Colgate University
Reviews

Reslife is the epitome of incompetence

Though my experience with Colgate's Reslife is limited, the interaction with them has been abysmal. Not only are the employees incompetent, but they put forth only the basest effort to help students. The only way to gain their attention is to complain consistently enough; even then it's unlikely that they'll actually try to correct whatever problem you have. Colgate recently fired the head of Reslife, seeking to improve the organization's quality, but it has proven to be entirely ineffective. Reslife is consistently unorganized, unprofessional and unhelpful.

It Was a Blast, I Wish I Could Do It Again

The only problem with Colgate is that it's in upstate New York which means you'll deal with winter from October through March, give or take. But, the roads and walkways are pretty clear, so getting around isn't too bad. If you're willing to deal with the weather, you'll get a top notch education with professors who genuinely want to teach you and help you with anything at all. They have open door policies and will seek you out if you don't seek them out. My best friend went to the University of Florida for undergrad, and we got away with more at Colgate than he did at UF in the "play hard" category. If you want to go to a school that when people ask you why it's so great you say "because it's [school name goes here]," Colgate's not the place for you. If you want to go to a school that you can actually explain why you love it beyond its name, you should think about Colgate.

Great... if you are planning on going Greek

This school is one of the few private LAC's left that allows such dominant and consuming Greek Life. To be honest, if you do not plan on joining a Frat or Sorority and are not very involved in another activity, such as band or theatre, that will keep you occupied socially, do not bother coming here.

Raider Nation!

People who love Colgate REALLY love Colgate and people who don't REALLY don't. I do think there's more of the former though. Colgate is truly for preppy white kids from New England. If that's not your reality, you'll probably really dislike being here. I only regret coming here during the weekend since I hate frats, beer and house music. During the week, however, I'm really glad I chose such an great place to study. Professors are incredible, classes are amazing and once you get to higher level classes, you really will learn among some of the brightest young people in the nation.

Pretty Big

6 frats and 3 (maybe soon 4) sororities 1 frat and 1 sorority that was kicked off campus are still going on For a small school, greek life does dominate. I think 40ish% of students are involved.

Moderately Excellent Academics

The academics are for the most part manageable so long as you can put up with doing a lot of reading. Professors are very hit or miss.

Everyone Loves Colgate

Colgate is a cult of people who are obsessed with it. It is difficult to find student or alumni who does not love Colgate. If you come here, you will be welcomed into a community that you will be forever proud to be a part of.

Totally Safe

I have never felt remotely unsafe. There is no crime on or off campus.

Drinking and Weed, for the Most Part

Colgate, at least for a large majority of the students, is a very large drinking school. Anyone involved in greek life will tell you that it is very easy to go out 4 nights a week, maybe 5. This being so, mainly alcohol is used by students. Weed is very prevelant as well, but there aren't as many kids who do it every day as much as kids who use it every once in a while, or after they're already out. Cocaine and molly make their appearances, but mainly for certain parties or in certain groups of people. if you don't want to touch drugs, there definitely is not a pressure to do so.

Fitness Center

Trudy Fitness Center, which opened January 2011, is probably one of the best additions to colgates campus. not only is it beautiful, with floor to ceiling windows on the top floor(which houses the ellipticals, treadmills, bikes, and stairclimbers) but it has all of the state of the art machinery. Each cardio machine is equipped with a tv and an ipod hookup, and downstairs houses all of the weight machines. Insider fact: the gym also is home to one of the best things ever, a sauna.

Wireless

There is wireless everywhere and its quite fast. Very reliable.

Points System

At least with the new points system, small infractions do not show up on your record. Your record will be kept clean if you abide by the rules or at least aren't stupid/high enough to leave the swim cap on your smoke detector. If you are smart about the things you do you will slide by. Most of the kids who get in trouble were asking for it.

Good

Boys are more attractive than girls; girls still pretty. Boys may disagree

I Always Feel Safe

I always feel safe on Colgate's campus. In a remote, small town setting, it is very easy to do so. Walking home at night from the library, I feel completely safe and never worry. Campus safety is always nearby, cruising around campus, and the officers are very friendly and accessible. Further, there is the Colgate Cruiser which I often rely on if I decide to head up to my dorm before my friends do.

Check Out Town

There aren't too many options to choose for dining downtown in Hamilton, but any choice will be a good one. A few new restaurants just moved in. There's ethnic places, like a fantastic Mexican restaurant, a delicious Indian stop, or there's typical food like Rusch's Bar and Grill and who can forget the amazing Slices (or less affectionately called New York Pizzaria). On campus dining is good, but off campus only gets better. Plus they're inexpensive, and some places even take your gate card!

Freshmen Housing

Curtis is very centrally located-close to the dining hall, as well as the library. A bit more removed from the "freshmen quad", but really not a problem. There are large study rooms on Curtis floors to complement the smaller dorm rooms. Rooms in Andrews and Stillman have lots of suites with more room to socialize inside the dorms.

Diversity? a. Acceptance? B.

Colgate has really been increasing diversity as of the last few years. I have friends from India, Malaysia, Kenya, and all over Europe. However, there still remain some racial tensions and struggles with acceptance of different sexual orientations. This is a problem that Colgate students are working together to eliminate.

Colgate Is Great Academically and Fun! but Awful Winters!

Colgate lives up to it's academic reputations and is great for networking after college. It's can be a lot of fun as well but the party scene is dominated by those who are in a fraternity or sorority. However there are an endless number of extracuricular activities to do including clubs and intermural sports. The faculty are on the whole very helpful and genuinely like to teach their students. The killer though is the weather... You're in for a long winter if you come here!

Students Make up for What the Town Lacks

Hamilton does not have many options, but the few bars are fairly decent for what Colgate students look for. Then there is the jug, which Colgate students need and make full use of. There are a few parties happening on campus most weekends, but they should be more open.

Gym

Since the new Trudy Fitness Center opened, gym experience has definitely improved. There are plenty of machines for everyone and the equipments are top class.

No Mace Needed

I read in the College Prowler before I came to Colgate that a girl can walk home alone from downtown, wearing skimpy clothing, with her expensive phone and a wad of cash and never be touched. It is completely true. If the rare incident does occur, the entire town of Hamilton is shut down and the perpetrator is caught within a day.

Safest Place on Earth

We're in the middle of nowhere. There's no crime. Everyone leaves their doors unlocked and it's never an issue.

Top Notch!

Professors are incredible. classes are incredible. you definitely won't graduate with any useful skills, but you knew that when you signed up for a liberal arts college. I do wish we didn't have a core and distribution requirements though. It adds up to 11 classes that you wouldn't have wanted to take anyway.

Technology at Colgate

Colgate University has great internet access that works everywhere I've ever needed on campus. Downtown has great high speed internet typically as well. You definitely need a laptop to make your life easier on campus but if you were willing to spend a lot of time in the library or the other computer labs on campus you could do without. Printing is free on campus which is great and there are several computer labs located all around campus. At times the computer carrels are crowded during midterms and other crunch times, but typically you can find an open one.

Punishments Are NOT Bad

For the most part, the administration is not strict at all when it comes to enforcing policies concerning students' social lives. Campus safety is definitely a presence, especially for freshmen and those living up the hill. Basically, as long as you are smart and control yourself when you are downtown/in the presence of campus safety you will be fine. The new points system for drug/alcohol related abuses is pretty strict if you get caught but as long as you can keep your partying low-key you should be fine.