Colgate University Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

Jim

I would say so. Other types of students exist but they seem to be on the outside margins.

James

Yes, they are stereotypes for a reason. Walking around campus it is pretty hard to dispute any of them, especially the heavy drinking one, we have an operating pub on campus for goodness sake.

Laura

No. There are a lot of preppy kids, but there are also a large population that are not. Not everyone drinks, not even half of the school i'd say. Although Hamilton,NY is not a thriving city there is always something to do ranging from parties to movies to book signings to class dinners with your professor.

Ryan

Almost 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} accurate.

Alex

to some extent yes. like most stereotypes they are grounded in reality but do not apply to everyone. I do think that colgate is an extremely athletic student body, which has positive and negative results.

Brooke

Colgate definitely has the "work hard, play hard" mentality. Academics are a priority for most and students work hard in the classroom as well as outside of it. Classrooms are full of bright curious students and naturally we challenge one another. The harder we work in the classroom, the more fun we allow ourselves to have at night/on the weekends. The two aspects of life balance one another and make the whole experience worth while.

Shannon

Although there are many students that fit this stereotype, there is still diversity at Colgate. Because of its small size, some students may feel that there is not enough diversity.

Meghan

I think its safe to safe that Colgate is not located in a bustling metropolis but the location is its appeal. Hamilton is a quaint peaceful town in central New York that caters to the needs of Colgate. The university provides plenty activities to keep students active and students of all classes are allowed to have cars on campus so with syracuse and binghamton only an hour away, Colgate doesn't feel so removed. It is further this location that fosters the pride amongst students and professors to call themselves a RAIDER!

allison

Both yes and no. While there are a number of students that appear as though they've walked out of a JCrew catalogue, you still find a number of students who do not follow this trend. You can definitely tell that many of the students at Colgate come from wealthy families. While Colgate strives to promote diversity with their strong efforts toward gaining International students, the campus remains predominantly Caucasian.

Scott

Some students fit these stereotypes, many don't

Wil

A large number of the students are completely aloof to things that occur in the real world and a number of them have a undeserved sense of entitlement, but Colgate's commitment to diversity tends to expose some of those students to reality.

Jack

Colgate is fucking freezing yet beautiful, and the town of Hamilon wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Colgate. As I sip filtered water out of my Nalgene in Jersey and wipe my white ass with a Benjamin I realize that I have become a caricature of myself.

Torry

For the most part, the Colgate student body is not very diverse and is saturated with children who come from middle and upper class families. However, I have never found anyone on campus to be snotty or obnoxious about their money and for the most part the issue about money only really comes into play when you're talking about whose going to buy the next round of drinks.

Charlie

To a point, yes. It is true that a large percentage of Colgate students are quite financially well-off, and thus can afford expensive clothing and year-long tans. A vast majority of students also strive to maintain or improve their appearances, making regular visits to the gym and the salad bar at Frank. Perhaps this is due to the perceived pressure to be perfect. Maybe Colgate just attracts students that are unusually self-aware. Whatever it is, there certainly is no rule that you must fit the stereotype. Average-ness abounds, and yes, Colgate even has its fair share of homeliness, too. Besides that, partying is indeed an integral part of campus life. Being so far from big-city entertainment, students must find ways to entertain themselves. It is no surprise then, that the combination of alcohol and attractive people practically screams liberal loving, making the sight of a hand-holding couple almost as rare as spotting a squirrel is not! However, it is possible, and it does happen. Love and ugliness do exist at Colgate!

Jordan

Yes there are some very wealthy and some very preppy people at Colgate, but there are also alot of people who aren't. Alot of my friends wouldn't even be able to come here if they didn't have financial aid.

Alex

For the most part, yes, but I think the rich and preppy kids only are more noticeable than the other types of students.

Whitney

Most people - but not ALL - are financially comfortable and intelligent. The education is very good, slightly too expensive, NOT in the Ivy league and NOT a dentistry school.

Kathleen

There are students who are rich and preppy and who seem to only care about Greek life, but I've come to learn that Colgate is much more than that. As a rising upperclassman I am realizing that Colgate students have passions, interests, and concerns; it just took a while for these qualities to shine through.

Toby

shit its cold as hell going down the hill to parties but when you come up you dont feel a thing

Patrick

A lot of the students do have money but I would say that it is a normal campus with social life just like many of the other colleges.

Nina

Yes

Lindsay

For the most part, this is true. People love to go out and party - hard - but you see those same kids the next morning in the library, getting their work done.

Michelle

Colgate is a fairly liberal school, but is by no means comparable to some of the other liberal schools such as Wesleyan or Skidmore. Politics aren't a main issue at Colgate. The majority of the student population is categorized under "prep" and many do wear expensive brand names to classes. Colgate students are also very work orientated but are not your typical "nerds" that are anti-social and spend all of their time in the library. There exists a great balance between a student's academics and his or her social life.

Joe

Colgate is not Oberlin, but it's not Notre Dame. There are plenty of preppy students, but it's not a Jcrew catalog.

Emily

The wealthiness of the campus is impressive, I know people whose parents are CEO's of major companies, but in most cases people don't flaunt their wealth and it's extremely difficult to know who is on financial aid and who isn't. I was happily surprised by the variety of political viewpoints on the campus. I don't feel overwhelmed by a conservative contingent at all, and most of my friends are actually liberal. The school is definitely predominated by East Coasters, but every state is represented and many countries, which is impressive considering Colgate's small size. I have come to feel proud about the fact I am from someplace that isn't Connecticut or New Jersey because it sets me apart.

Charlene

There is definitely a preppy side to Colgate but the students there all got in on their own merit, so yes they will work hard and party harder. There is a diversity beyond east coast prep if you look for it.

Evan

Unfortunately, they can be to a large degree. There are a lot of good people on campus, too (and I'm not saying that these stereotypical people can't also be good ones), but there's not enough activism or solid defense of some opinions and respectful criticism of others.

Blake

For some, yes. For others absolutely not.

Ande

For a good chunk of the people, yes

Caroline

we do party hard, a lot of the kids here are rich and white, and a lot are very good at sports, but the athletics here does not define the school; the really great academics is what makes this school the way it is.

Jessica

There are rich and smart kids but in general everyone is pretty friendly.

Nick

Yes.

Jill

Yes

Jesse

yes

Steve

Most students are rich and probably a little more than helf a defintely preppy. I'd say students here drink and party about as much as any other college. The town is small, but the colgate students make it come to life and make it fun. It is defintely cold as hell during the winter, but summer is nice.

Alex

Extremely accurate.

Dale

somewhat

Cody

Yes, you'll come across these people in their typical Nantucket wear, pulling all-nighters downtown one night and at the library the next, but there are really people from all walks here - art students, World of Warcraft addicts, the future politicians of America, wilderness loving Outdoor Ed students, and more...

amy

Yes and no. We are much more laid back then what one would consider 'preppy'. There are some guys who wear pink shirts and sear sucker shorts, but at the same time there are so many other sorts of people. We do tend to work hard play hard, but is that a bad thing? People know when they need to sit in the Library and work, but we are not going to freak out and not have fun on the side. We do tend to drink a lot, but there is also so much other stuff to do! No one pressures anyone to drink. You often find sober people standing next to drunk people at a concert.

Colleen

To an extent, yes. I think much of the student body is comprised of people from well-to-do families, and largely from the East Coast. However, that is a generalization, and there are MANY other types of people at Colgate. I think everyone can find a niche here, and while the preppy kids may be the most numerous or visible, certainly all personality types, socioeconomic backgrounds, interests, political and religious belief systems are represented here.

Andy

For the most part. The campus is basically a bunch of white rich kids from the Northeast who wear expensive clothes they bought with mommy and daddy's money. Fortunately, some people overcome the need to have excessive hubris and return to earth after a few months of school. It doesn't matter what kind of student you are, you will get your ass kicked on a paper or exam eventually. Positions on the Colgate faculty are extremely competitive and most professors radiate an extreme passion in what they study. Colgate students work hard, some harder than others (particularly science majors). An education from Colgate is not a joke and employers know the level of competence this degree ensures. Dating is rare, but everyone hooks-up. The university has bought the frat houses and is trying to demolish the greek system. There are about 3 bars downtown and a pizza place everyone goes to on the weekends which can get monotonous. Fortunately, there are still plenty of parties at the townhouses, upperclassman apartments and frat houses. The town is small, but quaint and there is an adorable farmer's market on Saturday and Sunday mornings where you can run into your professors walking their dogs or selling windchimes. It's not uncommon to be diagnosed as an alcoholic if you're a student here. I think the winters suck, but if you're a person who enjoys winter sports such as skiing, sledding, ice skating etc. and can also put up with -20* windchill then you may like it. The school is on a hill so be prepared to climb anywhere you go around campus.

Daniel

Sort of. The majority of students do come from very wealthy families in the northeast. Most students don't work that hard, though. There are some kids as well who come from different backgrounds, but they are definitely in the minority.

Brittany

Yes they are correct. Colgate tries to promote itself as diverse, but its really not very diverse. It is a great place to be however. Some students want a lot of diverstiy but diverstiy can come in other ways then geographic location or ethnicity.

Sarah

While some students may fit these stereotypes, they do not account for the entire student body.

Becca

To a moderate degree, yes. The majority of students at Colgate are preppy and come from families that can afford to pay their tuition. There is also a large partying and drinking scene. But Colgate is getting less and less conservative. Students are interested in green initiatives like the Green Bikes program and the Energy Olympics, which encourages people to cut back on their energy use. Also, I know far more Democrats that Republicans.

Jon

Somewhat - About 60-70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of Colgate students are wealthy, but they usually don't flaunt it. Most Colgate students do work really hard at their academics and then party on the weekends. A significant portion of Colgate's campus drinks regularly, but you don't have to drink to have an enjoyable experience here. And no, frat parties are not the only source of social life, although they do have a strong presence on campus.

caryn

There is a huge diversity in the personality of the Colgate student, so I would not say that we are all preppy. In terms of work hard - party hard, we do know how to have fun, but it is always well deserved.

John

As far as i can tell, it seems like both of these things are pretty true; we have great parties and everyone is really laid back

Mike

Yes

Whitney

Yes, they mostly are. We have a small representation of minorities on campus, but not much although Colgate claims to support diversity. The party school thing is semi-accurate. Colgate students party a lot, but they do not have the endurance. Most parties end by like 1 or 2 am. Also, there are basically two extremes at Colgate: those who party a lot and those who don't at all.