Hamilton College Top Questions

Classes are generally small once you get past the 40-person intro-level courses. There's a stover emphasis on critical writing and discussion than fact retention, which is evident in how classes are run and grades are determined. Most courses involve writing a few formal papers, generally between 4 and 10 pages long, as well as some blog entries or other informal writing assignments. Class presentations are not uncommon. The bulk of classes involve discussion of reading assignments, though depending on the professor, you might get more lecture based lessons. Tests are usually short-answer and essay heavy, though, again, it depends on the professor. There are a few blow-off classes, but ultimately you're going to have to work hard for most classes. This is a school where most students had straight As and tons of APs in high school, but Bs and Cs are not uncommon or even frowned upon - in most classes, if you get a B, you worked HARD and learned a lot. Professors are tough, but because they want to give you the best education possible. They will go out of their way to meet with you and give you advice if you reach out to them. Hamilton is the school that Ivy League professors go when they want to really teach students, not just send in a grad student TA while they do research. Bottom line: you will work hard here, but you will also learn a ton in terms of information AND ways of thinking and writing which will stick with you throughout your life.

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We really value discussion-based, small classes. Professors will get to know you personally, and you certainly won't be just another number. Professors will often invite students over for dinner and they really care about Hamilton students. Academics can be challenging, but if you put in the work and go to office hours, you will be successful.

Rigorous. The selectivity of Hamilton is a great indicator of its academics. There are no "Easy" courses at Hamilton. They all challenge you, and require attention and dedication. But they aren't boring--at least not the courses I've taken. But that's probably because here at Hamilton, we take the courses we want to take. The absence of a core curriculum--no distribution requirements--allows for genuine interest to be the driving motive for course enrollment.

Academics at Hamilton are challenging, but definitely not impossible. If students put the time and effort into doing readings for classes, participating in the classroom, and studying for exams, everything is fine. Strong writing and communication skills are very important for students at Hamilton, so we expect to write a lot of papers and to prepare for a lot of oral presentations. We have many great resources on campus that should be taken advantage of: a Writing Center, an Oral Communications center, several tutoring services, and of course the availability and approachability of all professors. Obviously the workload and difficulty of material will depend on the class and professor, but for the most part students are always able to manage. Academics come first, but there will also always be time to relax or be involved with other things on campus.

If you want to be anonymous in class, this is not the school for you. Professors will know your name. They will expect you to participate in class. They will encourage you to do your best, and they will set high standards. It's not uncommon to hear Hamilton students complaining about the amount of work we have. However, the workload creates a feeling of solidarity, as everyone is going through the same stress. Students at Hamilton do study a lot compared to students at other schools, and generally people can't come to Hamilton, slack off, and do well. Students here don't want to slack off, though. Kids at Hamilton love to party, but they know how to work, too.

They're unbelievable--all professors want to truly develop a relationship with you while simultaneously teaching you.

Every Professor knows your name. Class sizes are maxed out at 40, and those are the intros. The median class size is less than 20. My Russian class was six, and it was just a russian discussion mixed with grammar every day. Similarly, my 425 econ class had 8 people, and we just discussed theories and models in financial markets with our professor (who wrote the textbook). Professors know who you are, and they are teachers, not researchers. They are always available and eager to talk to you about whatever you want. That it includes tangential topics to their courses, extracurricular advice, and just about anything else. Usually, you need to take the initiative to engage your professor, but that is to be expected. Class discussion is normally tame, but students are always happy to discuss extremely controversial subjects. Furthermore, the fact that everyone is so smart as well as extremely relaxed means that you're in a learning environment 24/7. It's common to be downtown at the bars or a house, trashed, and you'll bump into a friend and end up discussing whether pareto efficiency is a good definition for efficient markets, and then probably not remember it the next day. I have never seen anyone criticized for being into their schoolwork. It's admired. People are only criticized for not being socially active. Students are not competitive with one another at all. The school is very small, so you will know just about everyone, and by your senior year you will have taken a lot of classes with other people in your major. They will help you and teach you as much as your professor, and you will help them. Students do care deeply about their grades, but it's not a competitive environment. As an economics major, I am incredibly impressed with the department. The courses are difficult, and I've become an economic encyclopedia. The professors are extremely friendly, brilliant, helpful, and approachable. My advisor is chair of the department, and a borderline savant. Yet I can drop into his office and chit chat about just about whatever, and he is happy to take time out of his work. The best part is that there are no lectures anywhere, including economics. Professors will teach a lesson, but every class is discussion-based, and much of the education comes from the discourse of questions being raised and answered in concert with the lesson. Finally, the educational environment of the school is excellent. As an economics major, I've only taken theory courses. We are a liberal arts school, and we are being taught to train for jobs and industries that don't exist yet to answer questions that won't even arise for 20 years. We're all smart enough that we don't need to learn information, we learn conceptual framework to digest whatever information we want. The only quasi-vocational class I've seen at school is accounting, which is not included in the economics department precisely because the department does not believe it should be encouraging vocational education. Of course, all the students joke that we will never take accounting, because then we might end up being an accountant.

It's tough if you decide to make it so. If you were accepted to Hamilton then you should have developed the right study skills to survive the academic workload. Yet that doesn't necessarily mean that you'll always demonstrate great study skills, but it does mean that you capable of doing so.

professors always know their students names after the first couple weeks of classes. classes are generally pretty small and many are discussion-based. even my intro psych class was only 16 people. class participation is strongly encouraged and easy in classes. there are some really interesting classes here (American Sign Language, Cryptology, Cursing and Taboo Language) but they arent all offered often, so you need to jump on them when you get the chance there's no core core curriculum or distribution requirements. all you need are three writing-intesenives (which can be taken in virtually any discipline) and one quantitaive reasoning course (not necessarily math, psych 101 counts toward this as well as other things) most classes total about 2 1/2 hours of class each week (3x for 50 mins or 2x for 75 mins), but some classes, generally languages, require meeting with a TA for an extra hour each week

One of the best parts of Hamilton is the relationship you develop with professors. It's common to be on a mutually first name basis with at least one or two of your professors, and it's also common for them to take classes out to dinner during finals week or host a barbecue at their house. It's also not uncommon to see them cheering you on at a sports game or a theater production. Their academic enthusiasm really infects the student body as well, and even though Hamilton students generally enjoy taking time off as much as any college students, their "time off" might easily include discussions about classroom topics. The school isn't really competitive between the students, which enables such out-of-classroom intellectual discourse to flourish. Another great aspect is the open curriculum, which means you don't have any core classes you have to take. It really frees up your schedule to explore a number of fields that aren't even tangentially related and might not fit into a traditional distribution model. It also means that any given person in a course you're taking is there because they wanted to be there, not because they were satisfying some global requirement they have no interest in. It also means that a significant number of people end up as double majors or major double minors. The other big emphasis at Hamilton is on learning how to write effectively - no matter what your discipline is. The basic idea is that writing is a life skill you'll use no matter what your job ends up being, so it's worth honing.

Academics are unique, personalized, and focused on individual learning and independent growth. I've taken away so much academically from this place. I have skills that will carry me through whatever life throws at me. No core requirements are great! I've spent the last four years loving almost every single one of my courses because I've gotten to pick what I am studying. You also cannot ask for better professors. They go out of their way every day to help their students. I see them at sports games and events. I have met my professor's families, been invited into their homes, been taken out to dinner or drinks several times each semester - even when I was a freshman. With all the research opportunities here there is always a way for you to study something that interests you in depth with a professor. Sometimes the college even pays you to do this. If you are looking for a place to find academic passions and to get amazing individualized attention from your professors - there is no better place but Hamilton.

While the classwork is generally difficult and time-consuming, professors for the most part furnish a rewarding student experience. They make themselves available in formal office hours outside of class, and often in much more informal settings. Senior student/faculty pub night is a popular activity, and most students have been over to a professor's house on more than one occasion.

Hmmm, academics. Classes are small and usually engaging. Professors are fantastic. They make themselves available for office hours ALL THE TIME. Compared to other schools, the amount of attention you can get at Hamilton is unreal. I struggled through a calculus class my freshman year and I spent literally every afternoon in my professor's office getting extra help. That's with my professor, not some TA. Hamilton's strongest majors are economics, history, and English. Biology is also quite popular. All of these areas have many great professors, many classes, and they attract many students.

One thing I love about Hamilton is the lack of required classes. It's extremely easy (no matter what major you happen to be) to fulfill the Writing Intensive requirements. Beyond that and Phys. Ed. (I took yoga & ice skating and had a blast), the only other General Requirement is something we call a "Sophomore Seminar". I have to admit, I didn't choose mine well. A lot of students complain about their Sophomore Seminars. Otherwise, classes are fantastic. It's rare to have more than 25 students in a class. I've had some as small as 9 students. Class participation is a must. Hamilton students are high achievers by nature, but Class Rank wars absolutely never happen. Professors, as I've said before, are extremely helpful and attentive. They know everyone student personally and go out of their way for them.

Professors are incredible, friendly and more than accessible. Homework will be loaded on, and students spend much of the week in the library, but it pays off in the end. Take an anthropology class with Chaise LaDousa and you will never regret it. Psychology and Spanish are great departments as well.

Great academics, good classes. Not a lot of flexiblity to study something outside of our normal curriculum. They make it very hard to be creative with your classes, even though there are no requirements

Professors not only know your name, they know where you are from, what you do on the weekends, who your favorite baseball team is ect. Hamilton students definitely work hard and play hard, science majors at Hamilton are especially demanding because all seniors are required to write a senior thesis. Hamilton students definitely have intellectual conversations outside of class, but as at any school, the scope of the conversations is very wide. Hamilton does not have any required core requirements which is AMAZING! The only requirements are 3 "writing intensive" classes, which really do not need to be difficult if you choose them carefully. Many people fulfill the requirement just within their normal course load. The education is definitely geared towards learning, but students are always encouraged to think about what they like learning and where they may want to take it into the future.

professors are great- i have gone for an extra study session for clarification or pointers with every single professor i've had thus far. class participation is very common, and students take their intellectual pursuits away from the classroom into their own lives.... political, philosophical, and economic debates are commonly heard in dorms, etc.

Academics are quite rigorous at Hamilton, but no more so than any other NESCAC college. Our professors are well-informed, accomplished and most importantly are always available to further discuss class material. The availability of our professors is the most impressive aspect of Hamilton's academic community.