Hamilton College Top Questions

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Hamilton students are friendly and eager to get active while also being incredibly hard working and talented.

Hamilton has a reputation for being full of preps and jocks, but there really is no cookie cutter Hamilton student. We have preps, jocks, hipsters, hippies--the whole spectrum. Honestly, I don't think you can put most students cleanly into one category. We have a great community feel at Hamilton, and it is a terrific group of people.

The students are pretty awesome. People are friendly at Hamilton, and most will find a good friend group.If you come here, you will recognize most people after a while. You won't feel out of place unless you are anti-social, and then I'd imagine your experience would be pretty isolating. Most students are from the northeast, from wealthier families, but there is more diversity in backgrounds thanks to programs like HEOP and POSSE. I've also heard that Hamilton is one of the most conservative NESCAC schools, but we're still pretty liberal.

The Hamilton campus fosters a true sense of community in which literally every single person will be open and accepting in every aspect of college.

campus isn't all that diverse, mostly white. a lot of the students who go here are legacy and many attended boarding school. many are from the new england area and several from ny pennsylvania and new jersey despite the lack of diversity, almost everyone gets along with each other. there aren't specific groups that avoid/ignore others, and students are very tolerant of different views and lifestyles.

In class my classmates are usually energetic and engaged, but, unlike myself, on the weekend all they do is drink.

Hamilton is a pretty diverse place, especially in ways that don't necessarily show up on the traditional diversity measurements. There's groups for every perspective that you can imagine on campus, and a place where pretty much everyone could feel comfortable. Even people who grew up in big cities come to feel at home here, although the transition to a more rural area can be something of a culture shock. The diverse attitudes of the student body is reflected in what they wear and do at Hamilton - I've seen people in kilts, dresses, suits, t-shirts, and jerseys.

For a small, liberal arts college we do fairly well with diversity. From race, economic status, geographic location, and even just experiences, increasing diversity is something constantly on the forefront of the college's mind. One of my favorite things about this place is the community. People are always friendly and not very exclusive. Everyone smiles around here and takes care of each other. You always feel very safe.

I still maintain that there is no typical Hamilton student. A wide variety of students interact with one another, and while there are students who only seek out the same type of people they went to high school with, I don't think this is the norm. Political activity is high on campus, and has grown markedly over the last four years, particularly with the arrival of the 2008 election. Diversity, in contrast to some uninformed stereotypes about the College, is a reality of Hamilton. Some of the less well-represented groups have concerns about the level of attention accorded their concerns, but the College seems to have been very responsive, all things considered.