Precursor: I attended Hartwick for two years before transferring. I'm also from Massachusetts, which will become relevant in approximately thirty seconds. To be fair, it wasn't all bad. I made some wonderful friends, enjoyed many of my classes, and found both the professors and students to be approachable and supportive. The social scene was fun too--there always seemed to be a house party or something happening at the bars in Oneonta. And the view from campus? Yelp can probably cover that one for me. It is absolutely breathtaking. If you have a car, I highly recommend taking a scenic drive around the area at least once (especially in the fall). Now for the reason Hartwick was so lovingly referred to as "Hartwick High School." It is SMALL. And I mean SMALL. If you fall down the stairs at 2:00 pm, I can assure you someone will ask if you're okay by 2:20 pm. Everyone knows everyone else's business--which can either sound lovely or horrifying depending on your personality. Also, if you're not from Upstate New York, prepare yourself. Winter is not a season at Hartwick--it's more of a lifestyle. Expect snow from October through April and don't underestimate how rural Oneonta really is. Unless you're particularly fond of hiking, camping, or other outdoorsy activities, your off-campus entertainment options are somewhat limited. (Coming from suburbia? Godspeed.) Do I recommend Hartwick? Honestly, it depends entirely on what you're looking for. If you'd love a small school experience, don't mind long winters, enjoy the outdoors, and aren't particularly bothered by small-town drama, you'll probably have a wonderful four years there. If you'd rather keep your head down, enjoy anonymity, or prefer an urban environment with more options on and off campus, it may not be the best fit. One final piece of advice: avoid the health center. Was transferring the right decision for me? Absolutely. Do I regret attending Hartwick? No. It simply wasn't my forever school--and that's okay too. read more

Positives: Student to faculty ratio - I went here from 2004-2008 and had a great 4 year student experience. When I was there, the student to faculty ratio was 12:1. The most amount of students in any one class I took was 40. The smallest was 5. The professors were easily accessible and approachable and many of them are still there. The student body was only about 1,400 at the time, but it has increased slightly. This is definitely a tight-knit college community where students have a real opportunity to get to know their peers and professors. J-Term - Hartwick has trimesters. "J-Term" is a course students can take in January to knock out some credits before the spring semester starts up in February. There are several opportunities to travel abroad during this time, none of which are included in the cost of tuition. The College does, however, have scholarship opportunities to help fund the experience. Night life - Plenty of bars and Greek life off campus. Some say Oneonta is a "drinking town with a college problem." Three year program - Just before I graduated, Hartwick introduced a three year program to students who wanted to save some money and graduate early. A great idea to help make college more affordable, but the requirements seemed pretty stringent, so be prepared to work your butt off if you choose this path. Negatives: Tuition - Each of my four years there, tuition increased about 3% per year. When I enrolled as a freshman, it was around $36,000/year. By the time I left as a senior, it was around $42,000. Then again, tuition hikes seems to be consistent for private liberal arts colleges across the board. Semesters abroad - While I was a student, Hartwick didn't have its own semester abroad program (not to be confused with overseas travel opportunities offered during J-Term). The College outsourced semesters abroad, so to speak, to Central College in Pella, Iowa. So my two semesters abroad meant transferring tuition from Hartwick to Central, which I recall getting muddled up at the Bursar's Office on a few occasions. I'm not sure whether this has changed. Other: The student population is very diverse, which may or may not be for you. On the one hand, you have the music/artsy type students and on the other, you have a pretty solid D3 football team. You have students from all over the world participating in D1 women's water polo and D1 men's soccer. Overall, this is a liberal arts college so just look at the list of majors and sports offered and those lists will speak to this diversity. I highly, highly, highly recommend Hartwick. read more

An excellent school. Great academic programs, newly renovated dorms, separate environmental campus nearby with lake and hiking trails for recreational and scientific research use. Creative campus employment opportunities, excellent internship and study-abroad opportunities. I was able to complete my 4 year program in 3 1/2 years, and went on to graduate school (Had my choice of grad schools with Hartwick College on my application!) I had excellent professors. I graduated in 2009, but most of the professors I had at that time are still there. Beautiful views, huge library, excellent academic advisors / career services assistance. read more