<p>I've known about my decision for quite some time (since the end of February), and in many ways I feel like the only one who will be attending this fall. Has anyone else been accepted and will most likely be going? I guess you can call this the official thread. I'm really curious/anxious to meet people. There are very few of us!</p>
<p>My son was recently admitted and he is still undecided. We do not live too far from HWS and he wants it that way. We are still waiting on a few colleges but Hobart is there near the top. He is interested in their 3+2 Engineering program with Dartmouth.</p>
<p>My daughter is still considering HWS, but it has moved down from its original #1 "rank" with her. She got a phenomenal talent award and scholarship from another school; only $1K more than at HWS but at a school that costs $13K less. She's having a hard time ignoring the $$ aspect. I told her it's totally her choice, since our need is met at both schools, but it's hard to ignore the possibility of graduating from college without a dime in loans. I'm saying nothing at this point, so she can make the decision that is best for her, however she chooses to define "best."</p>
<p>i was accepted, but i was also accepted by dickinson for jan. i loved dickinson, the distance is its only con, and i really want to use the extra time to go to england, where my family's from, and live and work there for a few months, and actually do a bit of sightseeing. tufts rejected me today, so midd is the only other college id go to, so im waiting till saturday to say for sure, but i dont think im going to hws. its a fantastic school though and really beautiful, so i hope you all enjoy it there. good luck next year. : )</p>
<p>i was accepted in Feb. Working out waitlists with other schools, so I am also not sure whether or not I'll be attending.</p>
<p>Congrats to everyone, HWS is a great school! I'm currently a senior there and just posting to let you know that I'm available if you have any questions, just drop me an email and I'll try to get back to you asap. Good luck deciding!</p>
<p>We took a spontaneous drive to the campus today. It is a lovely place, larger then I expected. My son liked the open space, which probably made the school seem quiet today. Not many kids in the library, the most we saw were in the student center - eating. The food wasn't bad! Where is everyone on a beautiful Saturday?</p>
<p>Can you tell me which building the history department is located in and do you know anything particular about the department.</p>
<p>My guess is that the hiking around the campus tends to keep students in shape. </p>
<p>Also, how often and where do students tend to go when they go into town? Parts of Geneva are beautiful and parts are a real dive.</p>
<p>Hi, I totally agree with you. My son is interested in HWS and we live only 1/2 hr. away (son attends a small school in Geneva itself so am very familiar with the city) and many times we have visited like you on a whim and noticed only a handful of students walking around campus. My tax accountant is a business teacher there and he and I have had this same conversation just a month ago. He too does not see alot of students wandering about and he is there through the day! I thought maybe it was the cold. We did spend a whole day there about 2 months ago when it was cold and my son went to classes all day (a total of 5) with lunch included and I have to say there were bunches of students walking about when classes switched but in between there were few. During lunch it was so busy! I didn't care for how long we had to wait in line but I will say it was alot shorter then other places we visited. The ladies who serve and are at the door were so friendly. that was nice. I think every student on campus was there for lunch. Maybe it is the fact that there are just "x" number of students on that campus and they are spread around.
i will say that at that time we were so impressed by the number of students who would spontaneously stop us to ask if we needed any directions or if we were lost. In 2 of the classes my son said that students openly offered their hand to my son to welcome him for the day. Profs were so open to visiting with us after class and chatting. They wanted to talk longer but we had to move on to the next class. That is what impressed me. We will be visiting again during a real nice day and I will post how full the quad and other parts of the campus were. I was told that students stay on campus over the weekend and it was not a suitcase college but we will see.</p>
<p>My accountant who is a very big financial supporter of local student sport teams has stayed for many of the sport events at HWS after his class and he said he was amazed at how few students attend. He is used to seeing full stands at our local high school games. Anyone out there care to comment?</p>
<p>Hello all!</p>
<p>Jelomom- When you were on campus on Sat. did you wander down by the athletic fields, there were two lacrosse games (both men and women) and a large population of the school was at the games. </p>
<p>I believe that the history department is in Stern Hall (that's where most of the social science departments are located). I'm not very familiar with the history department, one of my roommates is a history major, but for the most part I spend my time at houghton house (I'm an architecture major). There are some excellent professors in the history department that I would recommend trying to get in touch with, including Profs Patterson and Hood.</p>
<p>Regarding the "Town-Gown" relationship: Students do go into town, especially, I've found, as they become upper classmen. There are some excellent restaurants, the hockey rink is downtown, movie theatres and bars. Geneva is a fairly typical small town, as I'm sure rubyred would agree. It has its good parts and bad, although I've found that the local business owners and residents alike are very welcoming of the students.</p>
<p>While there are instances where the campus seems fairly deserted, most students do stay on campus during the weekends. When it starts getting even warmer it becomes difficult to find a place to sit on the quad. There are campus wide softball tournaments that many students become involved in, as well as many other campus activities.</p>
<p>As far as the attendance at sporting events, it can be hit or miss. I've been to sporting events where it is extremely difficult to find a place to sit down (especially footlball, lacrosse and hockey games). At the same time I've been to games where there are very few in attendance. I would say, however, that the former is often more likely to happen.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Thanks VA....I was wondering what do the students do after the Cafe and SAGA close especially Friday and Saturday nights? It looks like they close pretty early. Is there a place for students to hang out together during late nights? I don't recall seeing a 'union' for the students. Does the school ever put out a questionaire for students regarding what would they like to see on campus? Also, do you know anyone who is in the 3+2 Engineering Program? with tentative transfer to Dartmouth for the finish? Do the students head downtown for their fun or do the dorm floor RAs plan things to do?
Are there any 'quiet dorm' floors, ones that are designated as such for students who prefer more quiet hours?
*VA...I know I had emailed you with some questions. Do you have any time to answer, if so you can log in here for everyone to see. Thanks...
Thanks, Rubyred
* I like Geneva, you can get whatever you need and downtown isn't too far.</p>
<p>VA thanks for all the time you have taken to answer questions. I would love to hear your responses to other questions too. </p>
<p>Yes, we did travel to the fields where a highschool game was being played. I have to say that the students we saw seemed very friendly and happy to answer any questions we asked. We did see a 4 person ball game on one of the quads and several students with a campfire outside their hall which all looked fun.</p>
<p>I am a little confused about the eating situation that rubyred mentioned. All the students living on campus can not possibly be feed from the small cafateria in the student building next to the library! Is that the student union? We saw a game room with a pool table in the building.</p>
<p>The questions Ruby asked about dorm rooms are good ones. I would imagine that my son would prefer a dorm that isn't big with late parties. He tends to like reading, games, and conversation when he isn't studying..........did I mention eating!</p>
<p>We drove around Geneva, looking at it from the perspective of a student without a car, and we thought things seemed very convenient. We are also considering the U of R, but I know how difficult that campus is for access to the city. Does Hobart bring events to campus to keep students engaged on weekends?</p>
<p>Sorry for so many questions.</p>
<p>Jelomom...we too took a very hard look at U of R since we are only 45 mins away. I think my husband, myself and my son visited 4-5 times over the last few years going at odd times to see what things were like. We went tothe formal visit and then just when I had some time off. My son won the Bausch&Lomb Science Scholarship and so I tried to encourage him to apply there. It seemed everytime we went there we saw something that 'turned us off' to the campus. My boss's daughter started there but failed out after 2 semesters and then went to a local CC and then onto RIT where she graduated. She then applied for the PhD program in toxicology back at U of R and was accepted..!! She loved it but when we spoke at length about her earlier undergraduate experience there she told us she felt U of R seemed to treat the freshman as 'dispensable' units. I spent a day last fall with my son just visiting the eating places and I was not impressed. On our first campus visit they would not let us see the cafeteria in the big dorm. I thought this odd. I knew I had to come back to check this out and so on our other visits we found the eating areas messy and the staff not welcoming. I asked one employee for a fork and spoon since the plastic ones were empty and she said..well, if there are none then we don't have any, then she turned away to continue her conversation with a co-worker...That was it. It was a standing joke when we went to visit other campuses....(do they use plastic or not and do they have any for visitors to use-ha!).... That was just our impression. I still tried to convince my son to apply there but he said absoutely not.
I found it odd that on all the visits there we were never allowed to visit a classroom. Maybe you did...when we asked to see one they always said they didn't have a key. I did have some worries about that bridge too....anyways, my son took it off his list.....</p>
<p>The U of R and Hobart couldn't be more different. The U of R is very contained and is a business. Hobart seems more like a true college in a college town. While the U of R has a higher reputation, it's also a place that perpetuates it reputation from the graduate research momentum. </p>
<p>The only reason that U of R is even in consideration is because my son had a requirement to be within a radius of home. He is interested in History and would have greater choices if his radius was larger. I respect his criteria and want him to make a choice that will make him happy over the long haul. I believe that if you pick the correct school FOR YOU, you can make anything of it. I don't believe that only top schools provide top educations.</p>
<p>We have done many things at the U of R over the years. My daughter spent a summer in a selective Physics program, three of my kids have done monthly labs with the Life Science Learning Center at the medical research center, we have done Engineering programs with scouts, and last week, my son and daughter participated in the Women's History Conference. These experiences have all been very positive but that said, the U of R isn't my first choice for him. Once you are on campus, you are stuck! It isn't easy to safely be part of the community.</p>
<p>Hobart is an entirely different feel. It seems like a great place to develop ones independence with in a caring community.</p>
<p>Jelomom....very well said...</p>
<p>You are from western NY?
Hey! I am from Niagara Falls and my sister presently lives in Orchard Park!!</p>
<p>My son just got an email from a Prof. at Hobart regarding the Hobart/Dartmouth program. He was nice enough to send my son the email of a Hobart student in his last year at Dartmouth. That was very nice considering my son sent the email about 5 hrs ago. Oh this is getting stressful......!
So many last minute questions.
Where else did your son apply?
My son also did not want to go far from home. He says he would definately be ready for Dartmouth when the time comes.
Anyway, I am anxious to hear what VA Bene has to offer.
Bye bye</p>
<p>The banter back and forth has been great for new insight. Thanks to you both.</p>
<p>Just to answer some other questions-</p>
<p>Regarding places to eat on campus, you're right, the campus is severely lacking. We have one dining hall (Saga) which nearly everyone on campus eats at for lunch, dinner and brunch on the weekends. We also have the cafe, right next to Saga, and another cafe which is in the new dorms that were just completed. The cafe next to saga serves meal type food (both hot and cold), along with a variety of other snack foods. The other cafe serves more of your typical cafe fare, baked goods as well as Starbucks coffee (including cappuccino etc.). There is also a pub on campus, which is open for dinner, Monday through Friday. The pub's atmosphere is great, the food is good, and it is almost always swarming with students.</p>
<p>During the evenings, after the cafe/Saga close (especially during the weekends), students are often found hanging out with their friends in their rooms, or at club meetings and the like. The RA's do have some get togethers on the floors throughout the year, but most of the time it is fairly informal (in the lounges etc.). There are many clubs on campus for nearly every interest out there, and if there isn't, clubs are easy to form!</p>
<p>Regarding the Engineering program, I do know a few students who have done the 3+2 program with Dartmouth, who have benefited greatly from the program. The professors here in the sciences and maths are wonderful, and are always eager to help. I would recommend getting in touch with one of them for more information.</p>
<p>The housing options on campus are extremely varied, as we are not allowed to live off campus until senior year that becomes important. There are the traditional dorms, which your son will live in for his freshman year. After that there are many options, there are suites, theme houses, co-ops (where you have your own kitchen and everyone cooks dinner). Regarding the town houses by the pond (ODells) I currently live in one. They're very nice (4-5 bedrooms, 2 baths, a kitchen and a living area, spread across 2 floors). We cook all of our own food (we can have a meal plan if we choose) and are responsible for cleaning, etc. Housing is a lottery system, with upper classmen having first pick, etc. It's fairly easy to get into the town houses in your senior year, not as easy as a junior. Theme houses are done through an application system.</p>
<p>Signing up for classes is done online. It's a pretty easy task, you find your classes, get your pin # from your advisor, and wake up at 6:30 or so to sign up for your classes. Again, seniors go first, then juniors and so on an so forth.</p>
<p>I've found that the brunt of the complaints I've heard about this school were found during senior year. I knew quite a few people who talked of transferring then, but never did, who now love it here. I love this school and am extremely glad that I came here, as are most of the people I've talked with. The campus is beautiful, we have the lake, the professors are wonderful and are always willing to help, all in all it's a great place to go to school.</p>
<p>As far as post-graduation plans go, I will be attending Cornell University next year at one of the top Masters of Landscape Architecture programs. Many of my friends are also going to grad school and have been accepted at top programs all over the country. I also have friends who will be going into the Peace Corps (President Gearan was the former head of the organization!), and many who will be working next year who have found very good jobs in their fields. It's my belief that this school is what you make of it, I know students who, like myself, have gotten an extraordinary amount out of this school, and students who have not. There are amazing opportunities here (including Study Abroad- I went to Rome) that are not to be missed. Good luck with your decisions!</p>
<p>Hi, I'm a first year at HWS. CAB (campus activities board) always has stuff to do on the weekends, from dances to bands. Also, we get a lot of really good speakers on campus, and President Gearan brings his political friends to speak on campus (he worked for President Clinton).</p>
<p>Hello everyone, my son received an answer to a question he had regarding course advising. Here it is for anyone to read:</p>
<p>All First Year students are assigned an academic adviser who is also the instructor of their First Year seminar class. Students pre-register on their own using detailed guidelines to express their preferences from a narrowed down course list. Students then finalize their course selection with their adviser during Orientation (before classes start). Students meet with this adviser several times per week in the first semester in class and at other times for specific advising. The advising meetings continue to occur as long as the professor is still the students adviser. This adviser is the students adviser until a major is declared (by the end of the sophomore year). At that time, the student chooses a new adviser who is a professor within the department that the student is majoring in.<br>
Students hang out in a lot of different places after the main dining hall closes. There are several other eateries on campus that are open until late at night (Cellar, Café). There are lots of common spaces/lounges within residence halls. Students have meetings in the evenings for their different clubs and organizations. Students gather in the library. We do not have a student union per se, but there are a lot of places to find people.</p>
<p>Any present students care to respond? Thanks a bunch to all.....
Rubyred</p>
<p>Va vene- Congratulations on your bright future and your obvious maturity to make such thoughtful responses.</p>
<p>Rubyred- we acutually live in a suburb of Rochester. I can not imagine a more lovely place to be today with the sunshine then on the banks of Seneca Lake. I am a sailor and know that HWS has one off the top sailing teams in the country. It only makes sense! Well, his decisions are between HSW, St.Lawrence University, U of R, Gettysburg College (we snuck that one in on him), Colgate (but we have bagged waiting for that one). Ultimately, the financials will have to come into bare. </p>
<p>One comment that you made VA bene struck a cord with me. The shortage of eating spots must get frustrating at times, however, in my college days, I have fond memories of seeing just about everyone when it was time to eat. These things lend themselves to a tight college community. As does control on off campus living. As a parent, I see much of this as good in building a cohesive college community. Students may disagree or tire of the limitations over time (thus the senior year angst, you mentioned) but again I like what this suggests for the health of the college community.</p>
<p>You seem to have great respect for the profs. What makes them so special?</p>
<p>Study abroad programs have always been important. HWS offers several. Are you able to go on one other than HSW if their locations are of more interest to you. I am wondering if you would forgo your scholarship money for that semester? </p>
<p>You mention clubs and that they can easily be started. Do you know a web site where we can see the existing clubs? My son has a slightly unusal sport-
target shooting (don't freak out, he is highly trained, very good and has met some wonderful folks who also shoot)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for making this such an informative forum. I am starting to get excited for my son. Must run, but hope to speak with everyone more.</p>