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Over our tremendously long (ha) Midterm Break, I visited my twin sister at Colgate University in upstate New York. During my stay, I began to notice the striking differences between Colgate University and Carleton College. Both are small, private liberal arts colleges, so I assumed that they would have many of the same characteristics. But boy was I wrong.
My travels began at around midnight when I met with the college shuttle driver at the Syracuse airport. On our hour-long trip to campus, he began telling me about how he runs over deer in his semi-truck and how he just euthanized his dog. Adding to this lovely (and completely opposite of what I would want to talk about) conversation was the pounding background talk show station reserved for right-wing gabbers to bash the Obama administration. The whole time I could only think: what have I gotten myself into? But after he dropped me off, and I gave him an unreasonably high tip because I didn’t really have any cash, I met up with my sister and her friends.
In the morning, I took a tour with my sister and her friend around Colgate. It’s often ranked the most beautiful campus in America, and that’s a pretty accurate statement. The campus is entirely uphill (no wonder why everyone looks so fit) and surrounded by mountains and forests. It was honestly so stunning I don’t know how anybody could study in the library with floor-length panoramic windows. I ate at their dining hall, which had the same décor of an upscale ski-lodge that the rest of campus does, and I must say, I am infinitely more grateful to be going back to the LDC for my meals. I will never question the irregularity of bananas or oddly-named recipes again.
When I was first applying to Carleton, all of the current students kept telling me that the thing that truly made the school what it was is the people. I don’t think I really believed them until I experienced a completely different campus. People gave me odd stares when I held doors open, nobody said please or thank-you, and to put it bluntly, students were just inconsiderate of one another. When they received their food there was no acknowledgement of the staff or any pleasantries exchanged. Girls in their designer coats and expensive winter boots smirked and chuckled at me when I couldn’t work their impossibly high-tech vending machines. Compared to Carleton, which at times can seem a little over-friendly, Colgate was in a completely different ballpark.
At times I think it may be fun to be part of a school with Division I athletics, enormous fraternities with basements called “The Jungle,” and impeccably-designed buildings. But then I get to thinking about Carleton and its quirky, adorable student body and I realize that I wouldn’t trade Carleton for the gorgeous jocks or sparkling campus that Colgate has.