Hamilton College Admission Journals: Nathaniel Livingston

Living in the CoOp next year!

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:20:52 GMT

The housing lottery is over. The hopes and dreams of living in your dream room lay in tatters on the floor. I heard people were crying, having not secured the living situation that they wanted. But with all the pain comes a settling hope that it’s really not so bad. Wherever you live on campus, you will be happy – and if you aren’t, then you can move! That’s what I did. I started out the year in Bundy, and moved up the hill to Babbitt after a month. There was nothing that bad about Bundy, but I wanted to be closer to the KJ building (the huge glass building on the darkside).

I really didn’t participate in much of a housing lottery. I went into the CoOp lottery, so it was about 40-something kids for one house. Because there is a gender ratio that they try to keep at the CoOp, I got in pretty easily. I am rooming with my freshman-year roommate Robert Fagan. I cannot wait. The CoOp is a really chill place. If you live in the CoOp, you are on the seven-meal plan because every night three CoOper’s make dinner. Every week you go shopping and buy sustainable foods and make dinners that have minimal impact on the environment. But that’s just half the charm. The people there always become very close. There is a nice porch on which to relax, and you can see the few tall buildings of Utica. You can also hang out on the roof.

Anyways, it may be colloquially known as “the eating place,” but it could just as easily be called one big family of kids who like to cook and have a good time. It is in the old TDX house, now called the Alexander Woollcott House, a famed alumnus of Hamilton.

This is crunch time for a lot of people, and I know that some are getting stressed, but there is a general air about the college that is pulling people together. Everyone is encouraging each other to work hard, and really it is quite inspiring. I’m glad to go here, and the end of the year is always a poignant time.

Prospective Student Day

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:24:59 GMT

Wow, I have not seen so many people on campus before! Today is Prospective Student Day. Kids who were accepted to Hamilton and will be here next semester, or who are deciding whether or not they should go to school here, are here with their parents, checking out the campus and sampling the classrooms and student life. Prospy day could not be more beautiful. It may just be the most beautiful weather I’ve ever experienced on the Hill, though maybe it always feels that way after a long winter.

I think that Hamilton students are extra keen on showing that Hamilton is a fun place. People are playing Frisbee on the green, playing kickball and just generally enjoying the sweet sun and the warm weather. Shorts are finally back in style! No jackets will be needed today. Just sunglasses and skin.

I just couldn’t stay indoors this morning. I took my guitar outside behind Babbitt and started playing a few choice songs. Pretty soon a good friend of mine, Will Robertson, joined me on the ledge of his third-story window. We played a few classic numbers: San Francisco, Hey Jude, I’ve Just Seen a Face, Freebird (because someone requested it), and Livin’ on a Prayer. It was a pretty cool moment, and tons of kids opened their windows to hear the music and enjoy the sweet warm air.

Swedish Meatballs

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 17:02:40 GMT

When Spring Break is here, the days take on a curious rhythm. The impulse to do anything -- to read, to do homework, to go for a walk -- is not tempered by the presence of people on the Hill. When everyone comes back, it can be somewhat jarring, just because you’re used to having the whole Hill to yourself. Perhaps that’s selfish, but I think I’ve found a balance.

Sitting here on the first Saturday after Spring Break has ended doesn’t feel all that different from the freedom and relaxation I felt at the end of the break. Yes, I have a lot to do, but it will be done in its own due time. Time is mine to do with it what I want. I had been working quite diligently recently, so I had no guilt in taking time with my friends. We played frisbee and golf and the Olympic-status lawn sport of Swedish Meatballs -- one of the most entertaining games I've ever played that involves throwing small metal discs into three equally important holes. Kind of like curling on the lawn.

Hamilton can be a very soothing place, and its quiet nature and familiar tone can be conducive to doing work and then sharing a nice night with your friends. The two can be quite refreshing when paired, and having fun at night is all the more rewarding when the next day you feel motivated to make straight As and turn everything in on time.

Now I just need some coffee.

I’ll be heading to Soper Commons, the main dining hall on campus, fairly soon. The omelet line will be quite busy this morning, but all the food will feel fresh and welcoming to everyone’s empty stomach.

Class of 2016

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:58:19 GMT

Congratulations to the Hamilton College Class of 2016. A few awesome things you may not know yet:

You receive a cane when you graduate that has a tricorne hat on the hilt. This is awesome, and is just something to look forward to.
Fill out the room survey. I’m not sure when they hand this out to you, but if you fill it out, your chance of having a living situation more attuned to your personality is guaranteed.
There is a new faces page that shows the face and name of every student in your graduating class…it’s like looking into the future. But down the road, it will be like looking into the past. The faces you see there now will surely change in four years of college, and not just because people change, but because you will come to know them better. Many of these people you will truly come to understand as a friend. It will be a meaningful time in in your life. I am so happy for all of you accepted.

Noontime dog walking on the hill

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:55:47 GMT

77 degrees, sunny and warm, the air still and soundless. That’s the current state of the weather here on the Hill. As good as it feels to see and read how great it feels, it’s even better to go outside and experience the good weather. Spring Break offers plenty of time to do that.

By a stroke of luck, I checked the Hamilton community message boards, where people looking for rides or work can post a bulletin and pray it is seen, and I found a dog-walking job. The dog’s name is Hobbes, a golden retriever, and belongs to the wife of a professor. Hobbes and I promenade about the Hill, wandering into the glen or down the many well-tended avenues on Griffin Road and Stryker Lane. Today we hung out together in the Hamilton cemetery, where professors past are buried in eternal silence and in gratitude for their service to the school. Hobbes is a joy and has provided much-needed company during the break.

As the break wears on, the campus becomes busier. People have already started arriving back, it seems, and although the campus is mostly empty, there is no lack of people around. The community takes advantage of the beautiful campus. I see kids skateboarding, I see couples walking their babies in strollers or their dogs. Chance would have it that I bumped into one of my English professors while walking Hobbes. He was on his way to enjoy a swim. We had a nice chat under the friendly sun. It reminded me to start working on an essay rewrite for his class.

I hope that everyone’s spring is starting with much merriment. Gone are the days of cold and snow. As dearly as they will be missed, I’m ready for the budding growth of spring.