Skidmore College Top Questions

Just as all the descriptions will tell you, Skidmore is a small northeastern liberal arts college. There's a big focus on the "Liberal" and the "Arts" part... It is small. Definitely small. Not Bennington small but, smaller than a lot of places. I feel like I know a good percentage of the people here, and personally, I love that. Sometimes it may feel like you can't get away from some people, but that's not usually a problem. One thing I noticed when I got here was that people were just nice. Yeah, we have the stuck-up super rich bitches who won't give you the time of day, but there's like three, and nobody else likes them. The rest of us are very open and friendly, and extremely accepting of everyone. Even the Jocks (all twelve of them) are really nice. It's just the kind of place this is. Saratoga Springs is excellent, really great place, kinda expensive. Its not a College Town by any means, it is its own entity and Skidmore just happens to be on the north end of it. The One major problem that people here have is with the administration/governing bodies at Skidmore. The administration can be pretty... disconnected at times, and many times they'll hold events that absolutely nobodies interested in or whatnot. I've heard a lot of complaints from the students working for Res Life, the department treats them like crap. The Res Life staff themselves are pretty awesome though, I've not met one that I didn't like. SGA, the Student Government Association is fairly notorious for being aloof, elitist and downright corrupt at times, but that's changing as more and more people get involved. As far as the social governance goes, there is a lot of apathy on campus. People just don't care too much about things like SGA and the like. That's not to say that Apathy is a big problem on campus, people do really care about their studies, and there are a TON of current issues that will have rallies and such. There's a significant lack of sports teams. Period. Therefore there isn't all that much Skidmore pride flowing from every bodily oriface of every student. If you can get past that, you'll see that everybody here really does love their school, quite a lot.

the BEST thing about Skidmore is how devoted the professors are. classes are discussion based (which is how i learn best) - because we have such small classes professors want to develop a good relationship with their students to facilitate discussion - this campus is also quite active politically which is important - saratoga is the perfect college town, we have everything on campus but the town is a great supplement

I'm transferring next year to Smith. The guys here suck and there are too few of them anyway. It's always a myriad of amazing girls chasing a disgusting guy who then thinks he's all that because boys in general are in short supply so those that are worth anything are snatched up into relationships.

I wrote an email to a friend who was considering going to skidmore and it answers most of the questions (sorry for typos!) - here it is: okay so in terms of parties skidmore is weird because we dont have frats which really affects the whole party scene. most of my friends at other colleges go to frats on any night of the week and have the typical "im drunk at a frat party college experience" meaning.. the kind of thing you see in movies. we dont have that which sucks for freshmen. because usually only freshmen go to the frats because they dont know anyone to go to any of the other parties. but we do have houses off campus that people go to and sports teams like the lax, hockey and baseball team have houses off campus and regularly have parties and they are basically like our frats. people on campus in the dorms (i dont know what people in scribner village or northwoods do) typically dont drink during the week. no parties during the week which is good and bad. people smoke a lot though instead of drinking. weekends here start on thursday. people go downtown usually on thursday nights (lots of bars/a couple of dance clubs, you'll need a good fake id, pretty easy to get one in nyc) friday is pretty chill a lot of people go to falstaffs which is a venue/bar on campus (you absolutely have to be 21 to drink there) and listen to bands play or else go to a small party in scriber village if they have friends there (see thats the thing about skidmore is that you have to be friends with older people to go to the more chill parties because they are smaller and usually in northwoods and scribner.. but i mean the houses off campus that have parties are always a good time too) and saturday night people go to parties off campus. theres a pretty decent amount of stuff to do downtown- its a resort town during the summer so there are a lot of restaurants and bars. there's a target, best buy, shitty shopping mall, and... a price chopper all within 5 minutes. so you have everything you need nearby. i wish the town was bigger. i like big cities (i really wanted to go to school in boston) so this is a little disappointing for me. that's pretty much my only dispute with the school. but i mean nyc is a bus/train ride away (about 3 hrs). okay so there are a lot of art kids/hipsters here. but there are also a decent amount of jocks so theres a good mixture of people here. just like at any school some courses are good and some are bad. it really depends on the professor. we have a lot of good profs. here. so all in all i really like skidmore i just wish it was closer/in a bigger city. oh and our dorms are nice. way bigger than most of my friends (unless you get put into a triple which i was at the beginning of the year). hope this helped i know its really long but i tried to answer all of your questions.. wish i could've done this with someone at all the schools i was looking at.

I'm a huge fan of Skidmore-- it's a perfect size for me (about 2400 students), and I absolutely love Saratoga Springs. The town is pretty nice to the students, if a bit expensive sometimes. The only thing I don't like is that there isn't a lot of school spirit (athletics aren't a big priority), and a lot of people are rather apathetic about what goes on around campus. For me, the Skidmore name is respected in my chosen field (theater), which was a reason I chose to attend. Music is HUGE here... when the weather is nice, people are always out on the green playing and chilling out. It's absolutely awesome.

Skidmore is a difficult place to describe in one box. I think the best thing about it is how much people love it there; "Skiddies" are proud to study there. There is a deep sense of community at Skidmore- you can't walk through the green without stopping to talk to someone. It is a bit small- after three years, 2,500 kids seems a bit confining. Yet, there is something to be said about such a closeknit community. There have been times where the entire community has banded together and supported each other. Students are passionate about their schoolwork, their activities, and their hobbies. Saratoga Springs is one of the highlights of Skidmore. The town is small but lively, and with a great nightlife, it is a perfect college town. Sometimes, there are feelings of animosity between the townies and the students, but it never seems to be a problem. There are plenty of sights to see there as well: Congress Park, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the battlefield, the orchards, Yaddo, Cafe Lena- it's an amazing place. A word of advice: There isn't much school spirit athletics-wise. Like I mentioned before, most kids are of the artsy-type and though there are many athletes on campus, typically the only ones that go to games or matches are those that have a vested interest in them. Skidmore has an AMAZING music/social scene on campus, as well. There is a lot to do on weekends- there are parties in apartments or off-campus, concerts in the Spa, Falstaff's or Filene, or dance parties sponsored by different clubs. Honestly, there is a lot of alchohol use (and sometimes other substances), yet I have NEVER EVER felt any pressure to take part. I think this is a very important thing to know about Skidmore- you are encouraged to be YOU and do what is right for YOU.

Skidmore is pretty open-minded, and the atmosphere is definitely conducive to personal growth and identity discovery. Professors are helpful, understanding, and quite flexible for the most part. We also get a lot of really interesting lecturers who speak on topics relevant to our studies. Lots of things, such as on-campus events, majors, and specific courses have the interdisciplinary stamp on them, which fun and different. I sped a lot of time either in Case Center, the student Union or the Dining Hall. Skidmore is a little small for my taste. You see the guy/girl you hooked up with the morning after, you see the same faces everyday, everyone knows each-other's business. Saratoga Springs is absolutely beautiful in the Spring. The bus system is reliable and super helpful. Taking walks/ bike rides downtown or on campus in good weather is really nice. The Winter is freezing and can sometimes be dreary.

Skidmore is amazing. There is a group for everyone, but yet no one is really clicky. Sometimes Skidmore feels too small, when you walk into the dinning hall and know EVERYONE, but then you walk into a class of 12 people and remember how amazing a smaller school is. Most of my time on campus is spent on the green (in the nice weather), library, or hanging out in friends rooms. Downtown Saratoga is perfect for the school. There are a lot of great shops and restaurants, and the town and the students both like each other. The most recent controversy on campus was about housing. The class of 2011 is very large and a lot of them were in triples. Because the newest housing on campus is so nice no one wants to go off campus which is adding to the pile up of triples. There is a lot of school pride in the arts, but severely lacking in the athletics department. I will always remember all of the warm days were the entire school is outside just hanging out enjoying each other's company.

--awesome new england college town, --school is too small for a normal social scene, ie dating when you know everyone's business already --the green is our "quad" and it is an amazing experience on a good weather day --skidmore isn't really a school that supports their athletic teams, very few go to games they'd rather participate then watch --there is a huge difference in ratio between men and women, not enough men to go around --classes are a good size,and there is good student teacher relationships or at least opportunity to make one --skidmore's dining hall is the best, offers wide variety of everything, brick oven pizza, vegetarian, salad, pasta, egg grills, dinner food, and its totally edible

The size is great, I already feel like I know a ton of people. But it would be nice if there was another dining hall so that you didn't have to have awkward confrontations with people you have hooked up with. I spend most of my time in the dorms, the rooms are beautiful and spacious! Saratoga Springs is the perfect college town. Lots of bars, good shopping, amazing restaurants. You can definitely see the prevalence of the college in town, but it is very unique and could definitely survive without us. There are lots of complaints about housing problems. More seniors want to live on campus because of the beautiful new North Woods apartments and that trickles down so there are more freshmen in triples and more sophomores in doubles (rather than singles).

People here are diverse in their ways of thinking and personalities, which was really important for me. Everyone has a different viewpoint, and it's really interesting to be around so many "thinkers." The "city" of Saratoga is great, too. You can walk downtown from campus and it's an event just to walk past all the huge old beautiful houses on Broadway. The community seems to have a good relationship with the school, and there are frequently members of the community at Skidmore events or even in classes. I think the feel of the school/town relationship is perfect.

The best thing about Skidmore is the dining hall, which is a crazy '80's ski resort themed "Willy Wonka" building. Seriously, you have to see it to believe it. Skidmore is too small, if you hook up with someone, eventually you'll meet someone else who has too. Everybody knows everybody else. It gets a little annoying after your first semester. People think of Skidmore as a good institution, which it is! There are great professors and the students are pretty intelligent themselves. The town, Saratoga Springs, is amazing! There is lots to do, a mall nearby, and it has beautiful architecture. Students hang out a lot in a coffee shop downtown called Uncommon Grounds. The biggest recent controversy on campus was former-Attorney General John Ashcroft's visit to campus. There was a lot of debate about his lecture among professors, students, and members of the community. There is not a lot of school pride. Skidmore students are pretty apathetic about that kind of thing. It's nice. The biggest complaints about Skidmore is its small student body, lack of any real student center, and the fact that everyone wants to drink on the weekends but there are few "big" student parties. Mostly, you have to know the right people to find a good place to party.

One thing I would change about Skidmore is having a bigger athletic tradition. There are some devoted Skidmore fans, but there are a lot of people that do not support athletics at all.

Skidmore is exactly what anyone would expect from a small school in the woods of upstate New York. Anyone could also expect the opposite. To say that the college is what you, or anyone expects is a bit pretentious. Instead, Skidmore is wholly dedicated to its slogans "Creative thought matters" and "give more, respect more, skidmore." Once the kitschiness of the phrases has worn off, a real dedication to those tenets is what seems to drive the administration. While the whole campus is not compelled to ride with the administration, a large enough portion of the students are sufficiently dedicated to making the world better that a generally selfless feeling permeates the campus. case in point. stand by a door. someone will open it for you with a smile.

People don't know Skidmore when I tell them that I go to college there. Partly, this is because I'm from the South so people know different schools. Skidmore's size is very small. Most of the kids who go here are from small private school, so it makes sense that they would choose a small college too. Saratoga Springs, the town where Skidmore is located, is nice and quaint. The bar-scene is really good, but strict about underage entrance. Skidmore is unique in that although the horse sports like polo and equestrian riding team, no one knows or cares about them.

One thing I'd change about Skidmore: Make people stop smoking!! It's disgusting and bad for you. I think it's a good size school though, it's nice to start seeing familiar faces. Saratoga is a great college town, there's so much to do.

I love the size of Skidmore. I can reconginze people I meet and it's easy to interact with those you don't. Everyone is SO polite. We all hold doors for one another everyone says please and thank you. When I tell people I go to Skidmore they generally give me a confused look and I have to explain where it is. I have been met with really positive reactions from some people, though. Skid is a really open school and always inviting students to make change if they have a problem with something. They are acommodating to everyone no matter what gender, race, or sexuality. I have heard people complain about the lack of diversity and some wish that there were more activists in the student body.

The architecture is nothing like the rest of Saratoga- it's all super modern and of questionable taste. Academics are pretty good, although some departments, like English, are a lot stronger than others, like math. I think the size is good, although some people think its too small- most of them come from big cities. I love how the college is trying to go green, and the North Woods are a fabulous part of the college that I think are overlooked. Worst part about Skidmore is the complete lack of school pride. Hardly anyone goes to watch sports, and lots of the athletes don't take the teams seriously.

The heat in the dorms isn't always correlated to the heat outside The size is great, you see people you know all of the time but don't have to hang out with the same people all of the time The town is great, very amenable to the college--the students make up most of Saratoga's economy during the school year, while the racetrack is the summer economy We have a ton of school spirit for both the arts and athletics, Thoroughbreds forever!

THe best thing about skidmore is the people. Everyone is so wonderful. Friendly, laid back, and concerned. Everyone at skidmore is very smart, and were in the top of their class in highschool. But the difference between skidmore and other top liberal arts schools is that at skidmore there is little competition between students. Everyone wants everyone else to do well, and there is no back-biting crap about grades and such. Everyone cares about everyone else, and it isnt fake at all. People react very well usually when i tell them I go to skidmore, but the usual stereotype is that i must be an art student or a dramie. I tell them no, I am actually pre-med, and skidmore has one of the top science departments in the country, and they are very surprized, and impressed. Most of my time i spend in the dining hall, where people gather to do homework and just relax in front of the fires in the comfy chairs. Saratoga is a wonderful college town, with great boutiques and fun little stores to spend time (and money) in. Skidmore's administration honestly wants to help you do anything. they go out of their way to be helpful and accomodating, no matter what the issue. The most frequent student complaint is the lack of big big parties on campus, you usually have to go down the street to get the bigger parties. On campus parties usually number around 20-25 people.

1.The best thing about Skidmore is it's academics. There is a lot of diversity, and no one department which is "bad" all departments are very strong! 2.The social scene at Skidmore is very strange from other colleges. For whatever reason people hang out in small groups, and breaking into new groups takes a lot of work which makes getting to know people very difficult. If you find a group of people you fall in love with easily you will have an excellent social experience here, but don't expect to make a ton of long lasting friends. Also, if you don't find your group right off the bat you might have a very negative social experience here. 3.The school size is perfect. I feel like I'm in a small community, but not a large city. I also feel that there are a lot of people on campus who i've never met before. 4. I send most of my time on campus in my dorm, but I am also on res life, and I like to study in my room, but I also spend a ton of time in the music building 5. Town is great, for people who are able to drink downtown is a great place to hang out at night, or even just go out an not drink. Also, getting coffee or walking around on a nice day is great! 6. Skidmore's administration sometimes feels like it is out of touch with the students. There is a lot of interaction between students and professors, but not a lot with higher level employees such as the dean or president. 7. The biggest controversy is race issues, and equality. 8.There is hardly any school spirit, sporting events aren't attended and programs put on by other groups are not well attended by the students 9. the most student complaints I've heard have been about the social scene, or lack there of.

Skidmore has a large population of bizarre individuals who manage to juggle rigorous study and hard living. I've friends who have already made names for themselves in documentary film circles, ones who argue with me until seven in the morning about philosophy, and yet others who romp about canada every hunting season in their pick-up. The Library is packed every week-day and-night and there are fresh causes being paraded about every other day. Skidmore doesn't really blow the horn as other schools might: athletic events are ignored and lectures are packed, frats are banned and "art battles" are marked on the calendar. The mindset is very different here, which I appreciate.

Its a great school with a tough and rigorous cirriculum. I'd change the number of black people amd the amount of fans that come to the games if I could. I think the school is just right not too big or small but it depends on the person and whether they like one on one attention or if they just want to be a number. Most people I talk to don't know about Skidmore so they ask where is and such. Most times i'm in my room or in the gym! What college town??? The Skidmore administrtion is great. IThe ones that I do kno are really awesome! Biggest controvery was about so racial issues(slurs). I don't think there is alot of school pride based on the sports games. I'd say there are unusual people here because its just not what I'm use to. Just attending here has been a learning experience. I don't like the food in the D Hall but I don't know what others would say.

best thing: downtown saratoga; surrounding area, having sidewalks to be able to enjoy change: stereotype that its a hippie school school size is good to the point where you dont know everyone but faces do look familiar people arent sure where its located or whats around it if they do not know the area spend most of my time in the dorms and at the dhall collegetown dont know too many in the administration sector only those that get involved with athletics not much school pride its rare to find fans other than fellow athletes at games will always remember the first day/night i moved in freshman year complaints : dry campus

Skidmore is maybe a little bit too small for me. I spend most of my time in the dorms or the dining hall. During the winter its a college town, but in the summer its a horse racing town.

SKidmore is great! God, the kids are so wonderful and it is such a treat to be surrounded by people who care about a culture, because the more I travel to other colleges, the more I realize that it is a rarity. The administration is trying to bolster Sciences right now, which is great but it is really important to the students who are at Skidmore that it retain its emphasis on the arts. When I read about Skidmore when I was applying, the college guide said, "this school puts the ARTS in liberal arts." Sold. There is not the conventional sense of school pride at Skidmore (ie supporting sports teams) but students are generally active in whatever it is that they are interested in and there are always people starting up new clubs and initiatives. The best thing about Skidmore is that if you want to see a change, or get something started it is relatively easy to do! This year the "anti-sweatshop labor club" got the school to switch brands of toilet paper and paper towels in all the bathrooms because KimberlyClark was not ethical. That's pretty cool.