Half of my professors know my name, though they all would recognize me. Favorite class is currently Weather and Climate because the professor is amazing. We study about 3 hours a day, on average, but much more when we have papers or upcoming tests. Yes, we are competitive. Colgate is geared toward learning how to learn, but there are definitely opportunities to get a job or internship.

Most professors do get to know your name and you end up knowing them pretty well. The best class I've taken at Colgate is Introduction to Astronomy. It was the biggest class I've had here (~110 people), but it was well-taught and the professor was always available to meet independently. My least favorite class was Challenge of Modernity, a CORE class mandatory for all students, because I felt that I learned very little from it. There is a wide range of study habits, with some students studying one or two hours a day while others spend several hours per day. In the smaller classes, class participation is usually mandatory. Students certainly have intellectual conversations outside of class; half occur while being drunk. In the more popular majors, there is intense competition. The most unique class I've taken was my Biology Research class. There was only one hour of set class time a week, with the remainder of the time being spent in lab working on a semester-long experiment. The Biology department offers tough classes, but also cares a lot about its students. Colgate's distribution requirements forced me to take some interesting classes that I wouldn't have taken otherwise. The CORE classes (mandatory for all students and consisting of 4 different courses) can be great or can be terrible depending on your teacher.

"Do professors know your name?" Always. "Tell us about your favorite class. Least favorite?" Favorite: Plants, Sex & Chocolate (BIOL 104), and all of my French classes. Least: Western Traditions (CORE 151) "How often do students study?" All the time...? Colgate students work very hard so that they can play even harder. "Is class participation common?" Yes, very. "Do Colgate students have intellectual conversations outside of class?" All the time. "Are students competitive?" Yes. "What's the most unique class you've taken?" I haven't taken it yet... "Tell us about your major / department. Do you spend time with professors outside of class?" The French and Theater departments are a couple of professors too small to accommodate the recent surge in interest, but each member of the departments is extremely invested in working for the students. Thus, it is not difficult to arrange meetings with professors, nor is it uncommon to setup meetings at the cafe in town. One of my French professors put together a class dinner, and another director held a barbeque at his house for a Directing Class. "How do you feel about Colgate's academic requirements?" A bit of a punishments for those of us who knew their major going into freshmen year. But otherwise a nice survey of general things. "Is the education at Colgate geared toward getting a job, or learning for its own sake?" Learning for its own sake.

Some professors know my name, some don't. Favorite classes were SOAN classes, least favorite classes were POSC classes. Some study way too much, some don't study enough. In big classes participation is not important. In small classes they are important and common. I don't have intellectual conversations outside of class very often. Students are VERY competitive. Most unique class - Museum Studies. I am a POSC major. I dislike the teachers but like the material. The teachers are too serious, for the most part, and boring. I never spend time with profs outside of class. I like the requirements, it makes students take different classes. Education at COlgate is geared towards thinking and learning. Job/life skills are not emphasized. Career services is a terrible department.

Classes are small. If a professor doesn't know your name by the 2nd week, it's an anomaly (some know names before you get there!). Many professors don't hold office hours, they're just there all the time...and you can pop in to talk about whatever, whenever. Students are competitive, but not with each other. They will definitely take time out to help a classmate. I still wish people would talk more in class, but maybe that's just because I'm in science and people are afraid of being wrong (did I mention they were crazy overachievers?).