Hamilton College
Hamilton College is an independent liberal arts college located in Clinton, New York. Sometimes referred to as the 'School on the Hill', due to the school's location on top of College Hill, just outside of downtown Clinton.
History
Hamilton began in 1793 as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy, and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812. The college was founded by Samuel Kirkland as part of missions work with the Oneida tribe. The college is named for Alexander Hamilton, who was a member of the first Board of Trustees of the the Hamilton-Oneida Academy. In 1978, the all-male Hamilton College merged with the all-female Kirkland College, which had been located adjacent to Hamilton. Today, the original Hamilton campus is referred to by students and some school literature as the "light side" or "Striker Campus" and the former Kirkland campus referred to as the "dark side" (a reference to the lighting in the buildings build by Kirkland). Hamilton College is the third oldest college established in New York.
Academics
Hamilton currently offers 29 areas of study (this list from the school?s website):
Africana Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Art, Art History, Asian Studies, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemical Physics, Chemistry, Chinese, Classics, Communication, Comparative Literature, Computer Science, Creative Writing, Dance, East Asian Languages and Literature, Economics, Education Studies, English, Environmental Studies, Foreign Languages, French, Geoarchaeology, Geology, German and Russian Languages and Literatures, Government, History, Interdisciplinary Concentration, Japanese, Latin American Studies, Mathematics, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Music, Neuroscience, Oral Communication, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Public Policy, Religious Studies, Russian Studies, Sociology, Spanish, Theatre, Theatre and Dance, Women's Studies, World Politics
Addintionally Hamilton Students may study aboard. There are long standing programs in China and France. Some students also choose to study at other institutions with in the United States, including the option to take part in long standing programs in New York City and Washington, DC.
Athletics
Hamilton is a NCAA Divison III school and has been a member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference since 1971. The college sports teams are known as the Hamilton Continentals. Hamilton sponsors 28 sports, including: Baseball (M), Basketball (M&W), Crew (M&W), Cross Country (M&W), Field Hockey (W), Football (M), Golf (M), Ice Hockey (M&W), Lacrosse (M&W), Outdoor and Indoor Track & Field (M&W), Soccer (M&W), Softball (W), Squash (M&W), Swimming & Diving (M&W), Tennis (M&W), Volleyball (W).
About 30% of the Hamilton student body participates on the athletics program. In addition to varsity sports, Hamilton sponsors several club sports and intramural activities each year. All students have the opportunity to participate at a level enjoyable to them.
Facilities
Over the last few years Hamilton has worked to greatly improve the academic and dorm facilities. Hamilton has an impressive library for a school of it's size. The science building has recently undergone a multimillion dollar renovation, along with the creating a new building for the Computer Science department. The art department has seperate studios for each of the studio arts taught, which are well regaurded by the student's majoring in those departments. Hamilton's athletic facilities include an ice rink, swimming pool, several athletics fields, a golf course. All of which are open to use by the student body.
Famous Alumni
Notable alumni of Hamilton College include
The Numbers
General
| Enrollment: | ~1,750 |
| Percentage Male: | 49% |
| Percentage Female: | 51% |
| Average Entering Class Size: | 475 |
| Applicants for class of 2007: | 4,405 |
| Acceptance Rate: | 35% |
| Applicants for class of 2008: | 4,400+ |
| Acceptance Rate: | 11% |
| SAT Scores: | |
| -75th percentile: | 1430 |
| -Mean: | 1360 |
| -25th percentile: | 1310 |
Ethnic Diversity
| International | 6% |
| African-American | 6% |
| Native American | 1% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 6% |
| Hispanic | 3% |
| Caucasian | 78% |
Student Life
Since the late 1990's, the administration and the Hamilton trustees have worked together to improve life on the campus. Nearly all students now live in the college owned dorms, including several dorms that were formally owned by the fraternities. A few fraterntites and sororities have had their charters revoked for extreme behavior, causing a great deal of controversy among the students.
The college-sponsored student-run orginizations bring music, movies, plays, and other proformers to the college on a regular basis.
Like most small colleges in the United States ethnic diversity is an ongoing struggle for the college.
