Hobart and William Smith Colleges

While you are away from Hobart and William Smith, you have options for earning credit. Whether it's through courses during the J-term or Maymester or through the Personal Empowerment or Design Your Life Programs, you can keep up and ensure you graduate on time. 

options for connection

• Take an online J-term or Maymester course to keep you on track toward graduation. If you’re interested in participating in an online J-term or Maymester course, contact your Dean. 
• Participate in a synchronous/asynchronous program while away from HWS. This will allow you to remain connected to a staff member, gain course credit upon return and ensure a smooth transition back to the HWS community. If you’re interested, please contact Associate Provost Susan Pliner or Associate Vice President of Campus Life and Dean of Student Wellness and Support Shelle Basilio. An HWS staff member will reach out to you. Students should plan to meet regularly via Zoom with the program advisor while on leave. Students then complete the program in person during their first weeks back on campus to earn a ½ credit.

HWS now offers two programs for students to stay connected and earn credit while on leave:

Personal Empowerment is designed to develop and apply the core skills of Emotional Intelligence and make and sustain the behavioral changes necessary to support a positive and successful lifestyle. The course objectives include the following:

• To demonstrate accurate self-awareness, including the identification of one's emotions and their effect, influential factors which generate emotions, and an awareness of personal strengths and limits.
• To demonstrate self-control, emotional regulation and the ability to form appropriate and positive response patterns to life situations, including attitudes of adaptability, initiative, resiliency, and optimism.
• To demonstrate the application of empathetic responses to life situations and the understanding of others including recognition of others' needs, the value of diverse problem-solving approaches and attitudes, and the recognition of power relationships and their emotional structure.
• To recognize and respond effectively to relationship issues, including personal influence, communication styles, conflict management, change, collaboration and teaming, and nurturing instrumental relationships.

Design Your Life is designed for students to spend time examining their reasons for being in college, developing their curiosity and exploring pathways through academics, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, and thinking about where these pathways might take them after HWS. Students will develop growth and design thinking mindsets, and learn how to network to gather information and prototype ideas.