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College Prowler

Academics

As in anything else, you get what you put in. If you want to learn, you can learn here, and if you want to scrape by, you may get away with that, too. There are professors who will give you an A, and there are those that will never give you above a B-. I have met and learned from some brilliant people in my time here, but at the same time, I know people who have not bothered to get their money’s worth. They wanted a diploma, so that is all they received.

Athletics

Varsity sports are fairly big here. We have a good deal of athletes, but from the administration’s point of view, football is by far the largest—and incidentally the largest embarrassment. IM sports are definitely big here. Although we are a school that focuses on academics, our students like to kick loose and get a little taste of competition. With all of the IM programs we have, there’s something for everyone.

Campus Dining

The food is good for college food. Hamilton provides students with plenty of options from the Little Pub and the Howard Diner to the two dining halls on campus. An array of food is offered such as sushi, pizza, vegetarian, grill, sandwich bar, and stir-fry. Not only does Hamilton provide students with food options, but each eatery has a different atmosphere to suit one’s needs or mood.

Campus Housing

Generally, the rooms are spacious, beautiful, and provide a good living environment. The dorms are also a great way to meet people. Places like North are extremely social, and the residents form tight bonds through the year. Be careful when choosing substance-free housing for your freshman year; they are too quiet and mostly anti-social.

Campus Strictness

The administration has decided to be fairly lax about drinking. They understand that students are going to drink in college no matter how strictly it is enforced. The school would rather have students drink beer over the long period of one night rather than lock themselves in a room with a handle of hard alcohol and take shots until they feel like they have achieved a drunk that will sustain an entire night of partying. Consequently, Hamilton provides a pretty safe place to drink, and the only way to really get in trouble is by not cooperating with Campus Safety. If they ask you to dump out a beer and you do it, the confrontation will end at that. If you are obnoxious and disrespect the officers, they will be more inclined to flex their authority muscles. I do not know enough about the drug scene, though I do know being caught with weed is a higher offense than alcohol.

Computers

There are almost always enough computers, whether you live on the light side or the dark side. It is much more convenient to have your own computer, but most students use campus computers anyway since it gets them away from the distractions that their rooms offer them. A word of warning: if you don’t have a computer, plan on grabbing computers early in the morning during finals and midterms because competition is fierce for last-minute assignments.

Diversity

The campus is not very diverse, although diversity seems to be growing. To my surprise, I’ve recently heard about a lot of racist actions on campus that take place, which shouldn’t be happening. This mostly involves very subtle racism that people merely view as poking fun or kidding around. Up to this point, I had thought Hamilton was a very accepting campus, but it appears that as with most other places, it’s hard to find a completely accepting community. That said, there are a lot people who are very accepting of diversity and welcome the increase of diversity on the Hamilton campus.

Drug Scene

There is a lot of drinking at Hamilton, but I speak from experience when I say that you don’t have to drink here to have a good time. Also, people don’t really give you a hard time about not drinking, it is okay. There are some drugs on campus, but not in massive amounts. There are a lot of smokers on campus, but not in the buildings, which is really nice.

Facilities

The facilities at Hamilton College are really nice. The Science Center is my personal favorite place to do work. It has Opus, a place to get good coffee and healthy snacks in it. Along with the library and KJ, it is a very popular place to hang out and work.

Greek Life

They tell you the Greek system doesn’t play a huge roll on campus during the tour, but I think Greek life is a big part of the Hamilton experience. For the most part, Greeks run the social scene and are very visible on campus. One certainly need not go Greek, but I wouldn’t underestimate the role Greeks and Greek organizations play on campus.

Guys & Girls

Imagine pictures from a J.Crew or Abercrombie magazine, and that’s Hamilton. Some of the girls are prissy or snobby, but everyone is relatively attractive.

Local Atmosphere

My favorite time in Clinton is during Fall Fest. The Hamilton community sets up a tent on the village green for all of Clinton to gather. Fall Fest features a battle of the bands, free food, raffles to raise money for the fire department, and pumpkin decorating for the children. It really unites Hamilton with Clinton and makes you feel at home.

Nightlife

Hamilton hosts all-campus parties that will serve anyone a beer. But remember: Pregame hard, because the only thing you will be drinking when you are out are Keystone Lights. If you have a good fake or are legal, the best place to go is the Village Tavern in downtown Clinton. Hamilton runs shuttle buses from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. to the bars and back.

Off-Campus Dining

Most of the restaurants are chains, and those that are local are usually good. You can't reasonably walk anywhere from campus, especially when the weather is cold. If you think you want to spend a lot of time off campus, Hamilton is probably not the best school for you, especially because freshmen aren't allowed to have cars.

Off-Campus Housing

As far as I know, off-campus housing is only an option for seniors, and for those who decide to live off campus, they love it. They love the freedom, the independence, and the fact that it is a senior privilege—a right they have earned over the past four years that is specific to their class year.

Overall Experience

I am a senior, and I have enjoyed my time at Hamilton thus far. If I had to do the college process all over again, I would definitely attend Hamilton again. My expectations have been more than surpassed in terms of the quality of the professors and the classes, the support from faculty, and the opportunities offered. I feel as though the skills I have developed, both academically and interpersonally, have prepared me for the world beyond Hamilton College. What an achievement.

Parking

Having a car is great because it allows you get out of Clinton. Unfortunately, if you move your car from the first parking spot you find, you’ll be doomed to drive around campus searching for a new spot for the rest of the year.

Safety & Security

Good. Unfortunately, security can’t prevent every kind of problem on campus, and having only been here for less than a semester, I’ve already seen some of the worst kinds of crimes committed to friends, but that happens at any college, I guess. Let’s put it this way: Campus Safety has enough of a presence that I won’t drink pretty much at all.

Transportation

Public transportation is very convenient. A Jitney drives us to a number of different locations immediately downtown and in neighboring towns to all the major locations such as Wal-Mart and the local mall. A car is not necessary on campus, if only for a matter of convenience.

Weather

If I were you, I wouldn’t go around advertising the weather to freshmen. Advocate warm clothes, hats, gloves, and a bible, as your faith may soon be brought into question’.