Is Hobart/Wm Smith changing its image? Attempting to move up in the rankings?

<p>Inwood, so then what loans are you talking about that they offer parents in their FA package? Are you only talking about the student loans which could be Stafford, and/or Perkins?</p>

<p>There is no pressure to study abroad. The students get alot of emails from the schools for study abroad programs. Typically you have to apply for the one you want by Oct of the year before you go. The schools try to give everyone a chance to go and look for those who have not yet gone to fill the quota. My son has chosen not to study abroad but to do alot of summer interning. Over 50% of the students do go abroad at least 1 semester of their schooling there but that still leaves about 50% that don't. The list of internships is endless. My son had a great on-campus research internship his first semester where they gave him free housing and a nice paycheck. These on-campus opportunities typically are posted in early February with a 3 week deadline for application. Nice mix for the student who wants it.You can go basically everywhere any anywhere with their internships offered. They even have endowed scholarships set up to give to those students who choose an unpaid internship just to give them the experience of doing something they want. You can also create your own internship and get money for it. The admin. there is all for personal growth and they help in any way they can. I'm not sure about the FA my DS received. HWS seems to have the $$ for FA. He may have gotten a bit more b/c of his status in his class but also he was in constant communication with his adcom. She did so much for him. I think she learned alot about him early on. I think this was very important. They basically became friends. He visited I think 3 different times and each visit was amazing. His FA was good. 1 little Stafford loan and some $ from us. His FA $ has remained pretty much the same over the years with this year being even better. Our $ part has stayed constant over these past 3 years. They encourage alot of community service. There are those that help all the time and those that help infrequently. Anyone can put together a fundraiser for a good cause with college backing. They love to see that.</p>

<p>rubyred, thank you! You have been most helpful!</p>

<p>I didn't mean to suggest that anyones children (or the HWS students in particular) would deliberately choose friends based on skin color, but the fact remains that most people, including those of D's generation, have more in-race friends than out-of-race friends. And it's not just a matter of race, its also a matter of culture - - just as the Muslim kids often hang primarily w/ other Muslim kids and the Jewish students may also seek out each other.</p>

<p>Re: internship funding, college funding for unpaid internships is often a one time only deal. Is that the case at HWS, or can a student get funding for successive internships?</p>