Hamilton College Top Questions

Hamilton is great because there are no course requirements and you can take whatever you're interested in. It's also really easy to get involved in things for free- I joined debate team and started learning piano this year, things I never did in high school. There's REALLY good free entertainment almost every weekend, and the party scene is perfect- extremely fun and available without being sketchy or dangerous. The classes are small and the professors are so friendly.That said, it has its drawbacks. Diversity is not very prevelant- most of the campus is (nice) rich, white, New England. There's not a large interest in sports. The town that we're in is pretty small, but there is a mall and a movie theatre and a few restaurants and a free van service that people actually use to get there. Lastly, it's a play-hard, work-hard mentality- not the place for you if you start your weekend on Tuesday. I usually have several hours of reading and homework each day, but I love the subject matter at least.

The campus is absolutely beautiful..the friendships students make are amazing and the relationships with the professors are very close. There is nothing unusual about Hamilton, and there is a lot of school pride.

Hamilton is the perfect size. You don't know every single person, but you know a lot of people. Walking on campus any given day you'll say hi to at least five people every ten minutes. Students can have a good time, but we can also be very serious too. Our college town is small, but we have a good relationship. We are very proud of our school. I will always remember the day my friends threw me a birthday party after only having known me for a month.

I love the size of Hamilton. I transferred to Hamilton from a much larger state university so in comparison, the small liberal arts community is great. Hamilton is located in Clinton, NY, which does not offer much in the way of things for college students to do. The town is small and quiant, but students typically live on the hill and spend all of their time on campus (various forms of entertainment come to Hamilton students, rather than students traveling to shows, concerts, movies, etc.). In general, Hamilton students take great pride in their identity on this campus. I feel it is an honor to be able to say that I am a Hamilton student. I have found that some people have never heard of this small school, however, the ones who have are very impressed by its reputation and esteemed academic vigor.

We are a close knit community but a little bit divided by which side of campus you're on. The alums are great at giving back to the school and helping students. I think most of the study abroad options are great as Clinton, NY is going to be VERY boring if you stay here all 4 years. I love the dark side of campus for its diverse, multicultural artsy feel but also appreciate the light "siders" who bring to this campus their own style which is predom. preppy.

Hamilton is definitely a school that exists in a bubble. Clinton is an idyllic little town, and probably doing a lot better than most other places in rural New York thanks to Hamilton kids with money to spend, while half an hour away, Utica's ready to just roll over and die. Also, because of the bubble, Hamilton gets a very sheltered/isolated feel to it once in a while. Sometimes this bothers people, other times people don't really notice or mind. On the flip side, because of this isolated/bubble feeling, the college community itself is pretty close-knit. The lunch ladies recognize you and ask how you're doing, faces begin to look familiar after the first couple weeks, you spend time outside of class just hanging out with your professor, and you just generally feel "at home."

I love Hamilton, it's been one of the best experiences of my life. The opportunities here rival anything any other school can possibly offer. The resources and support students recieve here is amazing compared to what other schools offer. When Hamilton says anything is possible. They mean it, they'll support you in any way they can. Students are smart, masters at procrastination, but ultimately we write better and speak better than alot of kids I've met from the Ivy's and other top 20 liberal arts colleges. And the Alumni are an amazing committed group of individuals.

The big thing about Hamilton is that you are really independent and they respect that. You make your own decisions bout classes (no curriculum), what activities you can and and basically you can chose whether to drink or not, etc. It's all your choice and through that, I think it makes Hamilton liberal. I hate the fact that it's on the Hill, everyone complains about that. Unless you are fit and pro-torture, it is murder to have to go back to Hamilton through hiking up the Hill. The campus is divided into two parts which actually used to be two schools- the Light side and the Dark Side. The Light Side is more preferred since it's near everything, but the Darkside is more notorious for its waffle ceiling, extremely bland cement buildings and with every building on the Dark Side known for its problems while it's the opposite for the Light side. Oh, and by the time you start classes here, the Honor Code will be seared into your brain. They make you feel like you will get the death sentence if you EVER think of cheating. There is no "college town." The town mostly consists of bars and pizza places and not very good ones at that. There is the notorious China Sea Restaurant, the only Chinese restaurant in tow that is so greasy and bad that it's constantly empty. Therefore, the campus life is boring and off-campus life as far as the town is boring. You have to go far to get to some good malls. When I said I ways going to Hamilton (since I'm from Los Angeles, CA), besides my friends wondering where the hell and what the hell Hamilton was, they thought I was going to develop a New York accent, haveso much more fun than them (since they stayed in LA in public Colleges) and thought I would get a better education and job opportunities. They were ignorant for the most part. I don't have a New York accent, my intelligence is at par with most people at my year and I am SO not having that much fun here.

I love that Hamilton is a small community where everyone can get to know each other really well. I have met some of my closest friends here. The academic climate is really challenging, but not so competitive in terms of students racing to get the top grade in the class. It's all just about learning new things and being part of a rigorous atmosphere. On campus, I like to spend a lot of time studying in the Science Center- a nice, tranquil building with a good study environment.

the school is the right size. i wanted a small school and this is exaclty what it is. i do wish that there were more good restaurants nearby. one thing that i would change about hamilton is probably the weather and maybe the fact that it wasnt on a hill.