<p>Hi I'm hoping that maybe you can help me out with some accurate info about Hartford Art School and UHa. I have been accepted to the school and offered a very generous scholarship with the opportunity to now compete for a full tuition scholarship based on submission of another art portfolio. I went to visit the school last week and had an overnight with an art student that left me feeling very mixed about the school. I was given a great tour of the Art School and was impressed with the facilities, student work and the students and staff that I met. I really felt I could see myself there. </p>
<p>What concerned me was what I saw of the freshman housing and the fact that so many people were smoking and leaving their cigarette butts all over the grounds. Other than the newest building the freshman dorms looked like a slum. Also the student that I stayed with told me that 3 of the 8 students in their floor had already left school or transferred. The dining hall seemed filled with guys dressed like they were ln a hip hop video and they had the strutt too! When the student introduced me to people the 1st thing they said was "don't come here" no lie 3 people said that! After I told them I would be an art major they said oh, well that is a good program... </p>
<p>I looked @ the retention rate and it is only like 64% of freshman students return. I don't want to get there and find myself surrounded by by unhappy and unmotivated students. I know that financially it would be a good move, but I also have some nice offers from other schools right now but not as good as here. I've heard that transfers are not usually able to get the kind of scholarship $ as freshman do so I want to choose wisely.</p>
<p>I would be eligible for the honors program and could apply to live in Hawk Hall (the new bldg with all learning communities) so I think that would help, but I'm just not sure.</p>
<p>Any thoughts or information from current students/parents would be great!</p>
<p>My D and I went to visit and she did the overnight last week too! We were very impessed with the Art School. We liked the rest of the campus except for the older freshman dorms. They did look very run down and don’t seem set up for meeting many people because they are suite style. I too have been worried about the low retention rate though. Any recent or current students or parents that couls comment?</p>
<p>S is there as a freshman now. I think it’s really dependent on the program you are in. The more specialized programs (Music, Art, etc) are known as fine programs and the kids in those programs seem to be more motivated and glad to be at UHa. Kids in the more general programs seem to fall into the description you give above (his first semester roommate was one :eek: ). As an example, S noticed a HUGE difference between the discussions on the general UoH 2012 Facebook page, vs the Hartt School 2012 page.</p>
<p>I had the same concerns before he moved in, but S has really bonded with the kids on his floor (Hawk Honors), the kids in his program (Acoustics/Music), and the kids in the extracurricular activities he’s chosen. He does know a few girls on his floor who are transferring, but has told me he feels like they didn’t make the effort to get involved on campus so their unhappiness could have been avoided.</p>
<p>Make sure you talk to other art students to see what they think. And I’d DEFINITELY recommend applying to Hawk if you have the opportunity.</p>
<p>You’re welcome! Good luck with your decision. :D</p>
<p>One other point, to the OP about smoking and the cigarette butts (which annoyed me too), I gave that one a pass since I know there is a fairly large population of international students at UofH, who have a much different attitude on smoking than we Americans do. (IMHO, anyway.)</p>
<p>Glad to see there is a recent thread on U-Hart. My D is also accepted, engineering/honors, with a decent merit scholarship, some aid, but not as much as I’d hoped considering her stats, etc. Liked the engineering program, but the campus itself was unfortunately not impressive. We had to leave before we could see the dorms, but the vibe down there did seem off. Still in the running though because she liked the program. Good luck to the OP with the full scholarship!!</p>
<p>Exactly my concern-- D accept to Hartt Actor Training-- loves the program, crazy about it-- the rest of the U…eek. I’d love to hear from some other students and parents.</p>
<p>If Stradmom doesn’t pick up on this thread try private messaging her. Her daughter is there now and I believe a sophomore. My son loved Hartt last year but unfortunately the money didn’t work out even with a $15k scholarship. He’s thinking about it for grad school. Good luck to all!</p>
<p>Not sure what of use I can add to the comments of others! To the OP: you definitely want Hawk Hall and the Honors Program! Hartford can look like a sea of slacker party types, but there are islands of strong students there as well. The art/music majors seem to be different from much of the population. The EEK factor is a nice term!</p>
<p>That said, D’s firstyear roommate is an art major and she spoke highly of the art program. I know she was constantly busy preparing work for her art classes and because of her scholarship she was given better studio space than some of her classmates. Both she and D toyed with the concept of transferring, but both decided to stay based on the program they were in.</p>
<p>OK, so my D got a call on Friday from the Dean of the Art School offering her a full tuition art scholarship (they are giving 5 out for the 1st time this year)! She is honored, but very torn about what to do bc she also has a very nice scholarship offer from another school that covers all but 1600 of the tuition costs there. We are not eligible for financial aid so merit aid is all there will be that does not come out of our pocket. The other school is much smaller and in a very small town, but it also has a very good reputation for art and her specific area of interest. We have visited both and she liked the art programs and facilities @ both places. She liked West Hartford and proximity to so many stores and eateries @ Uha, but is really unsure of the general vibe on campus. Any thoughts on things she should consider? I think we may head back to UHa in April and try to get a tour of Hawk Hall.</p>
<p>the main draw back many people feel about u of ha is
Hillyer College aka college of basic studies! it is seen as an extension of high school for rich spoiled kids who may not be able to get into college! while the other schools including the school of arts and sciences is very good. Hillyer College brings down the rep. of the rest of the school and the atomsphere in the dorms and intellectual feel or lack there of on campus! this causes many students in the rest of the school to transfer after freshman/soph year and never allows another wise very nice school with good academics a chance to bloom.</p>
<p>D transferred into UofH (Hartt School of Music) and is in a love/hate relationship She <em>adores</em> the Hartt School of Music, but wishes it would secede from UofH. She hates the smoking, finds the dorms way too noisy, and the food inedible. (There are kids there who seriously believe that the food is laced with laxatives.) She only had one course outside the Hartt School (one of the all-university core courses) and she loved her professor, so her complaints are all environmental rather than academic.</p>
<p>We found a wonderful product for the lactose-intolerant (thanks to another cc parent here), and she has had no problems at all. She can even eat cheesecake!!</p>
<p>For any similarly lactose-intolerant folk out there, it’s Schiff Defensive Advantage - Lactose Defense formula. (And I have no association with Schiff – just thrilled that it’s working for my D.)</p>
She <em>adores</em> the Hartt School of Music, but wishes it would secede from UofH. She hates the smoking, finds the dorms way too noisy, and the food inedible. (There are kids there who seriously believe that the food is laced with laxatives.) She only had one course outside the Hartt School (one of the all-university core courses) and she loved her professor, so her complaints are all environmental rather than academic.</p>