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Inside Scoop

Quick Stats

School Slang
  • The ‘Gates: The Swinging ‘Gates, Colgate’s all-female, a cappella singing group
  • Adam and Eve: The swans found gliding across Taylor Lake every spring and fall
  • ALANA Cultural Center: African, Latin, Asian, & Native American Cultural Center that encourages the education of students on multicultural issues
  • The Annex: The motel-looking building behind the Theta sorority house
  • B&G: Buildings and Grounds; men and women who care for University facilities and grounds. Be nice to them. They lift and loft beds and clean your bathrooms.
  • The BAC: Budget Allocation Committee is a student committee that allocates funds to all student organizations.
  • The Barge: A University-owned coffeehouse found on Broad Street across from the bookstore
  • Birch: University Court Apartments, the blue apartments closest to Broad Street
  • CAB: Colgate Activities Board is a student organization that schedules and plans entertainment acts that come to Colgate and publicizes large student activities.
  • Case: Case Library and Geyer Center for Information Technology—or the main academic library on campus
  • The Commons: Structure located in the center of Parker Apartments where juniors and seniors study and do their laundry; also home to many social events throughout the year
  • Cooley: The Cooley Science library, located in the basement floor of McGregory Hall
  • The Coop: The O’Connor Campus Center, the main dining choice of upperclassmen; this place is equipped with a wireless Internet network, one very large fireplace, another smaller fireplace, and some very nice plasma TVs.
  • The Cruiser: Commonly referred to as the “drunk bus,” the Colgate Cruiser shuttles students up and down the hill and into town—a welcome sight on cold winter nights.
  • The C-Store: Convenience store found on the main level of the Coop; home to lots of candies and miscellaneous items, but beware because you pay for the convenience.
  • D-Board: Disciplinary board
  • Downtown: The town of Hamilton, located at the bottom of campus (not to be confused with NYC)
  • The Edge: Originally debuted as Colgate's "date spot," this dining hall now serves up reservations-only dinners and quick to-go lunches. The Cutting Edge Bistro is located in the Bryan Complex.
  • Frank: The Curtis E. Frank Dining Hall, main mecca of first-year socializing
  • 'Gate: Affectionate term for Colgate University
  • 'Gate Cash: This refers to the declining debit system tied to students' 'Gate cards; it's accepted everywhere on campus and most places downtown, as well.
  • Goosebeak: Charred Goosebeak, student improvisational comedy group that's very funny
  • The Hill: Colgate’s main campus containing most academic buildings and first-year dormitories
  • The HOP: Hall of Presidents
  • HRC: Harlem Renaissance Center, located in the Bryan Complex
  • ITS: Information Technology Services; staff and students with special knowledge and training that help with all of your computer needs, questions, and emergencies. If they can’t help you, keep trying and asking around. Someone in the staff will know the answer to your problem.
  • LASR: Library Automated Storage & Retrieval, a robot that retrieves any of the nearly 400,000 volumes stored in the book vault in Case Library
  • SPW: Spring Party Weekend
  • Thirteen: The Colgate 13, Colgate's all-male a cappella group
  • Tohos: The Townhouse Community is a housing option for upperclassmen located just beyond Huntington Gym on 12B South.
Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming To School
  • Be open to making new friendships. A wide variety of people attends Colgate. You will probably never get to meet such a diverse group of people in your life other than at school.
  • College is a time to reevaluate everything you've been involved with until this point. Take advantage of the opportunities you've been given by getting involved as soon as you get on campus. There are more than 170 student organizations, and it is incredibly easy to start your own organization and get school funding.
  • Don't feel a need to take part in the party culture. While Colgate tends to be known as a "play hard, party hard" institution, there is far more going on here.
  • Take advantage of the Center for Career Services and the extensive alumni network; the student and professional staff are there to assist you from your first day on campus.
  • While you are not required to declare your major until the second semester of your sophomore year, the sooner you get involved with your major program, the more you will get out of it.
  • You need a good pair of boots and a warm jacket. On the bright side, the snow and longer winters do foster a strong sense of community.
Tips to Succeed
  • Go to class and attend office hours. Most teachers have an attendance policy, which is incorporated into your grade. The professors go over the material so students have a clear understanding. Professors are more often than not itching to speak with students outside of class and often grade more favorably if you take advantage of office hours.
  • Nearly every academic department has its own lecture series. Branch out and attend as many different lectures as possible; it's an easy way to learn something new and may even be the inspiration for your next paper or project.
  • Work on your homework whenever you have time; if something fun comes up, you don't want to be stuck in Case Library based on procrastination, while the rest of your friends are out having fun.
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Colgate Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Inside Scoop at Colgate University

mdrance

Chemistry '14

4.6
A

Cuz I Go to Colgate

Colgate is bigger than most liberal arts colleges (~2900), but smaller than most other schools. This gives a great balance of seeing a lot of familiar faces but still meeting new people all the time. We also have a lot of facilites in all departments that most small schools don't have. Class sizes are small, so you can really get individual attention from the professors. Most of the professors live in town, so there are a lot of class dinners with professors. Some students even babysit for their professors.

We are kind of isolated, but the university brings a lot of events to campus. Campus life is always alive. The frats themselves are pretty exclusive, but most of the brothers remain active on campus. There are the occasional open parties, which are always fun.

Colgate has a lot of traditions that link students and alumni together. The biggest being Colgate Day (every Friday the 13th). Also, Spring Party Weekend is out of this world. Beginning Thursday night (sometimes Wednesday), the frats and the college bring a bunch of huge name performers, and campus booms for the entire weekend.

Apr 23, 2012

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Inside Scoop at Colgate University

gate2011

Political Science and Government '11

5.0
A+

Nothing Quite Like It

You want to study abroad, no problem, Colgate is at or near the top of the list in number of study abroad programs offered by a university. You want to go to school with a bunch of smart, fun people. No problem, scan the list of the heads of some of the major companies around the world, chances are there's a Colgate grad in charge or high up in the hierarchy at one of the leading players in the field. I had friends major in Art and go work on Wall Street as their first job. But when the sun goes down on a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday at Colgate, chances are the people who will be stepping into those successful people's shoes one day are going out at Colgate. Walter Kronkite once said there are 2 places in the world he wouldn't want his daughter to go to, the DMZ in Korea and Colgate on Spring Party Weekend. He might expand that list today to include a few other dangerous places around the world, but you can bet SPW wouldn't come off.

Apr 11, 2012

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Inside Scoop at Colgate University

Ghenriquez

Social Sciences '13

4.6
A

SPW... Spring Party Weekend!

This comes once a year and is the most fun many rarely remember... It's a Thursday to Sunday party! All the frats have big name music artists come to play a concert in their backyards, there are parties going on all weekend and it's held 2 weekends before finals so it's kind of your last horrah before crunch time. So. Much. Fun.

Oct 05, 2011

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User rating for Colgate University - Inside Scoop is 4.6 out of 5 based on 15 user reviews.

Facts

Traditions
  • The Diploma, Seal, and Motto: In 1846, Professors A. C. Kendrick and J. F. Richardson prepared the Latin formula for the diplomas that has remained intact ever since. They, along with Professor John Howard Raymond and three trustees, devised the seal and motto, “Deo Ac Veritati” (“With reference to God and for the purpose of truth,” or simply “For God and for truth”).
  • First Kiss: Legend has it that whomever you kiss on the bridge where Willow Path crosses Taylor Lake is whom you will eventually marry. Maybe this why the number of married Colgate couples is higher than most other university numbers.
  • Hello Tradition: For decades, Colgate has had a wonderful “hello” tradition. Students, faculty, and staff walking on campus routinely say hello to a passerby. It’s a way of getting to know others and welcoming strangers to campus.
  • Konosioni: Comprised of 26 members of the senior class, Konosioni is the result of the merging of two secret societies: the Gorgon's Head and Skull and Scroll in 1934. This senior honor society is among the most selective group on campus and is committed to preserving Colgate's traditions through service.
  • Salmagundi: The current name of Colgate’s yearbook. The first volume of the Salmagundi was published by the junior class in 1883. The word means “miscellany” or “medley,” and originally, the book contained lists of faculty, fraternities, and other campus organizations and their respective members. Salmagundi became the yearbook for the graduating class in 1934.
  • Spring Party Weekend: Held toward the end of the second semester before the finals' crunch, students are treated to a long weekend of musical performances and events—both school-sponsored and otherwise.
  • Thirteen: The Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and Colgate University was founded by 13 men. Each offered $13 and 13 prayers, and the society’s constitution contained 13 articles. Colgate has been non-sectarian since 1938. The first two digits in Colgate’s zip code are 13, and the last three numbers add up to 13 (13346), and every Friday the 13th is known as "Colgate Day," where students and alums don their Colgate gear and celebrate their alma mater.
  • Torchlight: The first senior Torchlight ceremony was held at Taylor Lake in 1930. On graduation night, there is a torchlight procession from up the hill to Whitnall Field, where a large bonfire is held. There is also a Torchlight ceremony held on the evening of the first-year convocation that is led by members of Konosioni honor society.
Urban Legends
  • According to campus lore, the person you kiss on the Willow Path bridge over Taylor Lake is the person you will marry. Statistically, Colgate alums marry more frequently than most universities, suggesting this may be more truth than legend.
  • Years ago, when it came time to replace one of the swans, a mistake was made and Colgate now owns two male swans, nicknamed Adam and Steve.
Did You Know? There is a set of tunnels running across one half of the Academic Quad, connecting McGregory Hall, Olin Hall, the Robert H.N. Ho Science Center, and Wynn Hall. During the winter, there is no need to surface in between classes.

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Name
David Esber
Hometown
New Franklin, Ohio
Major
Peace and Conflict Studies
Grad Year
2013

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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