Haverford College Top Questions

Social life at campus is great. One thing you get with highly intelligent students is really creative parties, and these happen weekly if not more often. There is a lot of intermingling within groups on campus, so it is not just the "jocks" hanging out with only jocks and not partying with anyone else. There are no fraternities or sororities, and I think this adds an inclusive feel to the social life. There is so much to do on campus besides these student hosted parties, thanks to the group FAB (Fighting Against Boredom) which shows movies, arranges trips to Pat's cheesesteaks, has bingo and quizzo nights, along with holiday themed events. Mentioning Pat's, Philadelphia is an easy train ride away and has plenty oppurtunities for fun. With that said, you won't be eager to leave campus because you will undoubtedly be missing a great time.

Most popular team probably the mens lax team. people party mostly two nights a week thursday and saturday.

The most obvious clubs on campus are the a capella groups--because there are SO MANY of them. Their concerts are always well attended, as are the improv comedy groups' shows. Having small-scale concerts in the basement of one of the dorms is always a fun time. People don't really date around at Haverford--the majority are either singles that don't mind being single, or super-committed-to-the-point-of-getting-married couples. Very few long-distance relationships seem to last at Haverford. I met my closest friends through my customs group, which is the group of freshmen and upperclassmen that live together and help each other out during one's freshman year.

People have social lives. It's great. We also work our asses off. It doesn't always work out super.

doors are almost always open. dating scene is pretty bad, not enough guys, ratio is against the women. friends are met-classes, customs group, activities. no frat/sororities-thank god can go to philly if dont want to stay here, lots of cool stuff there.

It's a small campus, but there's usually something to do. On the weekdays that usually involves just hanging out and playing videogames, but there are also many concerts and various departments regularly bring in guest speakers. One of the most important aspects of the social scene is the Alcohol Policy, which basically gives free reign to the students to drink as long as they are responsible. This means no RA's and no need for secretive drinking. The lacrosse and baseball teams usually throw some sort of party every weekend and there are regular dances in Founders Hall (the main campus building). If I were to spend a Saturday night not drinking, I would probably watch some sort of comedy show or go to a concert. Then I'd probably watch a movie or something. The social scene on the weekends basically revolves around drinking, but there is a large percent of the campus that doesn't participate (not just the phantoms). Once you meet enough people who don't drink (not hard on this small campus) it's easy to organize some sort of event for the weekend.

The Lacrosse Team and Baseball Team have reputations for being the closest we have to Fraternities on campus, but it's all relative - they only party hard by Haverford standards. The jazz band and Haverford Review, two clubs I'm in, are both very small but filled with really dedicated students, which is a good summation for most clubs here. Students here are very trusting - people leave backpacks and computers lying around, their doors open, etc. The dating scene is non-existent. Couples form through random hook-ups, not actually going out. I met my closest friends through bonding with them on the hall through card games (lame I know) and through being in bands with people. People here love their alcohol, although non-drinkers are totally accepted with no pressure. Few people do harder drugs than pot. People generally like to hang out, play games, talk, or go to parties. Off-campus, guys go to Bryn Mawr for hook-ups or groups of students head to the city for culture/shopping.

My favorite part of the Haverford social scene so far was the freshman program, Customs. Your first year, you live on a hall or in an apartment with around thirteen other freshman and your "customs people", who are like RAs, only better. I made all my friends initially within my customs group and I found that our orientation week was so beneficial in getting to know people and creating a base so I was never left eating alone or sitting by myself. I also play lacrosse, which has been great.

Most students leave their doors open, even when their out. They also leave their backpacks lying around all of over school. It's a very trusting atmosphere. A good number school parties are thrown by sports teams (baseball and lacrosse) although there are a number of school dances and various non-sports team parties. Haverfest at the end of the year is supposed to be an amazing (it's a 2 day school put on party celebrating the end of classes) but I couldn't go because of playoffs.

I've been told we have the most a capella groups per capita of any college campus in America, which actually seems about right. I think we currently have eight, and around 1150 students. I'm a member of the Outskirts, an all female a capella group that was founded in 2003 and is a large part of my life here. Singing with other people for fun (outside of a graded course, that is) is rewarding and makes me feel great. Leaving doors open? You would be considered very protective and uptight if your door was locked. There's a sense of safety and community respect here (mostly because of the honor code) that makes it possible for people to feel comfortable leaving doors and windows open, even when they're sleeping at night. I'm not saying this is wise, considering our campus is not fenced. However, it's the prevailing feeling among students, including myself. As I understand it, theater has always been tragically lacking. However, this year it's really picked up and there are a lot of programs and ideas for next year in terms of theater. I think it's going to be great. My closest friend here is my suitemate (she's not my actual roomate, but lives in my apartment of four that shares a bathroom, kitchen, and common room). Partying starts on Thursdays most weekends, and continues to Saturday night. It's also not uncommon for small groups of people to get together on a Wednesday night. It all depends on when you have classes and assignments. There are no fraternities or sororities, but sometimes the sports teams that live together assume these roles a little, such as the lacrosse team or the baseball team. Last weekend my a capella group had our big semester show and afterward I went a combination afterparty/birthday party for a group member. Saturday was spent doing work and hanging out with friends. Saturday night there was a big hoedown themed party at the house where the baseball boys live. A huge amount of people showed up. It was outdoors and a huge success- so much fun. There was also a spring dance in the dining center which was fun as well. There are plenty events that don't involve drinking, such as school dances and concerts. Also, there's no pressure to drink at parties. It's entirely possible to go out and socialize without drinking, as I and people I know do sometimes. There's also an entire group of people dedicated to creating fun weekend activities that don't involve being around drinking, such as boardgame nights, movies, rootbeer keggers, etc. (I won a gift certificate at one of these events and also hung out with great people while playing a boardgame. It was great). A lot of people also go into Philadelphia to eat or attend events such as concerts. There are a few places to eat in the area, but they aren't very good and are not worth spending money on when you're on the meal plan anyway.