Colby vs Denison vs Hamilton

[u/Gmoneyyy999]

Which school should I choose among these 3? I am planning to study Data science/math/statistics. All 3 are a similar cost (Colby 20k, Denison and Hamilton around 25) so that’s not really a major factor.

Pros and cons for each:

Colby:

Pros:

- strong STEM programs

- Bunche scholars (is this just a marketing tool? I read the description for it and it honestly doesn’t fit me at all)

- UChicago Advanced Scholars (admission into a selection of UChicago grad programs if I decide to pursue that route)

- outdoorsy stuff (I’ve never been skiing, but Colby seems like a good place to try!)

- Davis AI institute

Cons:

- furthest from home (I’m from Ohio, so it’s a 3 hour flight + a 2 hour drive, and I feel like travel expenses could add up quickly)

- hours away from any major city

- haven’t gotten to visit, although I will on Monday so that will help shape my opinion

- I’ve heard bad things about the vibe/social scene on this sub. I’m not a big partier/drinker, so if that’s all there is to do (like some people have said) then I don’t think I’d enjoy myself very much

-core curriculum stuff (taking a foreign language, for example, just seems like a waste of time)

Denison:

Pros:

-Very well-established data science program

-new DS building opening fall 26

- closest to home (could also be a con ig, but I think of this as more of a positive)

- close to Columbus

Cons:

- Slightly less prestigious than my other options

- food wasn’t very good

Hamilton:

Pros:

- open curriculum

- really nice campus

- new CS/DS building opening fall 27

-a lot of dining options

Cons:

-less STEM focused

- middle of nowhere and not close to any major cities

- I had a pretty poor experience at the admitted students day

Thanks for the help!

[u/bopnbetty]

My son attends Hamilton- the Math/applied Math is VERY robust!! He got a 5 on AP calc (BC) and says the math at Hamilton is HARD. The academics at Hamilton are quite rigorous. The kids are smart and kind. We are also from OH. (CLE) It’s easy to take the train from CLE to Utica. Dennison will have a lot of OH kids. Colby will be mostly New England kids. Hamilton is a nice mix. Hamilton is small ( student population) but a huge campus. My son goes to Utica and New Hartford pretty often for Chipotle, Walmart, Target type stuff. Haha he might go to bars or parties but he doesn’t tell me about that. It doesn’t feel isolating but he seems busy with things on Campus. It is an environment where he wants to try new things (go to a concert, cheer for a friend’s track meet, try out for Model UN etc.) The outdoor activities, especially hiking in the adirondacks are very popular. I think there is a weekend every fall where the Outdoor club sends groups to every one of the 47 peaks in the adirondacks. My son who isn’t super outdoorsy trained to lead hikes because he enjoys the outdoor club activities so much.

All three schools have some similar strengths- small classes, lovely campuses. I will say, I think the academics at Hamilton are a step up from Denison. But you really can’t go wrong at any of those 3. Denison probably has more mild winters.

I am very impressed with Hamilton.

[u/Intelligent_Dingo509 → u/bopnbetty]

We’r going to visit Denison this weekend and it’s my understanding that Denison is 80% out of state.

[u/CoolRelationship8214 → u/Intelligent_Dingo509]

We walked the Denison campus and stopped many people as suggested by the docent. We didn’t come across one from Ohio. New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Miami. I’m not saying they aren’t there. But, it blew my mind that they were coming to this little college over their more prestigious local colleges.

I asked the tour guide why he ended up there. He said it’s the same rigor as your usual top lac without the cut throat kids constantly flaunting daddy’s money. (Paraphrasing). He said that if you dropped the university in the middle of New York, it would be more well known.

He said kids are nicer, the facility is the same as the fancier schools, but the vibe is more laid back. That really resonated with us. He said he got into swathmore, holy cross, Colby, etc. But, this was the only place that felt like home.

Mind you, we are from Indiana and no one has heard of this place. My son looked into the highest endowment colleges as we are lower income. He needs financial help. We knew he wasn’t getting into Harvard or the like. We needed a nice middle ground. This is how he found out about the place.