Hamilton College Admission Journals: Dylan Wulderk

The Final Stretch

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:26:58 GMT

I feel the end is near. The thermometers are reading "80," the back covers of textbooks are within sight, and May days are on the horizon. The semester is coming to an end. Of course, that brings with it papers, and finals, and projects, and all the things we wish school would just do away with, but it's also a time for us to look back, look forward and see just where everything is.

It's hard to believe that I'm on the verge of completing my sophomore year at Hamilton. It may sound cliche, but it's true: I feel like I just started here. It's amazing how quickly time flies. Next year I'll be a junior, an upperclassman. I'll be visiting Europe while I study abroad half the year, living in a whole new dorm the other half. I'll be beginning to decide what exactly I'll be doing after graduation -- and it won't be a fantasy I can put off for the future. It's going to be a reality.

It all seems impossible, and it's all on my doorstep. But, alas, it's still in the future. I've got the next few weeks to ponder first. I won't bore you by talking about the papers and finals that will be blocking up the next two weeks. Instead, I'll let you in on the hottest topic on campus right now (other than the weather, of course): summer plans.

Hamilton students do all sorts of things -- from researching here on the Hill to teaching English on the other side of the world. As for myself, I'll be working in my senator's office. I'm toying with the idea of having a career in public service, and this seemed like a great stepping stone for me. Of course, this, like most public service internships, is unpaid, and so I had to find a way to make some money during the summer. Hamilton to the rescue! The College awards students stipends to help pay for the cost of an internship that a student normally could not afford to take. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to get one, and I will be able to experience the life of a public servant first hand.

If the college keeps presenting me these opportunities, maybe I shouldn't be so worried about coming up with plan for after graduation. The halfway point is nearly here, but I've still got a lot of time left on the Hill -- and I plan to milk it for all it's worth.

Expected Family Contribution: 86

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:23:46 GMT

I really enjoy talking to the prospective students. On Monday, my day began with talking to my brother, who was here for Accepted Students Day, about the ins-and-outs of campus, and it ended with talking to a nice kid named Peter, whom I just happened to be walking next to as I was heading to do my homework that evening. In between, I talked with a few families about my experience here, directed them to buildings and, on the whole, just had a really nice time. I understand that students and their families are making a tremendous decision when they choose a college, and being able to assist them in some small way is something I enjoy doing.

Another thing I really enjoy doing is dominating at Hamilton College Trivia competitions. On Sunday night, an absolutely ridiculous number of people gathered in the Barn for a special edition Trivia Night. My dad, brother and I formed a three-man wrecking crew (team name Expected Family Contribution), and aside from one or two slip-ups, we were almost unstoppable. We finished in third place (but hey, we had way fewer people!), and my dad and brother got some free Hamilton merch out of it. It was a pretty fun night.

I spent the rest of my weekend working on my portion of a write-up for my government class, Topics in Survey Research. We've been spending the semester learning about racial and ethnic attitudes in America, designing a national survey to test young people's opinions on certain issues and just finished submitting our individual write-ups for the questions we each created. My research focused on President Obama's approval rating and perceptions of his racial identity. The first question is relatively straight-forward, but for the second question, I was interested to see if people would consider him to be black or mixed race, and what factors would influence respondents' answers. For the record, most people surveyed responded that he was mixed race.

Now that I've finished that, I'm putting the finishing touches on "Casablanca," a parody of the poem "Casabianca" by Felicia Dorothea Hemans that I am writing for my poetry class. Strange transition, huh? Only at Hamilton ...

Weekend Escapades

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:18:33 GMT

The past few days have been absolutely gorgeous, and I'm taking every opportunity I can to enjoy them. On Thursday, I realized that I had accidently finished my homework (don't ask) and was left with nothing to do in the early evening. So I started thinking... What can a nerd do with half a tank of gas, some really nice weather and $10 in his wallet. I know! Visit a Revolutionary War battlefield! (Did I mention I was a nerd?)

Oriskany Battlefield is about 15 minutes away and has a really cool obelisk monument. That's pretty much all I can tell you. The park isn't due to open up for another week or so. Of course, I didn't know this because I just got the urge to go and did it. The drive was really nice though! Big red barns, fields of corn -- the whole nine yards. (Interestingly enough, if you make one wrong turn, you're at a park with a fighter jet. Originally, I thought this was the park and was just a wee bit confused!)

So, in a way, Thursday was a fail. Friday afternoon would be much more successful. My friends Alvin and Nick and I decided to take a trip to Syracuse -- also not very far away. Alvin was having some computer issues and needed to go to the Apple Store, so Nick and I offered to join him. When we got there, we had some time to kill so we just wandered aimlessly around the Carousel Center. For those of you who don't know, the Carousel Center is an enormous mall in the city of Syracuse. And it's appropriately named -- right next to the food court is a giant carousel. (I mean, why not, right?)

I have to admit, I've never been so excited to go to a mall. When I was really young, my family lived up here and one of my few, and fondest, memories of our time here is of that carousel. I guess I was just under the influence of life's weird nostalgic moments, but I was giddy throughout the entire trip. I honestly felt like a little kid again. Stopping for Coldstone and Auntie Anne's certainly didn't hurt the experience, either.

A weekend like that really makes me want to get out and explore this region. I'm a big fan of experiencing the world around me. After almost two years, I think I've got a good idea of what Clinton has to offer. But Hamilton is situated in an amazing area of the country. There's a tendency to dismiss Upstate New York as nothing more than Arctic Tundra-South, but that's a mistake. There's a lot of really cool cultural things to do up here, some really great food (Utica-style greens, riggies and half-moon cookies to name a few), and some really nice people. Why not go out and see what this place has to offer?

Heading for Home

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:49:20 GMT

After a long spring break, it's really nice to be back on the Hill. The past two years, I've noticed that coming back to Hamilton after that two-week break (Reason #324 to go to Hamilton: Two weeks of Spring Break) is like entering a completely different world. Gone is the wind and the cold; gone are the inches of snow, the knit hats, the mittens and gloves. In their place are the green grass, tans and the joys of spring. Everyone's just really excited to be here. I mean, heck, my Russian class has been marching around the classroom and down the stairs singing the "Crocodila Genya" song all week, and we're having a collective birthday party on Monday.

My friends and I are in the process of figuring out what we're going to do for housing next year. Our housing lottery numbers come out soon, and we're hoping for some good ones. There's not much reason to worry, though. Hamilton has some pretty sweet housing options. So good, in fact, that most students spend all four years on campus. And why would you leave when you could have a suite with your own kitchen, a single with your own bathroom or practically anything in between.

For those of you considering coming to Hamilton, chew on this: There are juniors and seniors who are fighting to get the rooms you'll live in during your first year. If you've been on a tour, you've basically seen the room I lived in last year: a huge quad with a private bathroom in South. Of course, there are other options. "Dark Side" doubles are spacious and, because the dorms are small in size, you'll really get to know everyone you're living with. If you get a quad or double in Dunham, you'll be in the biggest dorm on campus and get the complete freshman living experience -- practically everyone around you is a freshman, and meeting people is super easy. North is in a great location, right next to the library, near the gym and all the "Light Side" classrooms. Plus, there's Wertimer, which is more like a house than a dorm. There, you'll take a class with your dormmates and get to enjoy a really tight-knit community.

Basically, there's something for everyone. And the options only get better as your choices increase with each passing year.

Twenty Fifteen!

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 02:50:39 GMT

Word on the street is that acceptance notifications went out to the Class of 2015 on Friday night! I was just as tense as all of you, too. My brother was awaiting his decision that night, and when I found out he was excepted I was so stoked! But hey! Congrats to all of you! Whether you choose to join us on the Hill or not, your acceptance means you're some pretty special kids; getting in to Hamilton is no easy task. So give yourself a pat on the back and take a deep breath--you did it, kid! Some of you may know you're coming here already, but I'm sure many of you are trying to decide where to spend the next four years of your lives. And I know parents are freaking trying to figure out where their kids can put that tuition money to good use. ::cough:: HAMILTON ::cough:: Honestly though, if you've gotten this far you probably know Hamilton is an amazing school. But what do you need to know about Hamilton before deciding to come? What are the three most important facts about the school that you don't already know? 1) Our. Students. Love. Hamilton. From Accepted Students Day to Adirondack Adventure and Urban Adventure to orientation and the first day of classes all the way through to senior year and graduation, Hamilton is like our own little slice of awesomeness. And we know it. Alumni come back all the time to see their beloved campus, and students really miss it over the breaks. (Yeah, even with the snow. Talk about true love.) There's just no place like the Hill. 2) Open curriculum ROCKS! I don't know if any student here could imagine life without it. Choosing our classes based on our interests and not requirements allows us to grow in our own ways. We're comfortable with our classes because we picked them. That really does mean that everyone in every class is excited to be there. Classes are just so much more engaging because of the open curriculum. Once you decide on your major, there will be some classes you need to take to get the degree, but even then, you have tons of options as to how you'll do that. But if you never want to see a math problem or a history test again, at Hamilton you don't have to. Or, if you can't decide between physics, political science, art history or theatre, go out and take those classes without worrying about it. 3) Hamilton sets you up for success. In the classrooms, you'll get a world-class education; you'll learn from really distinguished professors and get to know them personally; you'll be challenged every day to communicate more effectively in your writing and in your speech; you'll see things from all sorts of angles. But outside of class, there's just as much. Our career center is incredibly helpful with just about everything you could possibly think of. They help you craft the perfect resume, teach you how to interview, help you find jobs, help you get paid for unpaid internships or volunteer work, and know how to make you look really appealing to employers. Hamilton even has awards for students who want to try something completely different, like travel the world to research something they're passionate about, whether that be food or politics or another culture. And of course, there's loads of extracurricular opportunities available. Truth is, Hamilton wants you to succeed just as much as you want yourself to. Before I split, I want to leave you with this: remember, a school picks you just as much as you pick it. For some people, Hamilton just isn't the best fit. And that's OK! We won't hold it against you. Just don't count us out without visiting first. Yeah, it's cold here, and yeah we're in an area that's not very populated--but trust me, if that's all there was to Hamilton, I wouldn't be here. There is so much to love about this place. No place is perfect for everyone, but there's a good chance Hamilton is perfect for you, and the best way to know for sure is to come visit and try us. You won't regret it.