<p>My S is attending HWS in the fall. I know that a lot of the action has gone to the HWS 2013 Facebook forum now that acceptances are in, but for us parents, CC is what we've got. I'd love to hear from parents of current or recently graduated students. HWS has so much to offer but, so far, it doesn't have as quite as high a profile as some schools, so I'd love to become more knowledgeable. Please feel free to share your enthusiasm!</p>
<p>Wow, Carolyn, I can’t believe that there aren’t any HWS parents, or recent grads clicking onto your thread! I just sent a PM to you. Good luck to both of your children this fall!</p>
<p>Not a HWS parent but those of you who are have a lot to be enthused about. There are a couple kids from our area who are HWS students. One young woman will be a senior this year and has loved her experience. The other is a young man who turned down an acceptance at Cornell to go to HWS. He really preferred the smaller college atmosphere and is passionate about his sport, which he’ll be able to play competitively at HWS but not at Division I Cornell.</p>
<p>I’ve only been to HWS once, at the admitted students open house in April, as my H took my S for a visit and interview last summer (while I was taking his twin sister to another school to do the same). In April, while we were trying to find the Admission Office on the main drag we got into an accident and people were so incredibly nice–even the HWS student whose parked car we wound up hitting! He said he really hoped that our accident didn’t color our experience of the school! I was really impressed with the friendliness and enthusiasm of the students and the care the administration takes in orienting the first-years. The couple of philosophy professors I chatted with at the open house were really lively, one of whom is the debate coach. He’s got a fabulous debate program going and is doing some very ambitious things–establishing an annual world-wide debate tournament in Geneva and sending experienced debaters abroad for tournaments!</p>
<p>Hudsonvalley51, thank you for sharing. I’m delighted to hear about the successful and satisfying experience of your two local kids. Do you know what they have majored in? And what is the young woman thinking of doing beyond HWS? There is much to recommend attending a small LAC than a large Ivy; the young man is wise. What is his sport? My S is very much interested in getting on the varsity sailing team, but if that doesn’t happen, he has the terrific experience of learning debate, also an interest of his!</p>
<p>CarolynB – The young woman is looking to go on the grad school, but I am not positive what she ended up majoring in. The young man’s sport is football. He is open as to a major, but is strongly considering History. He has expressed an interest in teaching on the secondary school level, public or private, and coaching football. Cornell CALS just didn’t look like the best match, although it is common for the kids in this area to apply to CALS and then seek to transfer into CAS. He also felt that Cornell was just too large for him.</p>
<p>Hudsonvalley51, what are Cornell CALS and CAS? We’re from central Massachusetts and not familiar with the terminology. Cornell IS very large, although I have a very outgoing friend who absolutely loved it as an undergrad.</p>
<p>It sounds like the students you know have some great possibilities after graduation. At the open house in April I was also impressed with how the career office is a consistent presence throughout the four years to help the students shape their interests into tangible plans.</p>
<p>Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is supported financially by the State of New York and has as part of its mission the training of biologists, agronomists, etc. who will improve the state’s agricultural economy. For kids who are interested in fields within the college its a great choice. It is also slightly easier for kids from rural NYS school districts to gain admission to than some of Cornell’s other colleges, such as the College of Arts and Sciences. People sometimes incorrectly refer to CALS as being one of Cornell’s “SUNY” schools. It is not, but as I said, it is supported financially by the State as Cornell is NY’s “Land Grant” college.</p>
<p>Thanks, hudsonvalley51, for your explanation. I’d forgotten that Cornell was started as a land grant college.</p>