Hartwick College

Date: May 09 2008
Major: Political Science (This Major's Salary over time)
Most of the faculty here are great; very approachable and willing to go the extra mile to help you succeed and explore your options. I say most because there are others that wouldn't help you if you were dying in the street. I don't think that's unique to Hartwick, but for a small school with a mission dedicated to student/faculty connections, not everyone seems to follow the mandate. I think this speaks to the weakness of the administration in addressing student concerns. I approached the Academic Affairs office about a problem I was having with a faculty member and they seemed condescending and unconcerned. They sent me back to deal with the faculty member and try to resolve the issue. I tried that again, it didn't work, so I tried the department chair, that didn't work, so I felt kind of stuck. I think most of the comments about Hartwick are dead on about administration. The people in power positions at the college (there are a few exceptions, don't get me wrong) don't seem to give a damn about students unless their parents have money and are constantly calling to help you get things done. That makes it feel like high school. But hey, if you can't sever the cord with your mom or dad, this is your place! Staff and faculty turnover seem high and I think that affects the amount of opportunity to do things on the campus. You can find someone you enjoy working with and who will help you do good things, but you can't guarantee they'll be there past May.

Also, be wary of coming in undeclared. If you do this you may find faculty aren't willing to go the extra mile with you to explore a major. Faculty love working with majors, but if you don't want to be in their major they can be dismissive. The advising office was very helpful when I went to them, but they seem overwhelmed with students in the same situation. Once you declare you're ok, but otherwise, you're pretty much on your own.

Positives: tutoring services are great, my advisor is pretty cool, my department is great.

Negatives: administration, culture, negative attitudes of other students and some faculty, too much alcohol usage - seriously - I've been to other schools and this place is clearly at the top of the heap for alcohol consumption, campus needs a lot of maintenance and upkeep.

Overall I would avoid this place unless you have the ability to avoid administrators, can drink like a fish, can take on a massive amount of student loan debt and can live autonomously.