<p>Hi Guys,
I was pretty sure that I wanted to apply to Haverford early decision. Until now. I seem to be getting the feeling from this website that the workload is so intense that there's not really time(or energy) for a full, balanced, college experience. I'm someone who could definately get caught up in the stress of being overworked, and I don't want to waste what's supposed to be the best four years of life only doing work.</p>
<p>Do you think Haverford is right for me?</p>
<p>THANKS!</p>
<p>I'm applying and that's how I would do it if I attend. Over 3/1 Female to Male ratio between HC and BMC also. Could make it a bit better. You have 4 campuses you can really be a part of, and 'Nova is nearby. So there will always be stuff to do(or at least that's how I'm looking at it).</p>
<p>Yea, I'm not really worried about not having people to hang out with, but rather, i want a school with great academics but with a creative bent, and my question is does Haverford fit that mold?</p>
<p>Hi.</p>
<p>As I wrote, you have the USUAL heavy academics you would expect at most other top LACs. However, you also have the ADDITIONAL responsibility that comes with the ADDITIONAL freedom and respect that is given to you by the administration, faculty and peers and the ADDITONAL expectation that entails as expressed in the honor code. You don’t have this additional layer at many other colleges. Although Steve Emerson has open office hours for students to come and sit in rocking chairs and shoot the sh-t, you also are implicitly challenged to live up to those standards that allow such opportunities as well. That's a lot for an 18-22 yo to handle. The good thing is that it prepares you very well for whatever you want to pursue afterwards… seriously.</p>
<p>However, it’s also important to read between the lines. Why would I spend my extra time here if HC were nothing more than “work and stress”? Although I remember fondly studying hours in the quietest corner of the lowest windowless level of Magill library, that’s only one part of my college experience. You should look at Steve E.’s videos as he sums up what many alumni feel (he taught me oncology when I was at Penn). As he was the head of oncology at Penn and about to head Penn’s Stem Cell Institute, being president of HC was not a move up for his career. Why do you think he came back? As he and I are both academic physicians, we don’t sell “snake oil”. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.haverford.edu/newpresident/video.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.haverford.edu/newpresident/video.php</a>
<a href="http://www.haverford.edu/news/admissionvideo.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.haverford.edu/news/admissionvideo.php</a></p>
<p>You ask about balance. Well, I really don’t know of any college in the US that offers as “balanced” a college experience as HC. You have your rigorous academics but you also have a framework of HC’s Quaker heritage and modesty to encourage students to not talk about their grades or play “misery poker”. You have your academics but you also have HC’s Quaker heritage and culture that makes you reflect how your work fits in the context of society through the ### volunteer and activist programs such as 8th dimension, ect (see my posts “Philly fellows”). You have your academics but you also have HC’s small size and sense of community to challenge you to think about “us” in addition to “me”. In addition, there’s HC’s location right next to the 5th largest city in the US and an easy train ride away. It’s easy for college students to remain insular in the “elite ivory tower” and not develop life skills, but having such easy proximity to a city allows HC kids to more easily break down that barrier. As I’ve written in the past, for me, when I talk about a college experience, my HC experience informs me that your “college experience” is what you do both on campus as well as off campus and HC’s “off-campus” may not be a pretty mountain or empty meadow, but it is a very vibrant and diverse city with ### learning opportunities to BALANCE what you learn in the classroom. There is also DC as well and the empowerment that is taught to kids by having them go down to the nation’s capital and be engaged with current events through either a conference or a protest rally of some sort on either side of the political spectrum is awesome… personally, I went to 2 such events during my time at HC and I remember them perfectly. Socially, HC’s location provides further balance as well. Although you can stay on campus and drink, you can also wander around Philly or the Mainline. When it snows, you don’t have to reach for the vodka or TV remote like at perhaps other places. Given HC’s location in the northeast corridor, it allows more opportunities for speakers/visitors to come to campus and enrich student learning opportunities. Within the last 10 years, Bi-co visitors have included Bill Clinton x 2, Rick Santorum, ### Nobel laureates, distinguished academicians from Prestigious U, ### artists, ect… it’s more difficult to bring such individuals to campus if you’re not as centrally located. HC is balanced because of its Quaker heritage, its modest community, its relationship with BMC, its proximity to Philly and the NE corridor.</p>
<hr>
<p>Student activities calendar: <a href="http://go.haverford.edu/calendar/all/2007/10/listing%5B/url%5D">http://go.haverford.edu/calendar/all/2007/10/listing</a></p>
<p>I think 50 students went apple picking a few weeks ago and, this weekend, if memory serves me correctly, is the insane Bryn Mawr Rhoads Halloween party… still my standard for “decadent fun”.</p>
<p>HC Alum,
Thank you for your extensive reply, and I realize that Haverford would not have the prestigious name it has today if its students came out feeling totally jipped with respect to everything outside of academics. Also, I come from New York City, and Haverford's proximity to Philly is one of the reasons why I am so interested; however, my question is more with respects to the arts. I love my share of community service and such, but I also need to be with people who are creatively inclined. I realize that this lifestyle isn't for everyone, and what I am trying to gauge is whether or not Haverford is a place with great academics with a creative bent.</p>
<p>Again, thank you for your time and effort!</p>
<p>You would be well-served researching Wesleyan. Double Haverford's student body. Fantastic film and arts program,one of the best in the country. Truly eclectic student body. Never a boring moment with so much going on all of the time. Quality of eductation just as good as Haverford. Kids work very hard here but we know how to have fun in so many ways.</p>
<p>Thanks danalynne, I'll be sure to check it out.</p>
<p>You may want to re-evaluate your separation of “academic” and “creative”. Even in science, the most accomplished researchers are “creative”. Whatever field you choose, if you want to make paradigm shifts, it takes imagination and, what is termed in consultant speak, “out of the box” thinking. I met plenty of very creative people in college, some majored in the arts and many in the hard sciences. </p>
<p>I understand what you are trying to get at, though… </p>
<p>Regarding balance with the “arts”… I think HC’s core strengths are in the natural sciences. Especially for molecular bio/ bio-chem/ bio-physics, I don’t think that there are any LACs or many universities that can provide the same undergraduate resources as HC. For example, students can do research on human stem cells (a few other colleges may work with mice stem cells, if any at all) and the ONLY National Academy of Science member to teach at a LAC teaches physics at HC. HC with Williams are the only LACs to get maximum funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute over the last 15 years (more impressive is that the total cash amount was the same between the 2 schools and HC is ½ the size). Also, departments like religion, poli sci, econ, history, phil, and english are excellent too and made outstanding by the Bi-college relationship. </p>
<p>The visual and performing arts are not as strong as these departments. It’s hard to find “balance” when your comparisons may be some of the best/ if not the best in the country. Theater offerings/drama @ HC are a little sketchy but Bryn Mawr’s department is very good. Fine arts are better but still small. However, in the last 2 years, HC has made a commitment to improve the arts experience on campus and the upcoming capital campaign is explicitly designated to address this… then HC will be uniformly excellent. </p>
<p>The discussion above is in reference to the academic art experience on campus. There’s plenty in terms of student run initiatives… improve, theater, singing, literary magazines, film making. You also have to include the tremendous arts resources in Philly as well. </p>
<p>Some recent arts happenings…
There will be a panel this week on Hollywood with Dan Dae Kim ’89. Haverford</a> College: Alumni Year in the Arts
Haverford</a> College
John</a> B. Hurford 60 Humanities Center
The</a> Arts at Haverford College</p>
<p>…and resources at Bryn Mawr, such as…
Bryn</a> Mawr Calendar - Performing Arts Series</p>
<p>Upcoming capital campaign/ new arts facilities
Building</a> for the Arts</p>
<p>Classmate...
Beth</a> Cavener Stichter - Home</p>
<p>The reason I ask about the arts is not because I want to be a fine arts major, but rather to get a sense of the students' interests and inclinations. </p>
<p>While I will not be a hard science major, I am considering social sciences such as psych and anthro. Do you know anything about these fields?</p>
<p>also, being as I might minor in art history, does anyone know how many credits a Haverford student can take at Bryn Mawr?(ex, 1 out of 4 classes a semester? 1 out of 8 classes a year?)</p>
<p>THANKS!</p>
<p>Hi. Out of a total 32, 24 has to be taken in the at the the Haverford or the three participating colleges/university. A total of 8 credits must be taken at Haverford itself. Just a note, Haverford almost all classes are only one credit, except some languages and sciences (1.5). Check out the link for all the information, this is in Residency section
Haverford</a> College</p>
<p>thank you so much leeds!</p>
<p>1)
Haverford</a> College: Student Profiles</p>
<p>2)
Haverford</a> College Anthropology
Center</a> for Peace and Global Citizenship | Haverford College
Center</a> for Peace and Global Citizenship | Haverford College
Department</a> of Anthropology Bryn Mawr College</p>
<p>Haverford</a> Psychology
BMC</a> . Psychology - about the department</p>
<p>BMC</a> - History of Art - Home</p>
<p>3) It’s best to think of the Bi-co as one entity and, other than summer stipends and fellowships, academic and social resources are shared… so that means you can major at BMC, or minor there…, and live there, eat there, party there, hear a speaker, see a performance… do cartwheels down Merion lawn if you want.</p>
<p>If you major at BMC, your degree will be HC.</p>
<p>4) The colleges Leeds mentions are BMC, Swat, and Penn.
The 8 remaining credits are for study abroad if you choose.</p>
<p>I should have said which ones, thanks HC Alum, great post as always. I would encourage people thinking of Haverford to remember that there is a large community of classes outside of Haverford, and it is really rather easy, UPenn is a little harder, but not that bad. I toke classes at UPenn, which was a great thing since they offer a lot of classes that the LACs just can not offer, mainly languages. The only note I would caution is that if the Tri-co (Haverford, Bryn Mawr, or Swat) has the class, then you can not go to UPenn. And Bryn Mawr/Haverford are really quite close, even the newspaper is "Bi-Co". I think that this also adds to the whole balance of Haverford, becouse it is easy and you really can meet new people and wholly different experience with easy. A lot of schools are just that school unless you study abroad.</p>
<p>Like I said, HC draws some impressive visitors each year because it’s not located in the sticks. Double this since BMC is next door and THIS is the opportunity you get by being in the Bi-co. Haverford</a> College: Calendar: Event Detail</p>
<p>Especially when it snows November-March, the location of many northern/rural peers makes it more difficult to bring visiting talent to broaden knowledge outside of campus resources. It also makes it more difficult for students to physically/ mentally leave the ivory tower as well. </p>
<p>Whenever I think about isolation, it reminds me of “The Shining”. Even if it snowed a blizzard, I’m sure Jack Nicholson wouldn’t have gone insane if the haunted hotel were on the Mainline and in walking distance to an IHOP :) YouTube</a> - The Best Part Of The Shining</p>
<p>Or is it "Styx" ?!</p>
<p>ddk</p>
<p>/\ pics from "Alumni Year in the Arts" with Oscar Goodman (mayor of Vegas), Dan Dae Kim (actor), ...</p>
<p>HC's working on improving its own performing arts space with the upcoming capital campaign but it's great that BMC will be renovating Goodhart.</p>
<p>The theater program is Bi-co so this and HC's eventual update will make the performing arts much much stronger in the Bi-co... then the educational/academic experience will be uniformly excellent and, with prime real estate in the north east corridor and the opportunities that entails, will make a HC/Bi-co experience difficult to beat anywhere.</p>