<p>A couple of years ago, when D1 was applying to college, I recall checking out the HWS strategic plan, which included a reference to no longer wanting to be the enroll quite so many students from the bottom third of various prep school graduating classes.</p>
<p>So . . . is HWS still enrolling large numbers of prep school grads?</p>
<p>I'm not troubled by kids w/ gpas of 2.5 who may have gotten a slower start out of the gate or whose skill sets are not evenly developed. OTOH, a high concentration of preppy kids would probably not be the best fit for D2.</p>
<p>foolishpleasure, We really got the feeling that our son would be one of the "poor" students on campus. We did see a lot of students touring from private prep schools on the day that we were there, but not everyone was from a private school. Our son goes to a public high school. My concern is whether this school makes it financially possible for students who do not come from wealthy families to attend. I wonder if my son would be wasting time applying. We like Hobart and what it has to offer very much.</p>
<p>NEmom, like you I am concerned about affordability. But even if the finaid package meets our needs, I wouldn't want D2 at a school where a lot of the students are running off having expensive adventures (even just eating our regulalrly) and, even through no harm/slight was intended, D2 would feel like a poor relation.</p>
<p>D1 attends a top LAC that enrolls its share of affluent to wealthy students, but close to 60% of the students receive need-based aid and ostentatious displays are not considered "cool." We have not visited (and my never make the trip since the school is rather isolated), but my sense was that the HWS student body was more tolerant of those displays - - I could be wront, though (that's why I asked the question).</p>
<p>What in particular did you like about Hobart?</p>
<p>Good luck to you and your S - - and please keep me posted since we are considering a number of the same schools. I'll drop you a PM if I come across any hidden gems.</p>
<p>nyc, thanks. I thought that the core was much more free (more options) than at many other schools. The campus is beautiful, in fact I found it really gorgeous. Naturally, we were there in nice weather, and one must keep in mind where HWS is located. The admissions counselor was extremely hands on and personable. She definitely connected with me, made my son feel comfortable, but at the same time talked about trying things that are not in his comfort zone (and she knew it, btw). I loved the campus, but I did very much feel that "preppie" atmosphere. I can't put my finger on why, but DS and I had the same feelings and we just did not feel that on other campuses. They also offer opportunities that might not be offered on every campus. For example, our tour guide filled a fine arts requirement by taking private lessons (instrument). Oh, our tour guide was not preppie. They did have another student speak during the info session and I found her to be very "preppie", but also quirky as well as warm and friendly. Everyone was open and friendly. Really, LOL! I know that HWS is not in the south or midwest, but the people we met were friendly.</p>
<p>Editing this just to add that my concern about affordablity is not limited to HWS, but to many private schools in the NE!</p>
<p>Thanks, that's pretty much what I expected - open curric, beautiful campus and friendly but preppie. Glad to hear, though, that the preppie girl was quirky; D2 is off-beat (AND black), so quirky-prep is at least half a loaf and much more of a social fit for her than straight/conservative-prep.</p>
<p>Did the campus strike you as isolated? Do students need a car to shop or socialize off campus? Would transportation home be difficult?</p>
<p>I want to qualify what I am saying as I respond to your Qs. This was the last school that we saw, we had a long out of the way drive to get there, and we were tired. We did get the feeling that a car is necessary or at least practical to venture off. We also are not as concerned since we are sure that there will be a nice selection of BMWs and Mercedes to choose from when asking for a ride, LOL. I do know that to go home there is definitely a shuttle to the airport bc I remember that being mentioned during the info session.</p>
<p>I'm an international applying for HWS this year, and I have sent all of my appication. I have emailed the admission officers to see if they could set up an interview with me, through phone preferably but haven't got any information yet. I know if I want to be considered for Trustee Scholars Program I must have an interview, but have you got any information about international candidates? Is it often for international students to be considered for Trustee scholarship?</p>
<p>My daughter just finished her first semester. She had no trouble adapting to the campus after attending hs on the lower east side of Manhattan. She does not drive but is able to get around town via the campus shuttle or rides from friends.
There are some legacy's on campus but the academic requirements and rigor of a LAC are not relaxed for them.
There are buses to/from NYC for Thanksgiving, end of semester and Spring break ($80 r/t for Thanksgiving).
The Colleges have been a good fit both academically and socially. There is not much diversity as compared to a NYC public school but race is not an issue on campus. It is an open caring learning environment.</p>
<p>inwood, thank you for posting, and welcome! Do you feel that HWS offers FA to make it accessible to a middle class student, or is the school really for the student from a wealthy family if they are not within the top 20% (when looking at stats, etc.) of the entering class?</p>
<p>Inwood, thanks for your post - - but I don't understand your comment about legacies (I'm not aware that any school reduces its requirements for legacies).</p>
<p>Interesting that you say race is not an issue, since some of the student posts on college review sites suggest a homogeneous campus where those in the minority might not feel comfortable ("The athletic teams tend to stick together, and some ethnic groups stay together. . . . A technically oriented, lower class or socially inept student may feel out of place on this campus. Also, someone who chooses not to drink might feel out of place. The student body here is extremely "preppy." . . . There are students here that come from old money, new money and **** tons of money. There are very few students who come from lower class families. It is not common to hear people talk about their future salary.").</p>
<p>I know that access to a car is a real issue at boarding schools, automatically boosting one's social status. And while college students are older - - more cars, more mature (we hope) - - I wouldn't want my D, who might not be in the HWS mainstream, to have to depend on classmates to get around. Sadly, the reviews make the colleges sound less friendly than I had noped they would be.</p>
<p>My DS will be in his 2nd semester junior year in a week. He lives in a Theme House and enjoys it very much. He does not consider himself a preppy person and yet gets along with everyone he deals with. He does mention the fact that there are students with alot of money(they don't flaunt it) and students who work in food service there to pay their way. We have always found the students and professors we have met to extremely sociable and helpful, more so then at other colleges we visited. The profs are so involved with their students. Often they are invited to their homes for picnics and social gatherings. The house that my son lives in is coed and there are the rich students and the working students who don't have cars. They all get along so well. He has found the campus to be very open minded with all doors to every prof and club welcoming. He has taken sailing as a credit free course where he met up with alot of wealthier students(had loads of fun with this class) and has even joined Japanese Anime Club where he has met students who are Goth, Geeky and yet very social. When we visit we always feel welcome. I remember at the opening ceremonies when he was a freshman, every new student and his/her family were personally introduced to the President of the Colleges and his family. When it was our turn I was so surprised to hear the Pres. greet my son with his first name and speak to him about his school and past experiences. I cannot say enough good things about the school. His adviser is there for him day and even nights to speak to. Most of the students have alot of respect for the colleges and therefore pride themselves on keeping it clean. Most are very, very engaged in campus activities. There is very little smoking on campus we notice. The colleges are known for trying to get everyone involved in some type of internship or study abroad activity. The colleges have a wonderful group people dedicated to the well-being of the students and they definitely go out of their way to help when they are needed. My DS was given a very decent financial aid pkg and our EFC has stayed very consistent over these past 3 years.</p>
<p>Also my DS does not drink and has never been forced to drink even at parties where it's available. Because the colleges are smaller then others the 'minorities' are fairly small groups that do mingle with everyone. the college has a great Shuttle service that can take the students around town for free, even to Walmart and for groceries. many students do have cars so finding a ride is easy. There is a great Outlet mall about 15 mins away that alot of students go to for a day of shopping and the colleges even offer supervised bus trips to Buffalo for Bills footbal and Sabres hockey games along with trips to the Mall in Rochester on a weekend day. My son was salutatorian in HS and has found his classes at HWS to be challenging. They are not easy A's.</p>
<p>There are not many recipients of the Trustee Scholarship but if you fit the requirements you may be given one of the many HWS Dean's scholarships and/or endowed scholarships(of which there are alot).</p>
<p>rubyred, thank you for posting. It is good to learn that your son is very happy at Hobart! Do you think that your son got a better than average FA package bc he was a top student at his hs, or the package that he got would be typical for someone with an equal EFC that is an average HWS accepted student? I know that you have not reviewed packages of other families, LOL, but do have an idea?</p>
<p>Is there huge pressure to study abroad? Are there semester long internship options within the US (ie: Wash DC, NYC, or on the west coast) as an alternative?</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all of the information that you provided. I really do appreciate it. Good luck to your son!</p>
<p>Rubyred, thanks for being so thorough! I, for one, am relieved to hear that students do not "flaunt" their wealth, though FP's quotes suggest a bit of a "new money" vibe which can be uncomfortable (the urber-wealthy, old money families at D1's day sch, prep sch and top LAC all want to be just plain folk).</p>
<p>FP, I understant your concerns. Even on a friendly campus, black students may be on the periphery of predominantly white friendship circles and therefore (1) less likely to be offered one of the limited seats in the car or (2) less likely to ask for the ride. And wherever the black girl has to go to get her hair done is likely to be beyond the shuttle bus route and off-the-beaten-path for white classmates (at D's boarding school, one of the black faculty would use a school van to take black students - - male and female - -out for hair care and church services). The devil is always in the details and attending a predom white school in a remote locale will definitely poses additional challenges for black students.</p>
<p>nyc, I know you were explaining some challenges of blacks students in general, but OMG, nyc, my children never choose their friends based on skin color, or ethnicity. My child won't have a car at any school, but if he did he would never deny someone the last seat based on the color of their skin. I know that he would feel so badly, that he would drive back and forth a few times so nobody would be left out!</p>
<p>I believe that HWS can be affordable to the middle class, as long as one is willing to accept student & parent loans as part of the package. In our case, the difference between a state university and HWS was about 5K, due to scholarships and grants offered by HWS.</p>
<p>Thanks inwood. I realize that the amount of aid would depend upon efc, but it is good to know that they can be affordable. The heavy number of wealthy students made me really wonder. What loan do they offer parents? Are you speaking about a parent plus loan that some parents take out to meet efc, or is this a loan from HWS directly? I have seen many different packages when my older son applied to college, but none included a parent loan in the package. BTW, LOL, I do not consider a loan as aid, but that is beside the point.</p>