<p>Mezzomom wants to know about Hobart and William Smith and I think I can get her to pay me 5 U.S. American bucks to find out. It's in or near Geneva , New York and from what I've read has-in the past-had a rep as being a bit overstuffed with rich-ies and party!!! folk. It looks very appetizing on their own website- but then again, so does "Denny's" food. Anybody have any personal knowledge? Who knows, I might be willing to split the take with you.</p>
<p>No actual personal experience with the school, but I could really use the $2.50 so here's what I know about it. One of my d's best friends attended and got some decent merit aid as an education major. She wasn't happy with her first roommate (drug problem), or with the way the administration handled the roommate situation, and thought the partying in her dorm was excessive. She persevered, though, graduated in December after 3 1/2 years, and is already teaching somewhere.</p>
<p>It's a pretty but remote campus. Several kids from our hs go there each year. I'd say partying yes, rich kids not so much.</p>
<p>Hm. Not really worth $2.50, I guess. And now I'm thinking about Denny's!</p>
<p>Just a note of caution, frazzled1. There are some things that really shouldn't be served as a "scramble".:eek:</p>
<p>I picked up the idea that the campus was gorgeous and that most of the kids were from major New York metro areas. Any info?</p>
<p>My D and I saw the school only very briefly (pressed for time & not high on list). We were in area to see Hamilton, Colgate, & Syracuse, so we stopped by. Please take my comments with a grain of salt; we did not take a tour, just self toured & ate a meal. </p>
<p>Maybe we did not see the gorgeous section, but I would not say it was gorgeous. I would say quite pretty. The campus sits up above a nearby lake and you have some views over the water, particularly approaching the campus. The campus gets some nice sun with nothing huge blocking light. It is set on a couple of rolling, small hills. I would guess the main campus is about 10 x 10 blocks. Lots of grassy space and pretty trees. Many streets do not go through campus.</p>
<p>The town is typical for the area with some grotty depressed parts and gracious residential parts. Not unlike Poughkeepsie & environs; at least on drive in. However, it is surrounded by a lot more raw natural terrain, and this surrounding woodsy/lake part is beautiful.</p>
<p>Again this is off the cuff but I would say in looks the campus is sort of a blend between Wesleyan and Skidmore. (Skidmore's newer architecture & sense of being roomy & spread out, on more of a Wes-sized site and a Middletowny town.)</p>
<p>Based on driving in past several blocks of large, semi-thrashed mansions with big greek letters over the front doors, I'd say the frat scene there is active!</p>
<p>Students were friendly, and did not seem hoity toity at all (but again it was a small sample.) Seemed athletic, happy. Lots of kids we saw (could have been the time of day) were clearly heading off to sports practice.</p>
<p>The school is really two schools (Hobart is one, William Smith the other.) I am so ignorant I am not sure which is men's and which is women's!</p>
<p>Thumbnail: seemed like a school with a good environment and nice kids, no glaring red flags that we could discern (except maybe the frat aspect.)</p>
<p>They are a D-3 school, sports-wise.</p>
<p>Hobart William Smith is a favorite school for prep school kids who just have not done well enough to go on to a selective school. Some of the kids may be real slacker, but many are just late bloomers. The quality of education there is quite high, I am told by our college counselors. (our school sends a lot of kids there each year) and is a continuum of what they get in prep school. It is definitely a LAC with the emphasis on the LA courses though they do have an education major available. That is what probably distinguishes it from many colleges with its academic stats. The education is supposed to be very good, as many of the kids there have had a solid background, and kids coming from schools without a firm grounding in the academics will not find it an easy go as there are enough kids who go there that are well educated. They do offer merit aid, and pretty much give good financial aid packages. Surprisingly for the rep it has, there are a lot of kids on financial aid there. </p>
<p>The atmosphere is that of a top grade prep school or a number of LACs. What is unusual about it is the split between the two colleges that make up the school, male and female. Like Hamilton and the old Kirkland College, but this school has maintained the female identity though the classes and activities are integrated. </p>
<p>A great pick for the right kid. St Lawrence is another similar school.</p>
<p>Thanks, Curmudgeon for starting this thread for me; I was on the run the other day, so I appreciate you taking the initiative for me. (Oh, and the check's in the mail :D)</p>
<p>My daughter checked out the website this weekend and liked what she saw, but I don't know what she'll make of the prep school info (probably she'll ask, "What's a prep school?") I personally like the Finger Lakes region myself, but it's relatively remote, and I wonder how this effects the availability of internships. Clearly a school to investigate a bit further...</p>
<p>Thanks mezzomom. I really wanted to hear the responses because D has had HWS on her list of schools to investigate if and when we are ever "in the neighborhood". It is appealing to her-the natural beauty of the surroundings, the campus and it's remoteness, and the generous merit possibilities. And as to the "prep school" part, D probably thinks that's Kaplan.</p>
<p>I don't know what type of internship interests her, but there is a hospital not too far away...</p>
<p>I think jamimon has it about right.</p>
<p>I do, however, believe there are real distinctions between between Hobart and St. Lawrence that go beyond weather (St. Lawrence is located adjacent to the Canadian border, with Ottawa being the closest major airport). Both tend to be used as safeties for kids applying to the "top twenty" LACs. The student body at St. Lawrence is much more active (based on % participating) in co-curricular activities and has a much higher rate of students going on to graduate programs. Through a formal program, over the past several years, St. Lawrence has pretty much eliminated the Greek presence within its culture. It's still an option, but not one exercised by the majority of students. I don't know that theses factoids mean much in the aggregate, but to me, they suggest differences between the schools. My advice is to visit both and judge for yourself.</p>
<p>I'm not being negative on Hobart; it's a fine school.</p>