Colgate is a liberal arts university in Hamilton, NY that offers 57 majors, a 9:1 student to faculty ratio, “ideal environment for curious minds.” Hamilton is fairly rural, a small town an hour from Syracuse, but the community is global. Students represent 87 countries, and even more cultures. The acceptance rate is about .
The university offers both Early Decision I and Early Decision II application options, in addition to the Regular Decision route. The acceptance rate for ED applicants is elevated at , which means that if Colgate is your top choice you should definitely be applying early — preferably EDI. This is especially true if you are a legacy through a parent or grandchild. The legacy acceptance rate is a tad higher than , but to get the full benefit of that boost you really need to apply Early Decision.
The application process is also test-optional, which means that you don’t have to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of the application process. While we love that this is an option for applicants, we highly encourage submitting strong scores. Strong scores won’t get you into Colgate, but they can underline an otherwise strong application. For Colgate, we advise our students to submit an SAT of 1500 or higher or an ACT of 34+.
In this post, we’re going to focus on the qualitative bits of your application, though. Once you have the admissions officials’ attention through your grades and scores, you need to help them fall in love with who you are beyond the numbers. That’s where the essays and supplements come in.
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The supplements for Colgate to your application. They are optional, but they aren’t actually. While Colgate talks a big game about how these aren’t essays and they are simply to add perspective to your application, and that you can choose to respond to any or all of the prompts — or none of them — that isn’t really true. If you want to get in, you write the supplement. Have people gotten in without doing the supplements? Surely. Those people exist, but they are not the standard that you should base your own strategy on.
We believe in using all of the tools in your toolbelt to increase your chances of admission, and these supplements are powerful ones. This is true even if you are an academic ace with nary a grade lower than an A-. Colgate regularly denies admission to strong academic applicants who they think are using them as a backup and will never choose to attend. For these students, the supplement helps them make the case for why they would really go to Colgate and be excited about the opportunity. And if there are weak points on your application, the supplements are just as critical as a place to show that you are more than your GPA.
Now, let’s get into it.
PROMPT 1
On Colgate’s campus, students engage with individuals from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, races, ethnicities, religions, and perspectives during the course of their educational and social experiences. In 250 words or less, please share the benefits you see in engaging with a diverse body of students, faculty, and staff as part of your Colgate experience.
This is an interesting framing of the now-classic “this is where you can talk about race” prompt. Instead of asking you to tell them about your background, they are asking why being around people from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems matters to you.
To write a strong answer, we encourage our students to focus on the “engaging” part of the prompt, and don’t stick to college social life. Instead, focus on how a diversity of perspectives and experiences informs the classroom. Do this by starting with a story — it could be a story where a bunch of different perspectives improved a conversation, or one where a lack of diversity made it hard to dig into a topic beyond surface level. From that story, you want to get really specific about what Colgate offers. Spend time learning about what courses you’d be taking as a first year outside of your major, and how you’d been engaging with different people. Then, translate the things that most excite you into a narrative that builds on your opening story.
PROMPT 2
Colgate students immerse themselves in social and intellectual pursuits that inspire them. Tell us in 250 words or less what inspires you and why you want to pursue that at Colgate.
We love this type of prompt because it lets you be you, through the lens of what you hope to pursue in college. We support our students in writing responses that convey an excitement about learning to the reader through not just the content, but also the way the story is told. To do this, pick something small and zoom in on it. For example, if you are inspired by nature, you could write about where fractals appear in the natural world. Or if you are inspired by space, you could write about the naming of a moon. Or if you are inspired by stories from the past, you could write about one specific story that lives in your mind rent free. The key here is not to go broad, but to stay narrow.
Then, you’ll need to map this onto what Colgate offers. Do some research on the name of the major you hope to pursue, a professor you’d hope to study under and why, and two classes you are especially excited about.
Close the supplement by circling back to the opening story, but bringing it to Colgate. Maybe you imagine yourself spotting planets from a spot on campus.
PROMPT 3
Please complete the following so we can learn a bit more about you. Each response should be no more than 13 words.
These are super short, and you don’t have to use all 13 words for a response to be strong. First, go with your gut. Let that be your first draft. Then, come up with two more possibilities. Often, our students end up somewhere in the middle, combining one of the second or third ideas with that initial gut response. Don’t overthink it, but do be thoughtful.
I am fascinated by…
My favorite book, movie, or television show is…
The person I admire most is…
In the future, I hope to …
One historical figure I would like to meet is…
My favorite food is…
One thing I would change is…
My favorite place is…
I am the best version of myself when…
Something that has changed my perspective is…
I am seeking a community that…
My favorite family/community/cultural tradition is…
I am drawn to Colgate University because…
Colgate also allows applicants to submit an arts supplement, or other materials like evidence of achievement in journalism, student government, or community service. There are two things they also open the door too, though, that are less common.
First, they invite applicants to include a web address/URL that guides the application reader to something that showcases your background, talent, or creativity. This can be a creative thing, like art, a business you run, a nonprofit you contribute to, or even a social media page. Tread very, very carefully here, though, as anything you put here can send the application reader down a rabbit hole that leads straight to major red flags for your application — especially social media. The application readers carry biases that they try to suspend as they review applications, but that they can’t completely push away because so much of what we believe is subconscious. So, proceed with caution.
The other option is a . An increasing number of colleges are integrating these short, 60-90 second videos into their application process to fill the void of an interview in a very compact way. These videos also offer a fact check of sorts. If your application seems too good to be true, the video either confirms that you are the real deal or shows them that they were right to be skeptical. Colleges know that some students will use AI to assist with their application writing, even when they ask them not to. If in the video you sound totally different than how you come across in your writing, that let’s them know that you may have not done all the work yourself. And what if you don’t do a Glimpse video, or the InitialView video they recommend for international applicants? Avoiding the videos, unless you have no access to any camera for recording, suggests that you have something you don’t want them to see. That’s not a great look, and gets their attention in the worst say.
The Colgate application is extensive, but it isn’t long just for the fun of it. They are intent on attracting and accepting students who will thrive in their community, and the application helps them filter for that. Take your time with it, and the work will pay off.
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