<p>I'm a mom of a Hobart senior. I'll do my best to answer any questions you may have. If you don't know where to start in learning about HWS, you can look at earlier posts from the last three years.</p>
<p>Hi CarolynB
My DS LOVES HWS., it’s his #1 choice. I went back and reread some of your older posts, HWS sounds great with plenty to do despite the remote location.
Do you know much about the economics program? Did your son do any internships?
And one last question, did he study abroad?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for your answers :)</p>
<p>Hi CarolynB,
My S is applying to HWS and had an interview during a recent open house. He absolutely loved the campus. The faculty and students he encountered were all very nice and eager to answer questions! Is the campus life truly so nice? He intends on majoring in chemistry. Do you have any thoughts on the chemistry/science departments or pre-med at HWS?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Rubytuesday2, I’m glad my previous posts have been helpful. I think HWS is a great school, and as you say, you can find plenty to do if you’re interested. I don’t know much about the econ department, other than my son took an Intro to Econ course and enjoyed it. I just checked the number of faculty in the department and it’s really big! I know that econ is a popular major and clearly the size of the department’s faculty shows that. Their credentials look terrific. so if your son loves econ, it’s a good choice.</p>
<p>No, unfortunately my son didn’t do any internships because, as a philosophy major who wants to teach at the college level (a PhD program in the picture), there haven’t been any real opportunities during summer internships. He has helped teach a philosophy class as a Teaching Colleague, which he enjoyed immensely. That said, I think the possibility for meaningful internships if your son is enterprising and persistent is endless; it’s all about making it happen by working closely with the career office and networking with alumni/ae.</p>
<p>No, my son didn’t study abroad; he elected to do a special study with a professor instead and work on getting a jump-start on his Honors Thesis. I’m sorry he didn’t have that experience (his twin sister had a phenomenal one); he’ll go abroad when he’s ready. It isn’t that he hasn’t been exposed to other cultures abroad as he has; I just don’t think he was ready to take on that kind of challenge, although many of his friends did and they loved it. I’m delighted that HWS has so many students study abroad–something like 50%?–and I’d encourage any student to consider it to broaden their world and to develop self-confidence and self-reliance.</p>
<p>I’m delighted your son loves HWS; it’s a great school with tons of opportunities. Please let me know if you have any other questions and good luck!</p>
<p>CarolynB – If you are still around, how is Geneva looking these days. We were last out that way about 3 years ago when my youngest daughter was spending a few days at Strong Memorial/Golisano Children’s Hospital and we wanted to explore the region. Geneva was looking a little scruffy compared to the way I remembered it more than 30 years ago (although HWS looked gorgeous). Has Geneva begun rebounding from the latest financial debacle?</p>
<p>One of my wife’s favorite students is also a senior at HWS. He turned down Cornell to go there and has never regretted the decision.</p>
<p>Oura54 and hudsonvalley51, I’m so sorry to take forever to respond; my life has been nonstop for about a month now and finally it’s winding down a bit and I can check out CC.</p>
<p>Oura54, I would say science, including pre-med, is very strong at HWS. My son’s girlfriend is a Blackwell Scholar who planning on med school and she loves it. Here’s a pre-med thread that goes into some detail of her experience; I hope it’s helpful. To bring you up to date, right now she’s in Copenhagen for a semester which include some pre-med courses. This last summer she worked for a doctor reading, synthesizing and summarizing data in medical patient records and putting them in files online. She’s also done some other cool medical stuff but I’m not sure of the details:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hobart-william-smith-colleges/1150465-premed.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hobart-william-smith-colleges/1150465-premed.html</a></p>
<p>Campus life is what you make it. If you want to be active on campus doing lots of ECs and being a leader, you can. There are tons of activities to do if you’re open to a variety of interests and experiences. Take a look at “This Week in Photos” over the course of several weeks; it gives a good idea of the diversity and number of activities available both on and off campus.</p>
<p>hudsonvalley51, I’m sorry I don’t have a comparison of Geneva from 30 years ago, so I can’t really say if Geneva is scruffier than before. It’s a small town and many small towns across the country are having a tough time, but they’re managing. Certainly the presence of HWS helps mitigate however sluggish the local economy would be otherwise. I’m not sure I can comment much more specifically, other than I know the wine tours in the fall are a big draw.</p>
<p>Thanks for the vote of confidence regarding the happy HWS student who said no to Cornell.</p>
<p>Thank you for the response and information regarding HWS!</p>
Hi CarolynB.
I just wanted to thank you for helping out so much on the HWS forums - you are always so helpful and informative, and as a prospective student, I really appreciate your insight.
I had a few questions regarding the merit scholarships - firstly, would you be willing to chance me? I’m a junior now, and really enjoyed my visit to the campus. I’m fairly confident that I could easily see myself there, but money is tight and HWS is far, and I’m not fully comfortable with ED.
Also, when are the scholarships distributed? Are some only considered with ED students, or are RD applicants also within consideration?
And lastly, pertaining still to merit scholarships, what exactly are they awarded for? The pamphlets and handouts are very unspecific, just listing the numbers. I’m talking specifically about Trustee, Hersh, Wood, Faculty, and Presidential scholarships.
Thank you for all of your help! I really appreciate all of your input and information.