Hamilton College

Date: Dec 08 2004
Major: Public Policy (This Major's Salary over time)
Make no mistake, Hamilton College consistently attracts a certain type of student (wealthy, intelligent, "arrogant," white) from a very specific place in society: upper class, secular, private, Northeast schools. The poeple who dominate the social life are all in fraternities and sororities, so if you pledge the wrong one freshman year—or if the Brothers or Sisters change dramtically in your years here—then things can potentially turn out very poorly socially. Almost all social students are from Connecticut (Greenwich), Westchester County, rural upstate New York, or other rich Northeastern towns west of Boston. If this is your crew, then you'll have a pretty good time. Personally, I hate it here. Every relationship that I have is based on alcohol and forgetful weekend nights, but that might be my fault, so don't rush to judgement. The weather is sad and depressing, the personalities are cold, exclusive, and arrogant, and the student life is generally poor. Example: if you go to a concert at Hamilton, no one will really be dancing or even moving. Most weirdos stand aroud with their arms crossed. This isn't my idea of a concert. There's no school spirit. The hockey game I went to last night had more visiting fans than Hamilton fans. It's not the type of place I'm used to. It's not a cozy tight-knit commmunity. It's a very exclusive, judgemental, arrogant atmosphere. This arrogance is reflected by the administration's behavior. When President Clinton came to speak to us this fall, people from the surrounding towns, including residents of Clinton, stood outside in the cold for three hours and were turned away only to realize that the field house had filled up with students half an hour ago. People knew that there were hundreds of residents outside, many elderly, who were literally freezing, and everyone inside the event knew that most of them would not get in. From where I come from, that's no way to treat people. I call it arrogance and I think that this place should be ashamed. Basically, the central thing that everyone cares about is their work, which is taken seriously by most people I interact with. This makes for a pretty good academic reputation, and the professors are amazing. But you can't get past the face that the weekends are the same thing every weekend, which is only fun if you like seein the same peeps every night. There aren't going to be any blossoming romances that develop with new and exotic people who you go for walks with through the Glen and throughout the campus. You're always being watched, so f you interact with someone others don't like you'll hear about it. "You hooked up with here? Dude she sucks." So, I guess my advice is make sure you pledge the right society if you really are into having a fun college experience with heavy drinking and sports and all that. Otherwise, be content to live some superficial, cold, and academically tough years in the middle of nowhere. Oh and one more thing, I live in a dorm as senior. Good luck.