Hamilton is a small liberal arts college in Clinton, New York. The college is home to about 2,000 undergraduate students, and does not have a graduate program — so it’s entirely undergraduate-focused in a rural hilltop setting that invites exploration and creativity. The motto of the school is “Know Thyself,” and they take it very seriously.
Hamilton is rooted in the liberal arts tradition, but it isn’t stuck in the past. The college is one of only a handful of colleges in the US with an Open Curriculum. This means that you study what you want, when you want, how you want. There are 44 concentrations (their term for a major), and 57 total areas of study students can pursue. Throughout their programs, students are encouraged to emphasize hands-on research and independent projects, such as the Senior Program or study abroad (the latter of which two-thirds of students to!). The entire ethos embraces the idea that “Learning takes place when students encounter new ideas,” and the college is crafted to create such an atmosphere.
A place at Hamilton is in high demand. They receive about 10,000 applications each year for under 500 spots in the first-year class. The acceptance rate is under 12%.
In this post, we share our top five favorite concentrations at Hamilton for students who are passionate about the Hamilton way of learning — collaborative, community-minded, liberal arts-rooted and always multidisciplinary.
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What do we mean by best concentration?
It’s worth explaining, first, what we mean by ‘best’ when talking about a major or concentration. Hamilton offers 44 concentrations, all with a strong humanities focus — even when the concentration is technically in the sciences. To narrow down our top five, we looked into the resources each programs offers, the depth of the program faculty and course options, and the connection between the program and the core ethos of Hamilton that makes the college so special. Through those filters, we found our top five! Read on to learn more.
American Studies
The American Studies concentration at Hamilton embraces “a complex understanding of American cultures, providing students with the analytical tools necessary to examine the diversity of American identities and experiences.” It is a literature-driven history program that examines cultural heritage and the nation. Students in the program don’t just study history, though, but dive into an array of sources, learning not just what they contain but how to parse through divergent understandings and narratives. Students, importantly, also learn to communicate what they know through writing and speaking through courses like “Roots Music to Country Music: The Making of an American Sound” and “Native American Spiritualities.”
Philosophy
The study of Philosophy at Hamilton is both focused on the past and centered on the present and future. “We emphasize the value of philosophical examination for understanding broad issues that concern us all,” they write, and small classes that focus on primary sources. They prefer origin documents over what they humorously call “predigested” reading, which speaks to the Hamilton passion for getting to the origin of things. Students learn “critical analysis, powerful speaking, and clear writing” through courses like “Justice and the Good Life” and “Environmental Ethics,” and visiting speakers present traditional ideas in new lights and new lights in the context of the past.
Classics
Hamilton is the perfect place to study the classics. You can immerse yourself in material and ideas, as students choose two from these three areas to focus on: Ancient Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies. The program seeks to relate the study of the past, both languages and events, to the present challenges we face globally. Students learn to demonstrate comprehension in Ancient Greek or Latin, and to compose their own scholarly arguments. There are courses like “Martyrdom in Antiquity” and “The Tyranny of Greece: Aesthetics and Classicism in Modern Germany,” and students are also encouraged to study abroad in Greece or in Italy during their junior year through pre-approved programs, where they’ll also study either modern Greek or Italian alongside cultural and artistic immersion. And, in their final year, all classics concentrators conduct independent research, mentored by a faculty member.
Literature and Creative Writing
Students can major in either Literature, or Creative Writing, and we love both. Writing workshops are taught by working writers, and seminars and literature classes like “Food in Literature and Film” and “Literature: What is it Good For?” immerse students in a variety of styles, forms, and foci. The program is robust and intensive, and we find that the Hamilton community is particularly supportive of new voices and ideas. Students go on from the program into careers in writing and editing, along with, for example, becoming a doctor and Senior Deputy Editor of a leading medical journal. Before graduation, and outside of the school year, students take on internships in publishing and media, such as working as a marketing intern at NBC Universal. Many of the professors are published authors, so they aren’t limited to teaching just how to write, but also how to be a writer — and that may be the best pitch for the program.
Geoarchaeology
You may have noticed that our list is entirely — up until this point — in the humanities, but we’re pulling from outside that arena for our last, but certainly not least, top major at Hamilton. The Geoarchaeology Program has us transfixed. It brings together the science of geology and the practice and study of archaeology, focusing in on “how humans engage, utilize, and move through landscapes during the past.” Students in the program study theory, method, and analysis across geology, archaeology, and anthropology. Fieldwork research opportunities are available in Africa, Romania, the Pacific Northwest, and closer to Hamilton in eastern North America and Central New York. On campus, students are able to assist with research on subjects as fascinating as “How Extreme Weather Affected Early Humans,” and to take courses from soil and stratigraphy studies to “Human Ancestors” and “History of Anthropological Ideas.”
That’s the last of our top 5! Hamilton is a unique small college that crafts a close community as carefully as it does a spectacular concentration. We highly recommend the school to humanities-minded students who want an intimate college experience that emphasizes exploration.
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