Hamilton is GREAT

Introduction
Visit, visit, visit. Right off the bat, I will say that it's academically intense and liberal-arts oriented, but you should check it out and get a sense of the student body (style and social life included) to figure out if it's for you. Because it's in a rural-ish area, you need to be sure you're not going to mind being here for four years.

Campus Life and Social Life
The party scene is good. We're not FSU or Wisconsin-Madison, but for a small school we have a fairly good scene. We don't have frat houses anymore, but Greek life does run the party scene in an inclusive way. Many (if not most) society parties are open to all students and they're all about everyone having a good time. About 25-30% of students Greek, and that includes students like me who NEVER imagined themselves being part of that scene.

Most students are active in sports and clubs as well. Advertisement
Academics
We don't have a Core Curriculum. You take the courses you want to take. There are a couple of requirements - like you will have to take 3 gym classes, 3 writing intense courses (offered in many departments, if not all) and 1 sophmore seminar (offered in many subjects to offer a broad range from which to choose).

Academic advisors encourage you to take a broad, liberal course load, and students do so. But students also enjoy the freedom they're given, which enables them to think for themselves and truly get engaged in what they're learning rather than spend their time filling quotas and meeting requirements.

Student Body
Our student body is becoming more diverse (the class of 2009 is 20% multicultural). Many students are from the Northeast, but we have contingents from all over the country...and international students as well. Our "typical" student is active, intelligent, and probably athletic (whether he/she is involved competitively or intramurally).

In Closing...
Come and visit! If you're looking for a prestigious, small, liberal arts college with a lot of academic freedom and a solid social scene, read up on Hamilton and come for a tour!

You'll note I give our TA's an "A" below. Unlike many schools, we don't have teaching TA's. Professors teach ALL of our courses. "TA's" do serve as lab assistants in the sciences, to make sure that all students are doing fine with their labs.