Hamilton College Top Questions

Hamilton is a very academic-focused school. One unique thing about academics at Hamilton is that there are no required courses, which is great because everyone in your classes are there because they want to be.

The chemistry department is fantastic. Of course there is always that one professor who you want to see fired because they're not competent to teach a dog how to roll over, but we also have some of the best scientists in their fields. Your professors will know your name from the time you take their class until you graduate and will actually be sad to see you go. My chemistry advisor is more like a mom to me than a professor and I know I can count on her to help me with anything either in or out of class.

Academic at Hamilton are great, for the most part. There are occasional weak spots, jaded professors riding their tenure, bs classes, etc. However, for the most part professors are stimulating, the material is thought provoking, and the administration can usually be navigated to make it totally accommodate your needs. You just need to comitt yourself!

Professors don't only know your name, they know your friends' names, the instrument you play, the soccer team you support; in short, these people get to know you as a friend. Your opinions on medieval french literature in the classroom are important, but of similar import is your conversation about the new movie that you have in the cafe. Everybody must participate in class. For some part it's a component of a grade that's easily satisfied; for others it takes much longer to become comfortable with the small-group public speaking. Some students are more competitive than others, but overall people are relaxed. I have never, ever heard of a lab project being sabotaged. People get offended if you ask them about your grades; discuss the papers and books as much as you want, but each student is expected to figure out the final work on his own, and the success or failure of the work is private business. Most unique class I've taken: Witches and Witch-Hunting. We had some of the most bizarre discussions in that class, but it was always interesting.

No cake walk here classes are known to not be easy. Quantum Physics and Parables (a religious studies class) were two amazing classes that i took the same semester that suprisingly had many crossovers. During finals week my QPhys class had diner at my professors house who is amazing. Class participation is extremely common and expected. Students are not competitive. Hamilton has almost no general requirements, which gives you great freedom. Hamilton education is not geared at getting a job but the career centers provides great access and help gaining career related experience.

As I mentioned earlier, professors are very friendly at Hamilton. Whenever I am in the science center I see professors in the office and their doors are always open. I am a biochemistry major we are a unique group, there are six of us. I have been out to dinner with my thesis advisor a couple of times. It is not unusual to eat of with professors. I have also had meetings with professors at the cafe on campus.

Classes are pretty challenging and I spent a lot of time doing work to get the grades. Professors are very accessible and often enthusiastic to meet with students to discuss anything.

I love the relationships I am able to have with professors here. They know my name, are always available, and they genuinely want to help me succeed. Though some classes are lecture style, most of my professors have encouraged class participation. I don't find that Hamilton has a competitive atmosphere, though plenty of students are strongly academicly oriented. If you are looking for engaging, intellectual conversation outside the classroom you can definitely find it here. The most unique classes I've taken to date are Theatre 101 and 102. I can't really describe them except to say that I believe every student should take Theatre 101 just for the experience. The education here is definitely geared towards education for its own sake. There is career counseling available, and a Pre-med track for those interested in pursuing medicine, but for the most part students are here to learn not make their five-year-plans. The most exciting thing about Hamilton for me is the open curriculum it offers. I have the freedom to study and learn as I choose, so that I am not stuck taking classes that I hate.

Professors are very friendly and always willing to help students if students put in the effort to seek help. Class participation is very common, students seem to be confident in their arguments and opinions so very few are shy in class. Classes here are fairly difficult and procrastinators will have a very difficult time keeping up. Students study all the time but still make time to goof around and have fun.

Courses here are very challenging.

Joining choir was the best decision I ever made. The director is fantastic and the social atmosphere is open and inviting. Join small departments with small classes, and the professors will know who you are before a month is out. Then they'll say hello, come to things that you're involved in, and be generally pleasant for the rest of your career.

Hamilton has a great student/professor ratio. All my professors know my name, and even professors that I had the semester before. My favorite class at the moment is probably Linear Algebra. I love the professor, he livens up my mornings on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I hated philosophy. The material and professor were not the least bit interesting. I would say students study pretty often, but it is not like Hamilton has an overwhelming amount of work.

I'm a first-year physics major, and I've only had three professors in the department before. But all of them know my name. The classes in every department are small (for the most part), and professors are always available for help. There's no core, so students can take what interests them in building their liberal arts experience. Education is geared at learning for learning's sake, which is wonderful. Classes of all kinds are encouraged, and the emphasis on writing and research makes everything worth it.

Professors know all their students names because our class sizes are very small. Class sizes are any where from 6 to 30 and 30 is pushing it. My favorite classes are dance classes because they are relaxing. My least favorite are Econ classes because they ruin your life. I think those are the hardest courses at Hamilton. Students study all they time. You have to if you want to pass at Hamilton. There's not a class you can slack in and expect to get a good grade. Not even Dance. Their pretty tough here. Class participation is unavoidable because we have small classes. The more silent you are, the more noticeable you are. Students are very competitive. You would have to be to get into a school like that. It's only natural that it would transfer over to college years. I feel that Hamilton's academic requirements are challenging but attainable. Like I said before this is not a school for slackers. The education at Hamilton is geared towards equipping you with skills that are going to help you succeed in life and in a career.

Grade inflation may be huge at other schools, but at Hamilton, you may be working your ass off for a B+ in a course. There are no easily aced classes here. From physics to art history, you're going to be challenged, and professors don't accept anything but the best.

The professors here don't skimp when it comes to school work. You will get big papers and you will be expected to speak in class on the material assigned, cruise control just simply doesn't cut it at a school as small as this.

very good. excellent even. great professors who really care about the students. one of my professors asks me about my team and how things are looking for next year every time he sees me. they really seem to care about the students. I took a great class in the geoscience department that focused on the current events in africa and how they were effected by geology. It was the reason i became a major.

This is one area of Hamilton that really lives up to everything tour guides say. The classes are small, and most of the time professors get to know you really quickly. It's pretty common to sit down and eat with professors at lunch, or have a professor recommend a class/job/book to you based on interests you've expressed in class. If you want to get an A in a class here, you really have to work; this isn't the type of school where you have time to party all throughout the week and still maintain a good GPA. Most classes give a ton of homework, so you have to really be prepared for that.

I have had very few negative experiences with professors at Hamilton, and there are several professors here who are simply wonderful. As a history major, I particularly recommend Professors Ambrose, Kelly, and Paquette. I know some students (and faculty) dislike Paquette due to his forceful personality, but for intelligence, professionalism, and sheer volume, he is unmatched. It is simply impossible to fall asleep in his class and, resultantly, impossible not to learn something. Professor Kelly is one of the funniest and most entertaining professors I've had here-- and it's no small feat to be funny in a class about the Nazis. His dry sense of humor and absolute lack of political correctness is incredibly endearing. Professor Ambrose needs no introduction; auditing a class with him is what prompted me to come to Hamilton, and the classes I've taken with him (every semester) have kept me here. I sincerely doubt that any college in the nation can offer a professor to far surpass Ambrose in energy, knowledgeability, and human concern for his students. Maybe that accounts for his extreme popularity despite his less-than-generous grading policies. But engaged and engaging professors are a hallmark of a Hamilton education, and every department offers a wide array. Every professor I've had in the math department (Bedient, Boutin, and Knop) has been unnervingly kind and amiable. Professor Knop especially is one of the sweetest, jolliest men you could ever hope to meet. I would also recommend Professor Bartle (whom a friend likes to describe as a "chain-smoking Winnie-the-Pooh") from the Russian Studies department.

My professors all know my name. Class participation is very common, and I feel as though I'm really learning how to think and write more clearly. Some students study all the time, others not at all. My favorite professor is my current Comparative Literature professor, who is amazing. Everything he says in class is very impressive, but the way that he responds to every comment made in class is equally impressive and demanding. For example, he will respond to a comment by saying, "I agree with that statement except for one word. What word was it? Why did I disagree?" He pushes everyone and doesn't hesitate to ask very personal questions to keep the class engaged and make the texts seem relevant and accessible, such as "If the males in the class could have one night with one character in the texts we've read, who would it be? Would it be Lol Stein?" I am never bored in his class.