<p>Under my guidance, I have been encouraging my son to look at Hampden Sydney, a college that deserves far more attention than it gets. Can somebody explain to me why its retention of first year students could be better. Any other information would be greatly appreciated. I teach at a small LAC and I attended a small southern men's college, so I have some sense of HSC. My son is from PA and is definately not a Bush conservative, though he is 'libertarian'. We are looking for a small college with a strong cohesive community. No need to comment on the dating scene, for I recall that there is nothing better than being at a small men's college in the vicinity of all-women's colleges.</p>
<p>dud we already talk? i cant remember. In this day and age, same-sex education is looked down upon. (booth male and female) I blame the women's movement, but that's just me! i could go on but i need my sleep.</p>
<p>My son, a high school junior, is from New York, and we are also having him look at Hampden-Sydney for many of the same reasons. Did you find out anything else about the school's retention rate?</p>
<p>I did not. BUT if you type "Retention rate" and Hampden-Sydney College into Google you should fiund something.</p>
<p>Thanks for pointing me in the direction of H-S's own internal assessment. I teach at a SUNY (New York State) college, and we have slightly better rates.
However, with a total class size of 300-400 students, these percentages at H-S cannot be compared with those of larger schools. Also, I wonder whether the unique reality of being on a single-sex campus, coupled with the very rural location of the school, come as a shock to many students. So, I am not too concerned about those H-S numbers, although average GPAs make it look as if many students are lackluster.
Where else is your son looking?</p>
<p>A number of students from my son's HS class of 2006 (from 5-7) are attending HSC. We live in North Carolina, and I suspect that a good many of them wanted to attend UNC-CH but could not get in. Thye hope to get good grades during their first year at HSC, and then transfer to UNC. I suspect that the same may be said of students from Virginina, who would like to transfer to UVa after their freashman year. That may explain a relatively low retention rate.</p>
<p>perhaps, However, I hope to transfer there because I <em>really</em> like HSC. It's the perfet college, IMHO</p>
<p>Has anyone actually visited the campus? What is it like?</p>
<p>The best way to appreciate HSC's milieu is to visit while the school's in session so you can see what kind of students attend.The campus is about six miles south of Farmville,Virginia(about sixty miles southwest of Richmond).The grounds and buildings are gorgeous.The school is very old-in continuous operation since 1776.If you like hunting,fishing,sports,conservative politics,very old school manners and traditions,Southern culture and friendly people,the absence of junk courses(only traditional liberal arts courses in small classes-so you can't hide if you didn't do the work),and golf-the new Poplar Hill course virtually abuts the campus-you'll be right at home.
The website pictures are ok,but fall way short of communicating the place's ethos.
Contact the admissions office and ask them to send you some pictures.All the main college guide books do a very good job of portraying HSC's culture-Fiske Guide to the Colleges,Yale's Insider's Guide,Princeton Review's 361 Best Colleges,ISI's Choosing The Right College,etc.
Roman Catholics comprise the largest religious group on campus,followed by Episcopalians and Presbyterians.The student body is overwhelmingly from the South,but,if you like the place and fit in,you're blood.
Good luck!</p>
<p>yes i have. i was after a storm though and the campus was still being cleaned...</p>
<p>Am not sure about the retention rates, but being a life long Virginian and having grown up in the southern part of the state, I can say the school has a southern culture to it; a culture than can only be understood by living in it. My brother graduated from Washington and Lee; and, at that time in the 70's it was similar to HSC. Now, W&L is more of a national LAC.</p>
<p>I am reviving an older thread regarding Hamden Sydney. My son is again interested because we just found out that he can take some acting classes at LU next door and they will transfer in.
I am a product of a all men's college (an old rival) and so have a sense of 'who' HSC. My concern is whether my S will fit. He is more a libertarian than a conservative. He thinks that people who think that Bush is a good president are idiots. On the other hand, he got into trouble in his small Catholic (he is not) intiating a counter-petition against liberals petitioning against Victoria's Secrets for their window displays. He would argue that Victoria Secrets 'objectifies' women (he is a feminist male) and is disgusted by all participants, but on the other hand, one does not have to look; thus his counter-petition, which also served as a way for him to go head-to-head with the top ranked student in the class. In other words, he is politically active and, personally, intense, but he does not fall neatly into the left-right continuum.
I say all this as a lead to my question. Will a theater major who loves to fence and loved playing noseguard, but hates Bush feel comfortable at Hampden Sydney?</p>
<p>I just got a notice that the H-S thread had been revived so to speak. I did ask a friend in the South about H-S and she said that it has the reputation for being a "prep school" (as opposed to what? a serious college?).
Justice Alitto is giving the commencement address, which impresses me, but may not impress your son!
My son is rather conservative, so in that regard the school would be great for him. However, I am concerned about the "old boy" party atmosphere which might be oppressive for a Northerner (Roman Catholic at that). For that reason, I would dismiss a place such as Washington and Lee out of hand, but there is something charming about H-S (at least on paper).
My son also loves to fish and my impression is that H-S is a rather outdoorsy place.
If you find any more out, please let me know.
Rachel</p>
<p>I am an example of the low retention rates at HSC, and don't know to what extent I am typical. I was there for one year (1990/91), as an international student from Europe. At first I loved it (lovely campus, great partying, some interesting classes), but grew to greatly dislike it. Not being a southerner, i.e. not belonging to some "old boy" network, set me apart, as it did friends I made from northern states. People who were very different had a particularly harder time: more artistically inclined, or in one case, a black, homosexual foreign student: I don't know why he decided to go there, but his life was hell. I was there when the 1st gulf war broke out, and was sickened by the war lust on campus. The academics were OK, not exceptional, but HSC is really made for a certain type of person (white, southern, conservative, outdoorsy, likes frat-style parties, from affluent family), and though there are exceptions to this categorization (naturally!), I sincerely advise parents and perspective students to consider the extent to which they identify themseleves to this image. Good luck!!</p>
<p>Dear Students and Parents:
My husband is a professor at Hampden-Sydney College and we live on campus with our children. For a student desiring a classical liberal arts education in a supportive environment where lasting friendships will be built, H-SC is a great choice. In my profession (law), I meet many H-SC alumni who are among the most ethical, unselfish, hard-working and respected lawyers I've known. It's a small college in a bucolic setting with a safe, peaceful atmosphere. I attended a major Ivy League university for college where I received none of the devotion and attention my husband and his colleagues give their students.
Please consider H-SC if these qualities appeal to you.
Sincerely, Faculty Wife</p>
<p>What a great post! I wish the secret of HSC were more widely known throughout America.How lucky are the guys there to have such a family in their midst.Thank you.</p>
<p>There are no female students at HSC? Not even one?</p>
<p>nope. it's an all male college. hence the motto: "enter as boys so as to leave as men" HSC offers a place of unique learning. The college tailors its vales and classes to the needs of men. Whereas, in other colleges the needs of women are given more of a priority. (sorry I'm tried finals week you know:( )</p>
<p>Actually there may be a few girls enrolled at HSC.I believe daughters of faculty members may take courses there.HSC's lax squad is getting it done! Go Tigers!</p>
<p>I started this thread, so I would like to communicate what I have learned. First, I am the product of a small all-men's college and am currently associated with a top ranked LAC. HSC faculty and staff have been very warm in their responses and reassurances. I have come away impressed and can say that we will be visiting in the Fall. RE: its stereotype as a fortress of 'right' politics/anti-gay sentiment/'pass the scotch' social scene; false. No doubt, its being all-male has had an adverse impact on recruitment, but the same can be said for Wabash and St. Johns (MN), as well as women's colleges, except for those with the strongest reputations/brand ID (as well as convenient location). By the way, I am a a pro-feminist, new-left male and I am a strong advocate of all-male/all-female colleges.</p>