The End of an Era

Introduction
Walking around a prospective college campus, the first thing you should decide is...do you like strangers. If you don't mind 10,000 random kids ambling past between classes and dining halls inundated with loud and more than often inebriated young adults then a big state school is for you. If, however, you'd prefer a more cozy and friendlier college, then a liberal arts college is the perfect fit. Colgate University has 3000 undergrads, which is enough to not know everyone you see, but at the same time small enough to recognized your classmates and acquaintances throughout the day. The surrounding area is...surrounding. Cornfields, cornfields, and more cornfields as far as the eye can see. If you're expecting a bustling city life...Colgate is not for you.

Campus Life and Social Life
First semester freshman year. High expectations, it's college for Christ's sake. Alas, the party scene is...disappointing. Huge ragers open to everyone are few and far between. But don't let your initial letdown ruin your future outlook. The social life picks up...fast. Once second semester hits, the frats start pre-rush for guys, the freshman are able to get into the local 19 (no one really cares) age drinking bar/club, you meet people in your various activities who love to take you out for a good night of blackoutness. You'll find there are more things to do than you could possibly have time for. The sports are extremely prevalent, and athletes are, to say the least...mack. The crowd attendances are low unfortunately, but that doesn't stop the teams from competing at the highest level in the nation. There are 100's of clubs and activities, from jiu jitsu to trap shooting and from golf to club volleyball. If you want to do it, you can. You'll never find yourself asking people "what is there to do in this place", you'll keep busy. Academics
Before you consider Colgate University, you have to realize that small liberal arts colleges are a bitch. The classes are small, so you really get to know your professors (who by the way are always accessible and friendly), but that tends to hamper your class-skipping abilities. They always know when you aren't there. But that doesn't take away from the extremely interesting coursework and the exuberance of the professors. No TAs teach any class, they only assist in the grading/labs etc. There is no way around the fact that the work is hard. If you're getting A's, you are definitely earning it. 4-5 hours of work a day is probably the norm for the 4.0 student. On the other hand, there are no requirements for working, so you can scrape by on a rather minimal amount of work. The most popular majors are economics and psychology, which require some intense upper level classes that weed out the wannabees. All of the academics are hard, but worthwhile and really contribute to your intellectual growth and education.

Student Body
It seems that every student was the star of his or her school. Everyone is athletic, the gym is always crowded, and everyone is smart. Except for some of the athletes, who are stupid. The rich Westchester community is likely the most dominant hometown residence, but that doesn't mean that people from all over America and the world come to Colgate. The average student is...white. The minority population is around 25%, but they definitely make a presence on the campus. With various organizations and activities, there is no shortage of diversity if you want to find it. Students are usually involved with the inner workings of the campus in one way or another. Colgate is a great school for those who want to succeed, with the alumni program hooking graduates up with awesome out of college jobs and internships.

In Closing...
Colgate University is awesome.