HWS News
19 August 2024 The Class of 2028 By Andrew Wickenden '09
HWS welcomed new students from across the country and around the world on Sunday.
Beginning on Sunday, Aug. 18, more than 700 first-year, transfer and graduate students joined the HWS community, bringing a diverse range of experiences, interests and goals as they get acquainted with campus and the Geneva community.
“Our newest students are an impressive cohort who have so much to share with and learn from one another,” says Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid Michael J. Quinn. “Faculty, staff and students have been preparing all summer, and we were excited to greet our newest students and see all that they will contribute to our community.”
The 568 incoming first-year students hail from 32 states, 13 countries and five continents. Collectively, they have an average high school GPA of 3.62, with a wide range of academic and cocurricular interests cutting across the liberal arts and sciences. The top academic interests for new students are business, psychological science, environmental studies, architectural studies, biology, pre-law, economics, pre-medicine, educational studies and English. Students of color make up 23 percent of the new student body and first-generation students nearly 20 percent. Almost 40 percent are student-athletes.
Orientation comprises a full week of programming designed to create meaningful opportunities for students to get to know one another, campus, and their new Finger Lakes home. This summer, Orientation Coordinators Joey Tello Galicia ’25 and Jill VanLare ’26 and the HWS Office of Campus Life assembled and trained a team of student Orientation Leaders and Mentors who welcomed new students and their families to Hobart and William Smith.
“Orientation is a marathon, not a sprint,” Tello Galicia says. “You’ll have the opportunity to meet so many people and make connections. My advice is to keep exploring, keep trying, keep expanding.”
Reflecting on her time at HWS so far, VanLare says, “I got to be exactly where I needed to be for college. I couldn’t be more thankful that I came here and I enjoy introducing first-years to our community.”
Alongside the Orientation Coordinators, the O-Team guides new students as they navigate campus. “O-Team” members will facilitate new student outreach during the first three weeks of the semester, providing on-going support, encouragement and resources to new students in collaboration with the Office of Campus Life. Orientation Mentors will continue to be a touchpoint for students throughout the semester, making themselves available virtually and in person.
A cornerstone of the extended Orientation program are Spark! Projects, designed to introduce students to HWS’ intellectual community. With a small peer cohort and led by faculty and staff, students complete a two-day immersion into a topic of local interest, ranging from public art and community development, to fly-fishing and ecology, to outdoor education and adventures. On Friday evening, students will share what they’ve learned at a mini-symposium in the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts.
Additional highlights during Orientation week include the LOVE Geneva Tour and Food Fair, two Days of Service, hot air balloon rides, and the annual Variety Show at the Smith Opera House, showcasing campus talent from the acapella group Three Miles Lost to step and dance teams HQ and the Kinetic Dance Collective.
