See Haverford College reviews submitted by students. Find out what students have to say about various aspects of attending Haverford College. Read about academic experiences and campus life in these free Haverford College reviews, or contribute your own Haverford College review if you're a current student there.
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6 out of 6 people found this review useful.
female from MN
Reviewer is A current student here.
Categories Rating Comments Am learning a lot Haverford is a fantastic academic environment. In my experience, professors really care about their subject and their students. Overall, they are incredibly approachable and always interested in helping you learn and eager to discuss issues that are of further interest and tangentially related to classroom work. Professors will work you hard, but the work is meaningful, productive and worthwhile. Busywork is very minimal if not absent. As a sophomore, I've already been to three professors' houses for dinner. Classes are small, allowing for involved student-professor and student-student interaction. Students themselves are thoughtful, generally interested in learning and care about their subjects. Haverford is a liberal arts college, and discussions in the classroom frequently involve related subjects and connections made to other classes. It's definitely an intellectual community: I am constantly aware that I'm surrounded by incredibly intelligent human beings and I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn from all of them, whether their lessons be academic or social.
Am enjoying being here Haverford prides itself on its Honor Code, a unique student-written and student-enforced living document which covers both academic and social concerns. The Honor Code is logistically useful, as it allows students to take self-scheduled exams and it also creates a general atmosphere of student/administrative/faculty trust. The Code stresses personal involvement and responsibility, and the community takes it to heart. Rules at Haverford are minimal and make sense. Interactions are friendly. Haverford is an incredibly unique community where the average person has a great deal of common sense, is trustworthy, and takes time to listen and discuss concerns. All of this translates to the social environment: students know how to have fun, but are responsible and understanding of others' concerns. Issues on campus definitely carry the feeling of we're all in this together. We have a very strong ethos of student self-government, and the student body comes together once a semester at Plenary to present and vote on resolutions. These, and other forms of student input are actually taken very seriously by the administration. Haverford students are aware they live in the Haverbubble but generally enjoy it. There's a stereotype that the kids who come here are nerdy and socially awkward, but this characteristic is manifested in an endearing manner, and the vast, vast majority of Haverford students are lovely, thoughtful, respectful, and intelligent human beings. Of course, every school has its problems, but in the grand scheme of things, Haverford functions pretty well. It's a pretty good example of a real, cohesive community.
Bang for the buck Haverford is expensive, with tuition upwards of $50,000 a year. If you're not on financial aid, it can be brutal. However, Haverford has (relatively) fantastic financial aid: many students say that their financial aid package from Haverford was by far the best of their offers. If you're looking for an intellectual, socially responsible, and laid-back community, I'm convinced that Haverford is one of the best out there. By virtue of its uniqueness, I think the price is very worth it.
Tips for prospective students Read the Honor Code (http://students.haverford.edu/code/). If it's interesting and appealing to you, that's fantastic. If it's not, Haverford is probably not the best fit. The community is structured around the Code, and while you don't have to agree with it, it will pervade most aspects of your life here. That being said, Haverford is not the kind of school that looks for everyone to obey and accept the standard: we value discussion, constructive criticism, changes. The Code is a living document, re-ratified by the student body every year. Past that, be genuine. Haverford students are interesting, and admissions prizes personality, thoughtfulness, character over GPA and numerical measures of excellence.
Great for these types of students The average Haverford student is thoughtful, intelligent, modest, ambitious, laid-back, sincere, responsible, friendly, and somewhat socially awkward. Haverford is diverse on paper, but the Honor Code definitely attracts a fairly ideologically homogeneous student body. That being said, people still have plenty of opinions and talk about them.
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2 out of 2 people found this review useful.
Freshman Female
Reviewer is A current student here.
Categories Rating Comments Am learning a lot This is definitely a quality education. All of my classes are small, my professors know my names, and there is a wide selection of courses one can take at Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore or Penn.
Am enjoying being here They call it the Haverbubble for a reason. The social scene can be a bit suffocating. It is a very small school, and I feel that I know too much about people I don't know. Although the SEPTA is easily accessible, it can be difficult to get off campus, especially as a freshman.
Bang for the buck I hear people say that Haverford has a great financial aid program, I've just seen nothing of it. Tuition is extremely expensive, but Haverford also gives its students opportunities I don't think you can find elsewhere.
Tips for prospective students If you're visiting, bring your homework. Although we do our best to show you around and make sure you have fun, when Sunday rolls around, we usually have quite a bit of work to do, and it's painful for you to sit and be bored while we try and work.
Great for these types of students Haverford stresses the importance of the community. Although the school strives to accommodate every type of person, I think the people who enjoy it the most are the very outgoing, usually social types.
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1 out of 1 people found this review useful.
Jasmin from Brooklyn, NY
Reviewer is A current student here.
Categories Rating Comments In three sentences A close-knit space where people of liberal tendencies really get to know one another. The faulty is superb and dedicated, and people generally look out for each other. The general air of people on campus is surprisingly reserved and polite.
Tips for prospective students Be sure to visit the school often in order to ensure that its atmosphere and location best suits you.
Academic Rigor I find the work here challenging for most classes and a lot of care should be taken when choosing classes in certain departments.
Dorm Life I loved my freshman dorm. It feels more like living with relatives than like living with people who were once total strangers.
Food and Dining Although people always complain about the food, it's really not bad. There are plenty of choices/options on most days. However, it's not your mother's cooking.
What to do for fun There are always student bands, improv shows, visiting artists, plays, and of course, parties to go to on the weekends. All of these choices don't exist every weekend, but for a small campus, I've found that I've never had the time to do all of the things I wanted to on the weekend. And of course other college campuses are very close by. And then there's Philly.
Bang for the buck At Haverford, you're mainly paying for the one on one attention, resources, and networking capabilities. There's no way to tell how the extra money I'm spending will help me later on, but I know that this community is more than supportive enough to help me be successful.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus An unofficial requirement on campus is to go tunneling, which is to say to travel through the underground maze of tunnels. No one's very sure why they are there, but I suspect that it is a quaker thing.
Great for these types of students People interested in liberal arts and sciences. A lot of students here pursue premed studies and psychology. Haverford people are also conscientious, intelligent, and modest.
Clubs and Activities There are entirely too many things to do here on campus and plenty of leadership opportunities in clubs and other activities.
Greek Life There are none, however, the sports teams act as small hubs of intense group bonding on campus. Other groups, such as affinity groups, can mirror the Greek feel as well.
Campus Safety Unbelievable. I love how secure the campus is. The Safety and Security officers on campus are always vigilant, but the real key are the people on campus because everyone can more or less recognize each other and are quick to identify threats. Not that there are very many.
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