<p>Anyone care to comment on some of the courses they took or are taking at HWS? Are there any that were outstanding or just mediocre? Would love to hear.....
Can you also comment on the writing courses? Which ones would you suggest for interest and content?</p>
<p>First year students (or anyone)....can you comment on how your selection of courses went? Did you have to choose alone or did someone advise you? Did you get the courses you wanted????</p>
<p>Thanks a bunch.....</p>
<p>I've only taken 8 courses so far. I love my history class-Intro to the American Experience with Professor Free. She is an AMAZING professor. I really like how she combines her schedule with lectures and class discussion. I took writer's seminar in the fall, and that is a good course to take as a freshman to help with your writing. I LOVED my first year seminar with Professor Rainville-it was a learning community which combined the first year seminar on Harry Potter with Intro to sociology. </p>
<p>About course selection-Both times that I have done course selection I have gotten 3 out of my 4 classes that I wanted. Then there are people that don't get any....but any where you go first years ALWAYS get screwed over in course selection. If you don't get into the course that you wanted to, you can simply e-mail or see the professor with a drop/add forum.</p>
<p>Agreed cz- most professors are pretty good about letting students into classes that they haven't been able to get into. My advice in that situation would be to email the prof, and then show up to the first class with an add/drop form in hand.</p>
<p>As far as classes that would be great to take:</p>
<p>Two Cities: It's a bidisciplinary class (Sociology and Econ) with two great professors. There are trips to Toronto and NYC. It's hard as hell, but an awesome class!</p>
<p>Any art/arch history classes with Stan Mathews/Elena Ciletti: Both are great professors, and students tend to learn a LOT from them both.</p>
<p>Any Sociology classes with Dunbar Moodie: He's the reason I'm a sociology minor, I've never met anyone who hasn't loved his classes!</p>
<p>A Public Policy class with Craig Rimmerman: Really hard, but worth it in the end.</p>
<p>A history class with Prof. Patterson: He really loves his work, and it shows!</p>
<p>As far as writing classes goes:</p>
<p>Creative Writing with Jim Crenner: Awesome prof, and from what I've heard, an awesome class.</p>
<p>I've heard good things about Sheryl Forbes, who is hard, but a good prof.</p>
<p>Other english related classes: Shakespeare classes with Prof. Cummings are supposedly really great classes.</p>
<p>Anyway, a basic run down, hope this helps!</p>
<p>Before coming to HWS you pick your own courses, without advisors if you choose. It's fairly easy to get in touch with a professor in the department that you plan on going into in order to find some good classes to take. Advice on what NOT to take 1st semester fresh. year: Avoid Profs Spates and Daise, both are extremely hard profs and I would recommend anyone start their college careers with either.</p>
<p>As far as registering every other semester. It's all done online, with a pin # that is given to your advisor. Everyone meets with their advisor in order to find the best courses for the next semester, so there is always advice when needed!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the info... sounds like the vast majority of profs there are quite good. I understand that students have to take a certain number of courses in specific areas (son learned that from an all day visit) and wondered will the student get this info prior to signing up for classes?</p>
<p>Ruby, those would be the 8 goals we have to complete before our senior year. These goals are extremely broad and encompass a wide array of classes across the disciplines. Some to be aware of, each student must take a quantitative class (ie math) a class with a lab (science) an art class (studio, dance, mandalla painting, theatre etc.). The rest are most often fufilled simply with courses relating to your sons major. Furthermore, advisors all have different takes on what fufills certain goals, some are much easier going (for example I've known people who have taken "Dangerous Diseases" for their science requirement). I wouldn't worry about any of these now, though, your son will have plenty of time to fufill each of the goals. I finished mine by the end of my sophomore year without even realizing it (as is the nature of an interdisciplinary major).</p>
<p>Major requirements are something completely different. Each major has a list of certain classes that your son must take, and most have a number of electives that can fulfill certain slots. The numbers of classes range from 10 or so to about 13 (I believe). There are also requirements for your son's minor as well, they are not nearly as extensive. Again, I wouldn't worry to much about these things when figuring out which classes to take in the fall. If you have the catalogue it outlines all of the majors and their requirements. If not, they're available on the website.</p>
<p>Thank you VA.....my son is interested in the 3+2 eng option with Dartmouth and has to decide what type of major to do. I believe he has to choose either math, chem or physics. He enjoys all of those types of courses and also loves to get involved in others such as art, history etc. I think he will fit well there. I believe his first course he already knows he wants to take is calc 1 so he can get a bunch of math courses in. From there I am not sure.
You have been a wealth of information and I thank you.
Do you live off campus now? Is it very hard to get into an off campus theme house? I would assume that is for soph and up.
How would you rate the crime on campus. While reading an old Herald I see there was a fire somewhere and some of the students possessions were missing? The school was going to reimburse them. Did this happen?
Cheers.....</p>
<p>cz - I want to thank you too for your interesting input. My son is so into Harry Potter, he would have loved that class. I am sure there is a great variety of first yr seminars to choose from.
Have you had the chance to go out onto Seneca Lake for any sailing or boating?<br>
As a first yr student, what do you do for fun there? I mean you are not old enough to go to the downtown pubs so where do yo hang out? Do you ever get together and go to Eastview Mall in Rochester? Are you in the new dorms or the recently remodeled ones? If you had to pick again, where would you live as a first year? Thank youuuuuu....!!</p>
<p>To all.....what type of first-year-experience does HWS have? Do they do any type of first yr bonding experiences? Do they go white water rafting or something interesting where you have to rely on others?</p>
<p>Most of my friends and I either go to the campus events or just chill and watch movies, while other people just party and go downtown. </p>
<p>I live in one of the new dorms, which is really loud (it could be b/c of the people who are living in south hall this yearr, but they are nice). You are placed in the dorms according to your first year seminar, so its kinda of random. Next year, I'm living in a theme house co-op, which all you have to do is write an essay (make sure its good) and then the house manager picks who lives in the house. If you want to create a new theme house, you have to think of a theme and then get a list of people who might want to live there, and you have to write an essay explaining your theme and how it will help the HWS community. Then it goes to the Res ED committee, who decides on which theme gets picked. Most of the theme houses have to do something with social rights, community service, or something global. </p>
<p>As for the bonding experience, HWS does not have a pre orientation but (my mom is on the board) had that it has been brought up as possible doing one maybe for the class of either 2010 or 2011. I was hoping they did one for my class! The orientation groups are by your first year seminar, and I found helpful, because I got to know the people on my floor better For william smith first years, they have a "big sister" program, which has a upper classwoman help mentor a first year for the first week (ie-they have a dinner at the deans house for it, and I know people who met with their mentor at the cafe or went to a sports event).</p>
<p>I live in one of the town houses down by the lake (O'dell's Village). The houses are only available for juniors and seniors and are fairly easy to get into as a senior, slightly harder as a junior, but not impossible (one of my roommates is a junior). The houses are great, we have kitchens, living rooms, two bathrooms and each have our own bedrooms. It's a great way to introduce life outside of college (we have to cook/clean for ourselves etc.) without having to deal with landlords and such. </p>
<p>As cz said, the theme houses are great, but they are all technically on campus (which is nice as an underclassmen). During senior year students have the option to live off campus. </p>
<p>Overall, because we have to live on campus for 3 years, the housing options are extremely varied, and much better than those at other colleges I've visited.</p>
<p>cz-do you live in the area noting your mom on the board? ...and what board do you mean? Also, did you buy a laptop and if so which one did you choose?</p>
<p>I mean the board of trustees and I got the IMB think pad from the school.</p>
<p>cz-Did you get a T42 thinkpad and do you find it sufficient for your needs? BTW - are you planning any travels abroad, I see HWS has quite a few and I will certainly encourage our son to apply. He was looking at the 2 week Tokyo Japan trip.</p>
<p>I see from the map that most of the campus is wireless...?? yes???</p>
<p>Yes, the computer is enough for everything that I need to do, and most of the campus is wireless, and there are plans to expand it more. I'm planning on studying abroad in Vietnam in Fall '07.</p>
<p>cz-is there typically alot of competition for the study abroad programs? My son is interested in the 2 week Tokyo, Japan program which is a non-credit time in June. Can a student go on more then one or should they be selective about which one they choose if they get only 1 opportunity to go while at HWS?</p>
<p>I think Japan is pretty competitve, but it all depends on how many people apply to the programs. You can go on more than one study abroad, but they give preference to people that haven't yet study abroad. Again, it is possible, you just have to apply to the right programs.</p>
<p>Hi, I was wondering if present students feel there is a big turnover in professors at HWS or is it typical to have handfuls of openings every year?
VA - My son looked up several of those profs you listed for courses you took and they were no longer listed. I saw the 'openings' list and wondered about the turnover.
It made my son and I curious.</p>
<p>All of the profs I had listed are currently at the school teaching (either myself or people I know are taking classes with them). The only prof that I now of that will not be there next year is Stan Mathews (he will be on sabattical for the year). That is indeed strange that they aren't listed. </p>
<p>I would say that the turnover rate is not very high at all, in my time here I've only had three profs who are no longer teaching here, and one was only a temporary prof signed on to teach for a year. </p>
<p>Where were you looking up the profs?</p>
<p><a href="http://campus.hws.edu/ADM/hr/employment/Faculty.asp%5B/url%5D">http://campus.hws.edu/ADM/hr/employment/Faculty.asp</a> this was the listing of faculty openings...</p>
<p><a href="http://www.hws.edu/academics/registrar/schedule.asp%5B/url%5D">http://www.hws.edu/academics/registrar/schedule.asp</a> this was where son stated he tried to look for profs..</p>
<p>I looked a bit...could it be where the word STAFF is listed those profs just have not been assigned yet?
I didn't look for everyone though
Cheers...</p>