Hamilton College
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Government
Minor: Hispanic Studies
Student Self Identifies as: Hispanic Gay Male
Summary
I’m a representative in The Student Government here, I’m a member of the Black & Latinx Student Union (BLSU), and I have a [leadership position] with The Brothers organization.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic
Sexual Orientation: Gay
High School Experience: Public high school in Boston, Massachusetts with a graduating class of about 86 students. There was not a culture of going to college
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Government
Minor: Hispanic Studies
Extracurricular Activities: I’m a representative in The Student Government here, I’m a member of the Black & Latinx Student Union (BLSU), and I have a [leadership position] with The Brothers organization.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
I think The Student Government has had the biggest impact. It’s helped fuel my passion for policy-related work and working directly with people. It’s taught me a lot of jargon and how processes work at the administrative and executive levels. Also, a lot of time is spent on budgeting and debating, so I think that’s helped me work on my communication skills and be more confident in my beliefs. They’ve helped transfer those into pragmatic policies on campus.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
Most of my coursework is essay-based. I usually write 6-10-page papers at least every two weeks. I might have a test once a month, but it’s primarily essay-based. If you’re taking an Economics class, you should expect heavy exam work, and if you’re taking a Government or Philosophy class, you should expect more written work.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
In terms of especially well, I think they cater the curriculum to students’ interests. Most of the courses I’ve taken have been of my interest, which definitely helped me learn more. Through my coursework, I’ve become a better writer. Hamilton prides itself on being very writing intensive, and I think the Government department embraces that. The essays I write are critiqued by my professors and I get a lot of feedback. Because of that, I’ve been able to write more confidently in my style, and some of my work is getting published.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
For sure, I think you open up the more you learn and people start to identify with certain ideologies over time.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s more collaborative than not. When you first start out at Hamilton, it can seem competitive, especially if you’re a first-generation college student or a Latino coming to a predominately White institution. The first impression can be that it’s very hostile, especially with people’s ideologies. Hamilton is a very liberal campus so you’ll find yourself in networks of people whose beliefs are left out of the conversation. It’s definitely more collaborative.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re very accessible. I haven’t had a professor who doesn’t have office hours at least once a week for 90-minutes. If you can’t make an appointment because of scheduling issues, they’re usually very flexible and can meet with you on your time.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m very happy with my choice. I think I made the choice because I’ve always had a passion for being in leadership roles and being able to be an advocate for my community. I did a lot of non-profit work in the public sector and got my start in government-related work with Senator Warren, so I think it taught me a lot about my desire to be a leader and a representative to my community.
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
I think any first-semester college student is going to struggle, regardless of your intelligence or background. You start getting acclimated to school life here, but also the level of coursework and rigor. No matter where you come from, it’s going to be difficult. Nonetheless, I think Hamilton has an intense array of options for students or academic support, whether it be the writing center, the oral communication center, or tutors on campus. We also have a Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning Center (QSR). While it may be difficult, I think the resources are there.
Reasons to Attend
1) There’s generous financial aid. [Hamilton uses a need-blind admission process.]
2) There’s a great alumni network.
3) There are strong academics and you’ll become a better writer over your four years.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) There’s not too much to do for fun outside of academics because of location.
2) The weather year-round tends to be colder in this part of New York.
3) Knowing your interests and making sure Hamilton offers it. There might be something you want to take that isn’t offered here.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: South hall in a quad
Sophomore: Bundy East in a single
Junior: Root Hall in a double
Senior: Millbank Hall in a single
How was transitioning from Boston to Clinton, New York in terms of location?
It’s extremely difficult depending on what your interests are. I’m a city boy that loves going out shopping and doing stuff for leisure. That’s one of the biggest things you give up here because there’s limited access to those types of things in central New York. We’re about 45-minutes from Syracuse and 90 from Albany, so at first it was hard to not see buildings or lots of people. I think it was also hard being around so many White people because my community is very minority-based. Your freedom is a little limited because freshman year you’re not allowed to have a vehicle, and you rely on student transportation to get places. The closest city where the student bus runs, Utica, it only goes twice a month, so it’s really difficult getting back to my roots. [The population of the greater Utica and Rome, New York cities is about 77% White.]
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I think campus safety does a really good job of ensuring students are safe, and making them feel safe too. I haven’t had an issue where someone is threatening my physical safety. I’d say in terms of emotional safety they are not as good, there have been some macroaggressions here and there. We’ve haven’t had a race-based issue in a while, but given where we’re located as a college, the politics of this area and of the student body, it can be hostile at times with people’s ideologies.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I go to parties on-campus hosted by my friends in a dorm. I’ll party and I’ll dance. Other than that, there are organization-based events. Like, the Black & Latinx Student Union will host something that I’ll go to or the Caribbean Student Association. We go out Thursday nights, Fridays, and Saturdays.
How has identifying as LGBT influenced your nightlife experience? Are there any LGBT nightlife options that you like to go to?
I don’t think there’s much of a Queer nightlife. I think people tend to mix in and blend and be themselves. I haven’t seen people isolate themselves based on their sexuality. I feel that people may struggle to be themselves because they feel like it’s a very tense and male-dominated environment. Nonetheless, I think people have fun regardless of your identity on campus.
How did the nightlife differ when you were a freshman and was not as socially established?
I was in a unique situation because I came into Hamilton with a [other Posse Scholars], so I just clung to the people I knew, which were mostly people of color. I think over the years that has changed as I’ve come out of my shell a bit. I’ve opened up about myself and my open-mindedness has changed since freshman year.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at Hamilton? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m from the city so I would enjoy being able to walk to a theater or get fast food somewhere close-by. It’s not that those options don’t exist, they’re just hard to come by if you’re a student, especially a first-year.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I came with them as a [Posse scholar] before I got here. Besides that, I met my other friends through social networks and mutual friends. I also met people in the government major, but also at parties.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Hamilton?
It can be very segregated. I think students of color tend to party with other students of color. I think sports teams party with sports teams and fraternities with fraternities. I do think there are opportunities for people to come together. Usually, that initiative is driven by people of color because we’ll host a crawl where you go from one dorm to the next throughout the night, and that’ll bring students together. Besides that, social life can be very separated based on your affinity.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Not as much as they should. [The undergraduate population is 9% Hispanic, 4% Black, 64% White, and 7% Asian.]
How would you describe the student body?
Socially liberal but fiscally conservative is a summary about us in one sentence. I think Hamilton needs to do a better job of diversifying opinions on campus. I do think some liberal opinions dominate that. They’re also issues of people feeling uncomfortable because of the lack of communication and social mixing between people of color and White people on campus. The students themselves feel very separated. [See The Spectator article, “The State of Diversity at Hamilton.”]
How would you describe the Hispanic community on campus? How strong is it?
I’d say it’s pretty strong. There are Hispanic faculty members that I’m really close to, there are Puerto Rican students, and students of all different ethnicities in the diaspora. We’re very close through student organizations like La Vanguardia (LV) to the course we share together in the Hispanic Studies Department, and just our affiliation with Posse as an organization. We tend to be very tight-knit.
How would you describe the LGBTQ community on campus? How strong is it?
We do have the Queer Student Union (QSU), but I haven’t really been involved with them during my time here. I think students tend to keep their sexual orientation out of their social life. We don’t cling to people because of their sexual orientation. You just tend to meet people, and it’s college so people don’t care and you just focus on doing you with no judgment.
How do you like the size of Hamilton in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 1,900 undergraduate students at Hamilton.]
Looking back, I’m grateful that I went to a small school because it allowed me to have more one-on-one time with my professors, but also helped foster tight friendships with people that I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise because there’d be so many options. You really get to know people because you’re here with a small community for four years and you build lasting friendships here.
Do people generally seem happy with their choice of Hamilton by senior year? Do people leave loving Hamilton?
Yeah, I think a lot of people do and it all depends on your perspective. I think your first-year experience won’t determine whether or not you’ll love it by the last year.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
I work with the alumni relations office so I know a lot of alumni. I’m actually working with an alumnus to get a job in Boston right now.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
They’ve been pretty helpful. I applied for a public service scholarship last year that they helped me with, but they’ve also helped me navigate my career search by figuring out the resources, negotiating salary, and stuff like that. They’re a one-stop-shop for all things career-related. It takes some initiative on the student to reach out, but nonetheless, the resources are there.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
I’ve used Excel and Stata, and through my internships outside of Hamilton, I’ve used Tableau.
Financial Aid
Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
I’ve used financial aid for all four years, and they’re extremely responsive. You just send an email and they’re more than willing to meet with you in person or answer your question thoroughly over email. Nonetheless, you’ll get a response and they’re very respectful.