Geneva, NY
Hobart William Smith Colleges

As an incoming Freshman with plenty of upperclassmen friends, I have pretty much nothing bad to say about Hobart and William Smith so far. Neither do any of my friends. All of the orientation steps and the overall process has been fairly easy and smooth.

The College is pretty misleading. Honestly became a student here two years ago and I was really excited. Slowly I saw how stingy the Residential housing office was when they would charge nominal fees. For example I was charged $150 for leaving my dorm 15 minutes later than expected. Or I broke an exit sign once and for the rest of the year campus safety would come into my room at 6 am on Sundays to make sure I hadn't broken another and would try to pin other broken exit signs on me. Furthermore, HWS advertises how nice it is to live off campus but its honestly impossible because they charge 7,000 dollars per semester to live in residential housing so they have an incentive to make it hard to live off campus because they want the housing revenue.On another note the entire college is run terribly. The registration process it run better at state schools. Its hard to get into intro classes that I need for my major and twice my registration hold has been on my account "because of an error in the system" and I have not been able to take the classes I need. Furthermore, athletes on scholarship are prioritized to pick classes first because they have to work around their schedule which is bull shit, if they don't pay for school why should they have an advantage at picking classes when the process is already so hard. The deans and the provost have no power the teachers have it all, they fail students who have conservative thoughts and love students who hate Trump. In the four years that I will have been at this school I will experience 4 different presidents, teachers are pissed, students are pissed and there is no direction what so ever. Also athletes rape girls and the school turns a blind eye because they are good at sports. This school is not worth 66,000 a year.

They have very good academic and extracurricular opportunities. Their class sizes are almost always less than 30, which makes professor/student relationships particularly strong. While their administration lacks organization (there are often activities promised but never actually put into action), their emphasis on community service and study abroad makes them stand apart.

Great place. I have definitely made the right choice for college. There are so many clubs, classes and extra-curricular activities to choose from or you can choose to attend any of the numerous culture events on campus. Hobart is warm and welcoming and the professors , deans and president really are invested in the students.

Overall I believe it is a great college with some pretty incredible people and wonderful staff and faculty. There are of course a few unsavory people, but then again what school doesn't have those? People are generally nice and we only deal in good vibes.

I attended HWS for my freshman year of college and am very unhappy I did. The admissions offices sells you a wholesome well-rounded school that will leave you as a student who can "lead a life of consequences", but in reality that is a marketing scheme. HWS academics are supposed to make you a well-rounded student, but all they make you is aggravated because you can never get into a class you want or that aligns with your major. This is due to the terrible registration process and the fact that teachers do not care if you get into the class you need or not (I even knew seniors who were having trouble getting into classes). Moreover, every class discussion has to touch upon the topic of race or gender. We can never just learn math or science or learn something that will have a real world application, we always have to go back to the "elephant in the room" of race and gender so that by the time class is over you are not sure what you learned. Residential life is also terrible because there is a huge drug and partying culture on campus. I came to college thinking I would have to deal with some of this around me, but not as much as I had to deal with. Not only on a daily basis were kids drinking, smoking cigarettes (both E-cigs and real ones), but also were always smoking pot and doing harder drugs. I kept away from basically everyone on my floor after 5 pm each night. HWS is also in the middle of no where so if you ever want to get a nice meal on the weekends there is only one overpriced place in downtown Geneva and then a few other places about 30-60 min away. The lack of any fun things to do in Geneva and on campus I think leads to more and more students turning to drugs in their free time. The food on campus also is terrible. Nothing is real and it all hurt my stomach. I lost 7 pounds (an unhealthy 7 pounds) within the first month of school because I simply could not eat the food on campus. And Res Ed is not very helpful when it comes to getting you a better roommate or a food accommodation plan. HWS says they want to help you, but in reality they want to make money.

Hobart and William Smith has provided me with so many opportunities, the professors have been accessible (some are more willing to help than others), the student services are good particularly the centre for teaching and learning. Varsity sports opportunities are excellent with coaches open to athletes for whatever they need and the strength and conditioning coaches being friendly and helpful.

This is a great place to live if you can deal with snow and if you can manage the wait until the spring because it is absolutely beautiful. The Alumni network is amazing (but really only for Econ majors) and there are a lot of opportunities to volunteer and get involved in the community which is a great way to make Geneva, NY feel like home.

Hardworking, dedicated, sometimes over comitted, but overall caring individuals

Some one who does not want to discuss social justic issues

HWS is a community. The professors know the names of their students, the students know the names of everyone in their residential building, and no building is more than a 15 minute walk away. The intercampus connections are almost as good as the connections between current students and alumni. Hundreds of HWS almumni have committed themselves to helping current students and future graduates find their place in the real world. The HWS community is the school's best factor during a student's four enrolled years and after.

Dear Alexia Sereti of May 2014, Congratulations on choosing a Hobart and William Smith Colleges! I know... you're currently terrified that you chose the wrong school. You're worried that you won't fit in, that you aren't academically prepared enough to thrive in a college setting, and that the student loans you're bound to rack up by 2018 won't be worth the experience that HWS can offer. It’s normal to be nervous, but I’ll tell you why you don’t need to be. The key to having an amazing college experience, wherever you go, is being open to the unfamiliar. Your goal during these four years should be to learn and grow, not to prove yourself. Approach every opportunity you are presented with as a chance to learn something new about the world and about yourself. If you go into college this coming Fall with an open mind, there is no way you will regret your decision. - Alexia Sereti of December 2014

I definitely brag about how much personal attention HWS students get from their professors. I was recently ill and my professors went above and beyond to help me get through my first semester and regain my health as smoothly as possible. Thanks to them, I was able to stay in school, finish the semester with a 4.00, and make it home for winter break in a healthy state.