<p>I see there is an older thread that addresses how preppy the student body is. I was hoping some of the current students/parents would weigh in on this. My son is a blue jean and T-shirt kind of kid, high achieving academically, self motivated and quite driven. He is very socially conscious and wants more of that in college next year. He runs the local Amnesty International club and does community service because he enjoys it (not because it's required by the National Honor Society). </p>
<p>He works a part time job year round to help pay for college. We have a very low EFC and he has received a nice package from HWS including the Trustee scholarship. He has also been admitted to Hamilton and U of Rochester, and Geneseo. </p>
<p>My son has nothing against wealth, but he is bothered by kids with a sense of entitlement who spend their parents money without question. (This is present at our suburban high school too.) We had dinner in town at a local pub recently and the waiter there said "he hates most of the HWS kids that come in" and that they blow through money like crazy and are not the most respectful kids. He said he never saw so many polo shorts & salmon colored shorts on guys before he started working there. Needless to say, this was a turn off to hear. But, perhaps this is a skewed perspective (the bar hopping crowd and not representative of all of campus?)</p>
<p>My main question is: what percentage of students enrolled at Hobart and William Smith are down-to-earth, grounded kids who care about people and humanitarian causes?</p>
<p>Were (or are) you able to go and visit the campus?
Perhaps your son can stay overnite with another student. Our daughter has done this and it has helped her make her choice. I can’t really answer your questions, except to say that our daughter visited HWS. Unfortunately, she did not like it. As a parent, I have to say that I did notice that the kids were all put together and very preppy looking. All the guys had the pink polo shirts on with collars flipped up and boat shoes. I have nothing against that and don’t mind it at all. But it is not who our daughter is and I think that is the reason she is choosing not to go there. She feels like she may not fit in. Having said all of that, we did not go back for a second visit or do an overnite at this school. Good luck.</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman at HWS. We are from California and aren’t particularly preppy. Our/her experience is that there is a strong preppy contingent, but it is not overwhelming. She applied early to HWS, primarily because of the service learning culture. I know she has found many opportunities to pursue her passion for service. She even has some classes that have service as part of the curriculum.</p>
<p>She is not a big partier, although she is quite social. I know she has made many good friends already. I think she has only been to town once or twice, so I’m guessing she wasn’t one of those kids bar hopping. Maybe that comes later, but so far it hasn’t been part of the weekend options. Most of the freshman social life takes place in the dorms.</p>
<p>As parents we’ve met some really nice kids there. Sure, like every school, HWS has its share of knuckleheads…but there seem to be plenty of great kids–both boys and girls–there as well.</p>
<p>Thank you both. We did go for a visit on a lovely day. (We also went last year during a snow storm!) I agree that there’s always going to be a mix of types of kids which is one of the great things about college. I just want to find out if there’s enough like minded students there that my son can connect with so he doesn’t feel like a fish out of water. He too is very social but not a party type. Hanging out with friends and listening to music suits him just fine. Working together with friends in service to others is what he enjoys. HWS sells itself as a civic minded campus so it’s good to hear HWSParent that your daughter found this there.</p>
<p>My S is exactly like your S twooutofthree… we are from CA and my S is about as laid back as they come. He is kind of the hippie, outdoorsy type, but very intellectual and unpretentious. he would HATE a school full of posers if you know what I mean… He is ok with the preppy thing if everyone is ok with just being themselves. He is going out for an overnite in a few weeks, so it will be interesting to see what he thinks. He has a friend there that interned with him this past summer with Student Conservation and she loves it. I don’t know… I hope he likes it… they gave him a ton of $$.</p>
<p>My son’s a jeans and T-shirt junior who studies hard, has made Dean’s List every semester, hangs out with his friends and girlfriend, and doesn’t drink. He readily acknowledges there are preppy kids at HWS; some are nice and worth knowing and some aren’t–no different from any other stereotype. I’d say anyone can find a group of kids they enjoy.</p>
<p>My high achieving freshman daughter (accepted to Wesleyan, Tufts and Wash U), received very generous merit scholarships to attend HWS. She felt comfortable on the campus both times we visited and has never looked back. She’s far from preppy (more artsy), and her friends are just regular kids. They enjoy late night dinners at Dennys (wouldn’t be my chouce ), watching movies, and just hanging out. She made Dean’s list first semester, and will likely do it again this semester. She works as a student photographer n the communications department, she’s been accepted to a Holocaust education trip to Germany and Poland after school ends in the spring. She was accepted to be an RA for next year, is involved in Geneva Heroes (works with local kids on Saturdays), danced in Koshare, and numerous other activities, where (here, I believe is the key), she met kids like her! When she followed her passions, she found like-minded people. As an aside, I think those high achieving kids stand out at HWS (in a good way) and she is recognized for her abilities by her professors and the administration. All in all, she couldn’t be happier. Feel free to PM me if yo have additional questions.</p>
), watching movies, and just hanging out. She made Dean’s list first semester, and will likely do it again this semester. She works as a student photographer n the communications department, she’s been accepted to a Holocaust education trip to Germany and Poland after school ends in the spring. She was accepted to be an RA for next year, is involved in Geneva Heroes (works with local kids on Saturdays), danced in Koshare, and numerous other activities, where (here, I believe is the key), she met kids like her! When she followed her passions, she found like-minded people. As an aside, I think those high achieving kids stand out at HWS (in a good way) and she is recognized for her abilities by her professors and the administration. All in all, she couldn’t be happier. Feel free to PM me if yo have additional questions.</p>