<p>Opening this topic in the hope that some current student(s) would be willing to answer some questions.</p>
<p>For example, what acting/theater opportunities are available? This is not my DD major but something she enjoyed in high school.</p>
<p>The Class of 2016 facebook group also has quite a few current students willing to answer questions</p>
<p>Haverford has a few theatre groups, mostly student-run, heavy on the musicals. They do some great and often very funny work. Bryn Mawr also has an excellent theatre program, great directors, good blend of musical and non-musical theatre. Haverford students have full, convenient, and equal access to that program. Very friendly to non-majors (Haverford doesn’t have a theatre major, not sure on BMC but nonmajors definitely get parts either way).
If she’s interested in improv, we have a handful of very active groups as well.</p>
<p>Anything else you’re curious about?</p>
<p>Do they put on student written plays? My S is interested in playwriting.</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr’s theatre program is stronger than Haverford’s, and like sneetch said, Haverford students have full access to it.</p>
<p>There was a recent production at Bryn Mawr that students collaborated on called Bang!. I know of a student who had written a play and tried to put it on at Haverford, so it is definitely possible. Your S, if he chooses to attend and put on one of his plays, may find more success through Bi-Co advertising…</p>
<p>Has anyone taken classes at Penn? Did you have difficulty getting the classs you wanted? How difficult was it logistically? What did you take?</p>
<p>I took a couple of Penn classes in my major (math). It was not at all difficult to get the classes I wanted, but then again, math classes don’t usually fill up. After you sign up for your first Penn class, you will get a “PennKey” to access Penn’s internal registration system (“Penn inTouch”). There you can see which classes are open and which have already filled up. (Unlike Penn students, you can’t actually use the system to register for classes because everything has to go through Haverford’s registrar; but I still recommend using it just to see which classes are open.)</p>
<p>Logistics-wise, I found it the most practical to keep my Penn days separated from my Bi-Co days. The commute felt super stressful in one semester when I had a Bryn Mawr class in the morning followed by a Penn class in the afternoon. Spending a full day at Penn also enabled me to go to departmental seminars and public lectures in the afternoon and TA sessions at night.</p>
<p>What other colleges did you consider/apply to, and how did you choose Haverford?</p>
<p>Though I am a Bryn Mawr student, I wound up majoring at Haverford because I found its program to be far more flexible, especially with creativity and the author’s perspective. If you’re interested in writing a creative thesis for your final project, Haverford offers the opportunity to earn the concentration via submitting a portfolio for review. Such an option is not available at Bryn Mawr College.
Even if you don’t get the creative thesis, there is still a great deal of emphasis placed on a writer’s voice. I got a strong taste for this in ‘Inventing the Novel’ with Professor McGrane (who, along with the department chair, Raji Mohan, is absolutely brilliant. Take a course with them at least once). Thus far, nobody at Haverford has chastised me for bringing up outside reading in-class, or discussing how an author’s thought process shapes a novel. As someone who is predominantly a creative writer, I find this is helpful for expanding both the creative and analytical halves of my craft.
If you wish to be around more boys, I find Haverford to be the better environment for a major as well. In my English classes at Bryn Mawr, we’ve had maybe 1-3 boys, if we’re lucky. At Haverford, it’s closer to 9-10. Having mixed perspectives in class definitely strengthens the discussion, and makes it easier to meet people.
I don’t know how much this will help with “How did you choose Haverford?” in comparison to a broad range of schools, but in comparison to Bryn Mawr, this is how I made my choice. Across the board, I have found Haverford to be a much better fit for me. It’s ironic, considering that I never gave Haverford two thoughts in my initial college search.</p>
<p>As for Penn courses, I have taken three in the past year–all of which were esoteric, creative writing classes. Because Bryn Mawr has very limited options in the creative writing department, they let me go over there each semester. While the commute was exhausting, the work was absolutely worthwhile. The relationships I developed with the professors at Penn are some of the strongest I have ever had. I still love both of my teachers to smithereens, and would happily take a class with them again.
If you ever get the opportunity to take a class with Kenneth Goldsmith or Charles Bernstein, DO NOT TURN IT AWAY! I DO NOT CARE WHAT MAJOR YOU ARE! Both of those men are absolutely amazing. You will never meet another professor like either one of them.
Also, if you wish, you can also take Swarthmore classes easily. Play around with the Quaker consortium. It’s a lot easier than you think.</p>
<p>what is your academic workload like? How many hours outside class for each in lecture? Good social/academic balance? Thx</p>
<p>I’m considering transferring from a larger university, however, I’ve got a few questions before I invest serious effort into making the switch:</p>
<p>1). What sort of a record is Haverford looking for with transfers? Since so few people are admitted, does your transcript have to be absolutely flawless, both high school and college? Do they put a lot of emphasis on the SAT for someone with nearly 60 college credits? </p>
<p>2). What is dorm life here? I hated living in a dorm at my current university. Cliques abounded, and I’d say 85% of people got drunk any given Friday. Is there room for geeks at Haverford? Are people laid back and not excessively pretentious? </p>
<p>3). Anyone familar with the bi-college education program? How much field experience is required and can you earn a valid PA secondary ed certificate? (not clear on website)</p>
<p>4). How easy is it to find a job/work study at Haverford? Are there opportunities for tutoring or positions entailing writing/editing?</p>
<p>How is the math program at Haverford, particularly for pure math? How big is the department (number of students in major?) How would a chess/math/philosophy totally non-jock fit in at Haverford?</p>
<p>Here is a thread that addresses some of your question.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/haverford-college/1311273-math-haverford.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/haverford-college/1311273-math-haverford.html</a></p>
<p>
Amazingly well! Be sure to check out the “problem-solving group” if you come to Haverford.</p>
<p>I think that Haverford has a great math department as far as liberal arts colleges are concerned. Haverford math majors are sincerely enthusiastic about their major and the professors are happy to discuss random problems outside of class. I didn’t realize how special this atmosphere was until I spent time at other colleges. I never found another college where professors would hang out in the lounge thinking about math puzzles with students, or where math was a normal topic for a dinner conversation. </p>
<p>The academic curriculum is fantastic for a liberal arts college. The core math classes are taught at the same level you’d get at Penn. (Many liberal arts colleges, including some of the most selective ones, water their math major down to make it accessible to a wider audience. Haverford doesn’t.) The one big disadvantage of studying math at any liberal arts college is that there are no graduate courses. Motivated students sometimes finish the core math curriculum after their 2nd or 3rd year. At a research university, they could proceed to take graduate courses. At a liberal arts college, you are “stuck” with random electives. (Don’t get me wrong, there are enough electives to keep even the most motivated student busy, but they are all taught at an undergraduate level.)</p>
<p>Read some of your other posts asking about possible “jock” culture. The cool thing is that being athletic doesn’t mean having to be a “jock.”</p>
<p>[8th</a> Dimension: Special Olympics at Villanova!](<a href=“http://haverford8thdimension.blogspot.com/2007/11/special-olympics-at-villanova.html]8th”>8th Dimension: Special Olympics at Villanova!)
“On Saturday, November 3, one hundred eighty-eight Haverford varsity athletes volunteered with the Special Olympics… The day began for Haverford athletes at 6:30 a.m. when the first group of forty-seven athletes left for Villanova on the bus.”</p>
<p>/ his made me really proud as an alumnus. </p>
<p>[RAISING</a> CULTURAL AWARENESS THROUGH SPORTS: DIVERSECITY HOOPS BASKETBALL CAMP AT HAVERFORD - Haverford College News](<a href=“http://www.haverford.edu/news/stories/21891/51]RAISING”>http://www.haverford.edu/news/stories/21891/51)
Haverford basketball players Mike Fratangelo ’07 and Greg Rosnick ’09 think of their chosen sport as more than just a way to stay fit and have fun; they see it as a unifier, bringing together people who may have nothing in common but a love of the game. “Basketball can be played anywhere, by anyone, regardless of race or socioeconomic status,” says Fratangelo. “All you need is a ball and a hoop.” </p>
<p>That’s why Fratangelo and Rosnick created DiverseCity Hoops, a summer basketball camp for Philadelphia-area boys and girls in grades 7-9. DiverseCity Hoops goes well beyond the usual drills and games; the camp will include discussions and interactive lessons on current events and topics like race, gender and culture. It’s Fratangelo and Rosnick’s hope that the campers—who will be coming from both the inner city and the Main Line suburbs—will leave with an enhanced awareness of multicultural issues. </p>
<p>“We really feel as though the camp can bring a lot of issues to light that are otherwise left untouched in our schools and society,” says Rosnick, who, with Fratangelo, took a course in the theory and practice of multicultural education, which served as inspiration for DiverseCity Hoops. “We especially feel that by targeting areas of the Main Line and the inner city, we can begin to bridge some gaps between two communities that are so close in proximity and a world apart in wealth.” </p>
<p>When they’re not shooting hoops, the campers will hear presentations by guest speakers and participate in activities such as poetry readings and discussions surrounding video clips of current events, or sports interviews featuring the often influential opinions of professional athletes. Basically, they’ll be learning about teamwork and friendship both on and off the court. </p>
<p>“The kids will find out more about themselves and each other through basketball,” says recent graduate Fratangelo, who is considering a graduate program in social work and research at Bryn Mawr…</p>
<p>countless other examples…</p>