Hamilton: The Big Picture
Big-picture-wise: I absolutely love Hamilton. We are such a small, tight knight community with a lot of strengths. We are located in a small village (Clinton) so we usually cling to each other for our social lives. We are definitely not a "suitcase school" where the campus is deserted on the weekends. I always feel like I miss out on so much if I have to leave for a few days, especially for sports. I have made relationships with people and faculty members which I know I will maintain after graduation. The environment is very rewarding if you choose to put effort into it. There is a lot of school pride, but not necessarily for all of the sports teams. If I could, I would change the amount of snow we receive in upstate New York, but I would not change anything else.
Hamilton Academic Life
I have never had a class at Hamilton where a professor did not know my name, what I did on campus, how I was doing in class, and where I was from. Students studied a lot during the week, and party hard on the weekends. I spend a large amount of time with professors outside of class because they are so easily accessible. The department for my major is a very small one, but all of the professors are loving, accommodating, and selfless. Hamilton's lack of core requirements was what initially drew me to the school. It allows for such academic freedom and creates such engaging learning environments in your classes where students are there because they want to be, not because they are fulfilling some requirement. Most learning at Hamilton requires you to be independent and self-motivating, which helps prepare you for the real world. Class participation is almost always required, with the exception of a few lecture classes. It's also really common to hear students continuing class discussions after class.
Hamilton's Student Body
Most students were sweatpants, jeans, and t-shirts to class. It's a very casual campus, but there are a bunch of students who like to be dressy most of the time. Students are very active; if you aren't on a varsity sports team, you're probably on an IM team with your dorm floor, or a frequenter at the gym, or someone who likes to run through the Glen a few times a week. Most students are from the East coast, and it's typical for racial groups to clump together. However, I still don't feel like there is a student who could feel out of place at Hamilton. Anyone would be able to feel a connection to someone, because differing opinions are welcomed greatly, that's what makes the community so vibrant.
Hamilton Student Activities + Social Life
I met my closest friends from my Adirondack Adventure trip during pre-orientation and in the dorms my freshman year. It's really easy to meet people though, as long as you put yourself out there in extracurricular activities. Most students leave their doors open so when you're walking by you stop in and say hello. Overall, students stay up really late on campus, which is why Cape Opus is open late for caffeine fixes. It's common to see people watching TV shows or movies until early in the morning or pulling all-nighters in the Science Center. People party two or three nights a week usually. Fraternities and sororities have a presence on campus because a third of the student body is involved with one. They don't have a great reputation, but I think we have the best of both worlds at Hamilton because we have them for people who are interested, but they are not isolated in their own dorms on campus. If you don't want to go Greek, you don't have to. When I was looking at colleges, I specifically sought on campuses without Greek life, but ended up falling in love with a sorority at Hamilton and joining anyways!
Hamilton Naked Truth
Overall, Hamilton College is a vibrant, engaging community with active, motivated students.
