This Week’s College: Hamilton College Clinton, New York
This small, liberal arts college is tucked away in upstate New York is host to a collection of sleek modern buildings and older (3rd oldest in New York, actually) stone buildings. Winters are cold and falls are vibrant and Adirondack chairs are everywhere (you’re only an hour from the park) at this school which prides itself on helping you to become your best self.
I’ve known some folks who’ve gone to Hamilton and the interesting thing about them is that there is no “Hamilton Type.” It could be because one of the main missions of Hamilton is, as their motto states to “Know Thyself.” Their main focus is to develop students as human beings to prepare them to make choices and accept responsibilities of citizenship in a democratic world of intellect and diversity.
To this end they are not just an everyday liberal arts college. Yes they have what all liberal arts colleges have: low student faculty ratio (9:1), wide range of small classes and seminars, talented faculty, and a close community of students and faculty who work together in a learning community. But there are some noted differences about Hamilton. Unlike many liberal arts colleges, Hamilton has no core curriculum. Students are free to explore courses that interest them. But, Hamilton has some required classes so that students have the skills necessary to be successful in that kind of exploration and without any boundaries.
Students are expected to take 3 writing intensive courses as part of “The Writing Program,” at least one course in the “Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning Program,” and are encouraged to participate in “First Year Course and Proseminar Programs.” These three areas are designed to hone students’ writing skills, critical thinking and reasoning skills, and also their ability to express themselves in a variety of medium (Oral Presentation skills are a part of the Proseminar series). Moreover, the First Year Courses are designed to bring students together as a class and help make the transition to college from high school a successful one.
Finally, as a senior, all students are expected to complete a Senior Program as well. This is a culminating product that is done through a concentration (think major but not exactly since you can design it yourself in conjunction with your faculty advisor) in close consultation with faculty and that is based on your specific interests and goals. What’s interesting about this project is the way in which a student has complete freedom to make it what s/he wants and also the responsibility to make it something both rigorous and in depth.
Hamilton is definitely a school where the life of the mind is a big thing. But it’s not the only thing. You’re in the middle of the Adirondacks so it should come to no surprise that the Outing Club is the largest on campus. But it’s not the only one or even the only outdoors one. You can knit, game, invest, do mock trial, cook or color in coloring books. There’s a decent variety of Division III sports and plenty of club sports as well as intramurals.
Most students live on campus because there’s not many other places to live, but Hamilton has some cool options for living. There’s a cooperative house (Woollcott) where everyone lives together, cooks, shares food and meals, chores, etc. There are also some options for freshman to experience the REAL program which integrates classes and residence so you have a faculty advisor and you take a class with your fellow residents from that advisor (topics like Greek Mythology, Philosophy of the Self, Dream/Life).
Pros:
This small, liberal arts college is tucked away in upstate New York is host to a collection of sleek modern buildings and older (3rd oldest in New York, actually) stone buildings. Winters are cold and falls are vibrant and Adirondack chairs are everywhere (you’re only an hour from the park) at this school which prides itself on helping you to become your best self.
I’ve known some folks who’ve gone to Hamilton and the interesting thing about them is that there is no “Hamilton Type.” It could be because one of the main missions of Hamilton is, as their motto states to “Know Thyself.” Their main focus is to develop students as human beings to prepare them to make choices and accept responsibilities of citizenship in a democratic world of intellect and diversity.
To this end they are not just an everyday liberal arts college. Yes they have what all liberal arts colleges have: low student faculty ratio (9:1), wide range of small classes and seminars, talented faculty, and a close community of students and faculty who work together in a learning community. But there are some noted differences about Hamilton. Unlike many liberal arts colleges, Hamilton has no core curriculum. Students are free to explore courses that interest them. But, Hamilton has some required classes so that students have the skills necessary to be successful in that kind of exploration and without any boundaries.
Students are expected to take 3 writing intensive courses as part of “The Writing Program,” at least one course in the “Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning Program,” and are encouraged to participate in “First Year Course and Proseminar Programs.” These three areas are designed to hone students’ writing skills, critical thinking and reasoning skills, and also their ability to express themselves in a variety of medium (Oral Presentation skills are a part of the Proseminar series). Moreover, the First Year Courses are designed to bring students together as a class and help make the transition to college from high school a successful one.
Finally, as a senior, all students are expected to complete a Senior Program as well. This is a culminating product that is done through a concentration (think major but not exactly since you can design it yourself in conjunction with your faculty advisor) in close consultation with faculty and that is based on your specific interests and goals. What’s interesting about this project is the way in which a student has complete freedom to make it what s/he wants and also the responsibility to make it something both rigorous and in depth.
Hamilton is definitely a school where the life of the mind is a big thing. But it’s not the only thing. You’re in the middle of the Adirondacks so it should come to no surprise that the Outing Club is the largest on campus. But it’s not the only one or even the only outdoors one. You can knit, game, invest, do mock trial, cook or color in coloring books. There’s a decent variety of Division III sports and plenty of club sports as well as intramurals.
Most students live on campus because there’s not many other places to live, but Hamilton has some cool options for living. There’s a cooperative house (Woollcott) where everyone lives together, cooks, shares food and meals, chores, etc. There are also some options for freshman to experience the REAL program which integrates classes and residence so you have a faculty advisor and you take a class with your fellow residents from that advisor (topics like Greek Mythology, Philosophy of the Self, Dream/Life).
Pros:
- Strong emphasis on freedom and independence in learning
- Small classes taught by well prepared faculty
- Prepares you to think, write, speak and reason
- Lots of great outdoor opportunities
- Student faculty relationships are close, strong community feel
- Private, so cha ching! (although 62% received financial aid this year)
- Small school
- Located in an a cold place with long winters
- Students here are serious about learning
- Some people feel like it’s a little too “hippy, granola”