Haverford College Top Questions

Haverford is itsy bitsy, just under 1200 students. But its pretty great to walk around campus any time of day and see tons of people that you know, get to know your professors, all of that good stuff. Though our alums have done some pretty cool things, there aren't too many of them so most people don't know the school exists. Haverford is surrounded by the town of (suprise!) Haverford, which is a ridiculously wealthy suburb of Philadelphia. Philly is only a twenty minute ride away on Septa (our regional rail) and even though most students don't go into Philly as much as they should, it is a great resource and just a quick, cheap ride away. One of the best parts about Haverford is that students run the place. Students sit on basically every committee as well as write and enforce the college's Honor Code and Alcohol Policy. Administration is largely supportive.

My school is too small. Haverford is about 1200 people and you do tend to see everybody everywhere. This is true for the students who go out doors. 500 or so students do nothing but stay indoors and study. The school has labeled them the phantom 500. Most people have never heard of Haverford but within the elite liberal arts schools and the academic community, Haverford is held with great prestige. On campus I spend most of my time within my residence and at the gym. The town of Haverford is a middle to upperclass suburb where everything is closed by 11pm.

I think the best thing is the size of Haverford. The campus is pretty small and contained, but it feels like you never need to leave campus. Sometimes this can make students feel stifled, like they've already met everyone their sophomore year, however there are always individuals you haven't seen, plus the addition of the freshman every year, to change the school dynamics. The most common reaction is "you go to harvard?" so i take care to speak slowly, and follow it up quickly with "a small school outside of philadelphia." This method ensures there will be little confusion. I spend most of my time on campus in my suite, doing work in my room or watching movies in the common room with friends. I prefer not to work in the library, but i know many people who spend at least 1 or 2 hours there a day. While I think many students are grateful for the academic opportunities and our honor code, there is definitely less school pride than at my high school. We promote Haverford and disparage other schools (most Swat and Bryn Mawr) in conversation, but only a few big rivalries in certain sports really bring out the fans. Some consider this to be a general apathy characteristic of Haverford students.

The best thing about Haverford is the ease of living and how students really aren't hassled very much by the teachers and staff. It is very small and, as a result, most people know the same people making gossip kind of a problem. Most people that I meet outside of campus haven't heard of Haverford and confuse it for Harvard to which there is the common correction: "No, I said Haverford." There is very little school pride and most sporting events go unattended by a vast majority of the student body.

We are a great college.

Haverford is great as a freshman and suffocating as a junior/ senior, at least if you are the type of person who likes adventure and independence. The biggest flaw at Haverford is this: Haverford, by itself, has something like 55{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} women, compared to 45{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} men. Bryn Mawr is almost literally a stone's throw away, and the schools make a point to intertwine themselves. When you take that into account, the male/ female ratio is somewhere around 3 women for every man. This has the stunning effect of making men believe they are more attractive, more interesting, and wittier than they actually are, and entitle them to treat women as disposable. (I believe Bryn Mawr women are treated worse than Haverford women are, but it's bad for everoyne involved.) As a result, many Haverford women develop unfortunate complexes about relationships. It is just a bad situation, all-around. People talk endlessly about "the Haverbubble," and it really is a world unto itself. In my experience, the social world was full of possibilities until about my sophomore year, when it started to dawn on me that the community is so small that everything gets around. You will often know torrid details of someone's sex life without ever having spoken to them--and that is creepy. People tend to be hyper-sensitive and very, very politically correct. Much of this probably stems from the fact that it is a largely white campus, so the students of color feel the need to make themselves heard, and the white students respond with guilt-induced freak-outs. In general, Haverford is very far removed from actual reality, for good or ill.

The best thing about Haverford is definitely the people. The school attracts some of the most interesting, genuine, and intelligent people I could ever imagine. The school also does a great job of forging strong connections between students right away with the Customs Program. I think people here are too sensitive. Although the Honor Code tells us that we need to be honest and respectful, I think a lot of things go unsaid because people are too afraid of hurting someone's feelings. It's really great not hearing "gay" as a synonym for "stupid" all the time, but sometimes I think people here carry the whole PC-thing too far. There was a lot of controversy about race relations last year- no one was talking about it and it eventually boiled over. But in true Haverford tradition reaching back to our Quaker roots, the students and faculty organized Town Hall-style meetings for everyone to share their thoughts and feelings. Haverford was a great size as an underclassman, but the small size is starting to wear on me. I really liked (and still do!) being able to recognize almost everyone I see walking around campus and knowing something about them, but the gossip network is quick and deadly. It's sort of hard to branch out and make new friends once the year gets going. I'm really looking forward to going abroad next year (the school makes it really easy!). When I tell people outside the community that I go to Haverford I usually get a mix of responses. The people who know it are really impressed, but so few people have heard of it that I usually say "Haverford-it's-a-small-liberal-arts-school-outside-Philadelphia" all in one breath. And my friend's grandma STILL thinks I go to Harvard and just don't know how to pronounce the name of my school. During the week I spend most of my time in class, running in the fancy neighborhoods around the school, or doing homework in the study lounges in the INSC, the new and beautiful science center. On weekends I spend a lot of time procrastinating in my room during the day and hanging out and partying in the dorms at night. And I ALWAYS spend a lot of time in the Dining Center- the food may not be great, but the social atmosphere is. Some of my best and most memorable conversations have taken place during marathon meals. Haverford definitely ISN'T in a college town. The Main Line is designed for the wealthy suburban families around here, and while they aren't necessarily un-welcoming, there just isn't much to do. Philadelphia is great, only a 20 minute train ride away, but we don't take enough advantage of it. Luckily there isn't really a need to go off-campus that much. Between FAB (Fords Against Boredom) events, Students' Council dances, concerts in Lunt basement, and dorm parties, there's always stuff going on.

I think the best thing and worst thing about Haverford is its small size. While it's something that I wouldn't change because it is wonderful to be part of a tight-knit community and to know everyone, an effect known as the "Haverbubble" often seems to overcome the community because of this. People don't want to leave this bubble and sometimes become so wrapped up in life at Haverford that the outside world becomes diminished. However, there are many on-campus efforts to get students to be active off campus. Often people where I live here in Massachusetts have never heard of Haverford, and they're like, "uh, where's that?" and (modestly), I tell them "oh, it's a nice small liberal arts college outside of Philadelphia". (I don't usually bother mentioning that it's one of the best schools in the country.) On the other hand, anyone who knows a lot about colleges knows that Haverford is an excellent college and is usually impressed. Most students spend most of their time on campus. Even though Philadelphia is convenient to get to, it's still a little bit of a trip (20 min on the train), and usually there's a lot going on on-campus. The towns of Haverford and Ardmore that are walkable from campus are decent for eating and shopping, but they are not exactly college towns. They are usually more inhabited by the wealthy "Main Line" residents. There is definitely a sense of pride and unity among Haverford students. One of the great things about this, which I personally believe that students don't take advantage of often enough, is that Haverford alumni are generally very friendly and easy to access and use for connections. I know one of my friends has made efforts to contact Haverford graduates with jobs he is interested in, and they've been happy to meet him for coffee, and it has paid off in forming connections. This being said about school pride and unity, there is not necessarily a ton of the typical "school spirit" that you might find at a larger university (Perhaps because we don't have a football team). In my experience, Haverford's administration is organized and supportive of students' interests. Because Haverford is small and has undergrads only, I think this helps the administration focus on individual students.

1) Accessibility to professors 2) The social climate. It can be repetitive and stagnant, and generally revolves around alcohol 3) too small, most of the time 4) they say "What's that?" 5) The library or my room 6) college town-ish 7) they're alright, and fairly accessibile. 8) Our president wanted to impose a campus wide smoking ban. also, there were numerous incidents related to people drinking too much and getting sent to the hospital 9) a solid amount 10) a student-run honor code 11) first day/customs week 12) too small, bad food, etc.

The best thing about Haverford is the amount of freedom given to the students. When I hear my friends from other schools tell stories, I am constantly amazed at how many rules there are at all of their schools. Haverford is governed more by a set of guiding principles than by a set of rules. The Honor Code here truly sets us apart and gives accountability to each student for their personal actions. Because of this, the Haverford experience is very much what a student makes it out to be. Personally, I want my college life to be busy and active, and I try to grow as a person while I'm here, and I think that Haverford has encouraged and helped me to do that.