Colgate University Top Questions

Colgate is a great size. You know a lot of the people you see in passing but at the same time continue to meet new people with every new class, activity, or function you attend. Hamilton is small and your shopping and dining options are limited but in some ways that is a positive as it encourages students to be more creative and spend less time thinking about material pursuits and instead spend time with each other. Colgate has a great reputation for those who have heard of it. The academics, sports teams, and opportunities here really are fantastic if your willing to seek them out.

The best thing about Colgate is different for everyone because people take from it very different experiences. I'm really not sure what my favorite thing about Colgate has been. Maybe the generally different way it's made me look at the world, as cliche as that sounds. The most frequent student complaints are the weather, it's too small, there's no city nearby, and there's no dating scene. Personally, the lack of dating scene is what gets me.

My favorite thing about Colgate is how easy it is to get involved, whether it is with a club, team, or special activity. One thing I would improve is the availability of transportation. Although not many people are leaving campus on weekends, it's difficualt if you have to leave and you don't have a car. Colgate is just the right size: it's small and personable, but large enough where you're still meeting new people. When I tell people I'm at Colgate, they are either impressed or have no idea what Colgate is. Although not every sports event draws a big crowd, there is a lot of school pride. This comes largely from the fact that the majority of students of Colgate want to be there and like the school.

I know I've made a good choice when I sit back and realize that my biggest complaint about Colgate is the toothpaste jokes. It is a beautiful campus, with up-to-date facilities and professors that want you to succeed. As for the people, Colgate students love other Colgate students; everyone is generally pretty friendly. The small size and secluded location make it a very personal place. I would choose this school again every time. You just have to be ready for a few toothpaste jokes...

The best thing about Colgate is the accessibility to the professors. As a small school in a small town (the town's population approximately doubles when school is in session) it is hard for professors to hide. As a result you get some very tight relationships with the professors; ones that often continue by way of research, advice, or simply conversation after you have completed that professor's class. The social scene is another story, however. Students are relatively nice by day and generally unapproachable by night. Drinking is big at any college campus, but with little-no alternatives at Colgate it is very hard to find a group of people with whom you can have fun without drinking. Now that I'm almost done with my second year I'm finally beginning to build a social base with which I am comfortable, but it seems awfully late to still be struggling with this issue (and you don't want to be in sub-free housing even if you are sub-free; there is a label you will never shed).

I would change the food services, and some of the formalities that are unnecessary and impossible to work around. The campus size is just right, although that is an opinion. For the most part, people have heard of Colgate and know that it is almost Ivy league quality. I spend most of my time in class, at the COOP (student lounge/food area) and in my room. It is a college town - I believe our students fuel half of the local stores and businesses. The administration is good, albeit a little stiff. Biggest recent controversy: a fake shooting threat. Yes, there is a lot of school pride - we all own AND wear Colgate sweatshirts.

The best thing about Colgate is the close sense of community gained from having less than 3000 students. If I could change one thing about Colgate, I would move it about 500 miles South.

"What's the best thing about Colgate?" A sense of ambition that is felt in every aspect of the Colgate experience. "Name one thing you'd change." I'd revamp both the meat choices and the vegetarian protein sources in the cafeteria. "Is your school too large, too small, or just right?" Just right for everything but theater, in which case it's a bit too small. "How do people react when you tell them you go to Colgate?" If they know of the university, they are impressed. "Where do you spend most of your time on campus?" The theater/studio. "College town, or 'what college town?'" "What college town" in that it's located in the middle of nowhere/the Yukon territory of beautiful upstate New York. "What's your opinion of Colgate's administration?" It could use a lesson in humility; there is tension between the admin and the students because of the false sense of trust that is projected by the admin. "What was the biggest recent controversy on campus?" Some chump went on the path of "Oh, why don't I pretend to want to conduct a school shooting" kind of think on JuicyCampus.com, and he was tracked down by the NY Police, gave a statement, &c. "Is there a lot of school pride?" Absolutely. Each year Starr Rink is PACKED for the Colgate-Cornell hockey. "Is there anything unusual about Colgate?" The devotion of the faculty to the students, and the reciprocated drive of the students. "What's one experience you'll always remember?" Receiving my Early Decision I acceptance letter. "What are the most frequent student complaints?" The amount of girls who wear Ugg boots with leggings and miniskirts DURING THE WINTER SNOW STORMS, and popped Polo collars.

The best thing are the people. I love making so many great friends and meeting new people. I would make the school larger. I thought it was a great size for the first three years but then by senior year I felt like there were no longer new people to meet. People are impressed when I say I go to Colgate. I spend most of my time at the athletic center for Lacrosse. Town wouldn't exist without the college. I like the administration on an academic level, but I dislike it from an athletic perspective. Biggest controversy - juicycampus post about shooting people. There is school pride, but not athletic pride. Unusual - it's completely in the middle of nowhere. I will always remember my experiences when the weather gets nice and people start loving life. The most frequent complaints is the bad weather.

Colgate is a place of traditions. We don't necessarily see them every day, but we are living within them. Whenever something has the number "13" on it, you say "Of Course, what else!" (Thirteen is Colgate's lucky number, and it's hard to miss that fact if you hang around here for even just a little while.) You follow the senior honor society (Konosioni) up the hill in a torchlight procession at Orientation, and you walk with your classmates back down in your caps and gowns four years later. You know that "Cornell Sucks". You live for Spring Party Weekend. You've been to most of the men's hockey games in any given season. You wear Colgate gear on Friday the 13th, and even if you're not on campus, you probably see someone else doing the same... and you have a spur-of-the-moment conversation with them like you knew them for years. Did I mention that Cornell Sucks?

Good alumni network for jobs. great campus. fun night life.

Colgate is amazing. I couldn't be paid to go anywhere else. The people are the friendliest I have ever met. While I do spend a very large amount of my time studying, it is definitly worth it. I love it here and am actually upset to be graduating, just because it means I have to leave!

Best: Academics -- stellar, engaging. It's awesome. Change: The weather. Fuck cold. Size: Just right. Reactions: People down south haven't really heard of Colgate. Time: Studying, duh. Or procrastinating. College town: Haha... Hamilton grows on you, it's not that bad, but there's nothing really to do. Administration: Let's face it, administration, no matter where from, is helplessly suffocated by its own bullshit bureaucracy. That consider, administration at Colgate is above par. Controversy: The Greek house purchases were controversial, but few really gave a fuck. Pride: Yes, lots... mostly. Unusual: During orientation, freshman are given hype about all sorts of "traditions" -- it's all crap. We don't have these meaningless arbitrary "traditions" like those retards down at A&M. Listen, I went to college to learn physics, not to shout some fag chant every time a football player scored a touchdown. Experience I'll remember: making out with girls. Student complaints: Students complain about the weather and the small town. And by students I mean freshman. A few pussies transfer out after freshman year because they're too weak to handle a bit of cold and -- for heaven's sake -- to learn how to survive in a place that's not flooded with wal-marts and other evil conveniences of the 21st century. The rest of us stay and learn to love it.

The problem with Colgate is that students don't care about things that are outside their universe. Students do not expand themselves and are concerned with only their own well being. Very self centered group that is not progressive or considerate. There is not much school pride and many students where clothing from other universities. It is also very cold here, don't come here if you can't stand near 0 weather.

It can be stress free at times as long as your comfortable with your academics. The classes I took first semester is what I would change. The school is just right but you might want to have your liscence and maybe a car. People I have met so far are quite indifferent when I tell I attend Colgate. I mainly study in my room because I have a single. The administration I believe is constantly trying to get better. They are a respectable authority figure. The biggest controversy right now is the possibility of removing first years from HRC- Harlem Renaissance Center. Most people do not regret coming to colgate after a while. It was not great at first but i do not regret it. The average student i believe drinks three beers a week. I think there is definetly more to come for me. Frank Dining Hall can definetly use some improvement. Most if all if a student wants to attend colgate he or she should come with someone that they already know. It will work out well if one has that initial support system. Hardly anyone wants to be a fish out of water.

The town is way too small. Makes focusing on school a lot easier but the combination of complete country-bumpkin-land with the ridiculous amounts of snow we get from December to March can be a little depressing. There have been recent controversies over fraternity-house ownership, but Greek life is still significantly present on campus.

I think my favorite thing about Colgate is the small community, because you get to know alot of people really well and become close with them. One thing I don't like is that the town is TINY however, it's like 2,000 people, and you are really isolated from everywhere else. I like Colgate alot but I think I would prefer a school that's a little bit bigger and maybe more diverse. When I tell people I go to Colgate they either go "Oh that's a great school!" or they ask if it's a school for dentistry, and of course you get alot of toothpaste jokes. To be perfectly honest I have not been very impressed with the administration at all. There is alot of red tape, especially with Residential Life, and my advisor and alot of my friends' advisors have been very unhelpful.

The ability to accel in your club or in multiple activities and try new things is supported tremendously by the school. You can easily become very active in whichever activity you choose to pursue. I think the strictness of credit acceptance and transfer credit is ridiculous. It's far too difficult to transfer in outside credits or dabble in various classes that are not your major because you can only take 4 at a time and the requirements for the major are too limiting to give you adequate time to test every subject. It's beginning to feel a little small. But on the same level, it is so cozy and comfortable. A junior year abroad is enough to quell the clausterphobia because you go away at the right time. I love Colgate and I'm still so happy with my decision to come here. It depends on who you are talking to. For an educated crowd or an eastcoast crowd, people know what Colgate is and they respect it for its academic prowess. If you try talking to someone who is not into the college scene or from a part of the country that is farther from the east coast, people generally don't know what it is. You just have to accept that not everyone will know what it is, know that Colgate is a fantastic school and move on. I spend most of my time either up the hill around the quad where classes are (coop) or down on the frisbee field. Hamilton is too tiny to be considered a town with any purposes for entertainment, but that's not what the school is about. You don't think about the town. Colgate life revolves around the people you meet and the things you do (activities and schoolwork). That is what is so great about the school--it fosters fantastic relationships because that is all you can do. No one really leaves on the weekends, and no one wants to leave on the weekends. The life is very satisfying and most people don't feel the need to find external stimulation. There is a real mall 45 minutes away and other small towns that are even closer. The administration is a little strict in its policies, as I said before. But it's fine, it hasn't impeded my plans/life as of yet. An ongoing controversy has been whether or not Greek life should continue the same way it has. Yes there is a ton of school pride. Plenty of people complain about the lack of school spirit in terms of sports (they are trying to fix that, so maybe there will be changes) but there is so much spirit in other ways--on individual teams and within clubs. The Colgate body is very spirited in terms of energy and personalities, but perhaps is not in the same way that a sports crowd is. Most memorable experience (one of very many): going sledding at midnight on a tray from Frank dining hall with my friends Most complaints are about the administration and transfer credits (it comes up a lot with abroad programs out of Colgate).

My favorite thing about Colgate is the size. Though it is a smaller school, I think that the size is just right! The school is small enough that your classes are not too big, your professors know your name, and when you walk across campus you always see someone you know. However, it is not too small because you are always meeting people that you don't know. An experience I will always remember is that as part of the service pre-orientation program I did, a small group and I were told that we had to make a dinner for less than twenty dollars. We were then told that we were making dinner for the Dean of Students and the small group of us ended up having dinner at her house! These is one of the benefits of Colgate's size.

Sometimes it's wonderful to know that everyone knows your name, and sometimes you kind of get sick of that. it's nice though to really feel like you belong somewhere and that this is your home because it's so small. I definitely wouldn't want a smaller school than this. Don't really go into town accept at night to go to the bars and eat pizza. There's a lot of school pride. It's unusual how party oriented our school is because of its small size. Though I'm in a sorority, I feel like Greek like is a little too overwhelming. I can't imagine not being in a sorority and what my social life would be like.