I just heard back from all the colleges I applied to, and have narrowed down my list to Carleton, Reed and Haverford.
However, as an international student I am not going to be able to visit the campuses to visit the schools before May 1st.
What can you all say about the general mentality and feel of each of these schools? I know they are all small, liberal arts with a strong emphasis on science, but is there something that sets them apart?
Congrats on your acceptances!
These schools are very similar in many ways; they are all small liberal arts colleges that attract similar types of people (quirky, intellectual, etc). I think the main difference between them is location: Reed is in a major West Coast city, Carleton is in a small midwestern college town, and Haverford is in a suburb of a major East Coast city - all good options but likely very different experiences. Size-wise they are somewhat different as well: Carleton is ~2000 which is pretty average for an LAC, while Haverford and Reed are very small even by LAC standards (though Haverford is part of a consortium with Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore, which might make its small size a little less noticeable in some ways). In terms of vibe, Reed is known for having a particularly high level of intellectual intensity, though I think this is something you could find at all of these schools. Haverford was originally Quaker which I’ve heard permeates the environment in some ways (the Honor Code, for example).
Where do you live? I don’t live far from Haverford. Haverford has an excellent location, close to the Philadelphia Airport and very close to two other schools, Bryn Mawr and Villanova. The area is extremely nice in the suburbs but close to Philadelphia. The area around Haverford and including Haverford is very wealthy.
If one is significantly less expensive than the others, that may be a good reason to choose it since they’re all good. If cost isn’t an issue, then I’d agree with lalalemma that the main difference is location.
Northfield MN isn’t too far from the Twin Cities (~45 minutes by car) but it’s in a more outlying area than the other 2 schools. MN winters can be severely cold (with average January lows of -17C and a record January low of -40C). Also, the Twin Cities aren’t as close as Philadelphia is to other interesting cities (DC, NY, Boston), or as close as Portland is to spectacular natural scenery. So in my opinion, Carleton has the least attractive location of these 3 schools (unless a small relatively rural town appeals to you.)
For an international student who wants to learn about American history and culture, the Philadelphia area is an excellent location. Haverford seems to have good public transportation services into downtown Philadelphia. From there, other East Coast cities are reasonably accessible. In addition, Haverford has the advantage of a consortium relationship with other excellent colleges (Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, UPenn), which increases the number of available courses.
Haverford will be academically challenging but my impression is that it is slightly less intense than Carleton or Reed. This, along with its location, could make Haverford a good choice for an international student who wants to experience the USA.
I’d go with Haverford or with Reed.
Reed has the third highest percentage of undergrads who go on to get a PhD (after CalTech and Harvey Mudd). But Haverford is widely considered one of the best LACs in America. I’d pick Reed but you can’t go wrong with either.
I don’t think I would recommend Reed to an international student who has never visited. It’s Phd production seems to be some sort of prestige factor and rallying cry for some but it’s no more important than achievements at other schools.
Truth is, Reed’s retention and graduation rates are much lower than peer schools which suggests the school’s appeal is weak once students arrive.
That is a big risk for an international student.
Reed has a far, far more “countercultural” student atmosphere. It’s more academically intense and demanding, as well, which presents an interesting combination. Portland is a great city, but it rains a lot.
Carleton and Haverford are a little more “mainstream” in their student body cultures. Haverford’s culture is also based on its honor code, which is very interesting. Philadelphia is a great city, but winters are crappy. Carleton is in MN, where the winters are even worse. But it has tunnels.
Ds’s roommate freshman year at Carleton was an intl student. I remember being impressed with how they brought them in early and helped them acclimate – setting up bank accounts, shopping, etc. I’d look at what the schools do to support their intl students. At Carleton, you can live on campus during breaks, if needed … that kind of thing.
Winters in Philly are mild. It was in the 50’s most of December and except for two years ago, the winters have day time temps in low 40s. It’s not that bad.
You can’t breath in Minnesota it is so cold.
@insanedreamer I believe Haverford and Reed both require a Senior Thesis.
Just to clear up a few things above:
Yes, Haverford has a senior thesis requirement.
Carleton’s tunnels were closed almost 20 years ago. It is very cold in MN but I think is a super college Carleton anyway.
“- want very small classes that emphasize discussion over lecturing? Reed”
^This is pretty much ALL small liberal arts colleges and definitely true of Carleton and Haverford.
“- love craft beer and maybe want to try a joint of weed? Reed”
Ditto on all 3 schools.
My personal opinion: Go to either Haverford or Carleton, both very intellectual with great academics and an intellectual vibe yet very accepting and cooperative student bodies.
Bonus points to Haverford for:
Location - 20 minute commuter train ride into Philly with great dining scene, music venues, world class museums, etc, very easy bus and train access to NYC and Washington, DC, walking distance to stores, restaurants, etc.
Self governing student body, the honor code which instills a huge level of trust between faculty and students, and allows for many self proctored and self scheduled exams.
I think they’re probably pretty even academically. Two are top-ten LACs and the other laughs at the US News rankings but is (I think) generally considered to be a top-25 (at least) LAC. The important thing to note is not the ranking itself, but what it confirms: these are all quality schools.
Anyway -
Everyone knows about the mountains and trees of the Pacific Northwest, but everyone might not know about the upper Midwest.
The outdoors appeal in Wisconsin and Minnesota is centered around lakes: the two states combined have some 30,000 of them. Most are picturesque and fun to play in and around (most are located in the woods…).
If you are interested in fishing, camping, and water-skiing in the summer and snowmobiling or perhaps ice-fishing in the winter, Northfield would provide those types of outdoor opportunities.
Northfield also is not terribly far from Canada, the Great Lakes, and the headwaters of the Mississippi River (and the downstream river itself…).
We looked at all three last year during my DD’s college search. FWIW, she absolutely loved Haverford and Carleton (her top two choices, in no particular order) but did not like Reed at all due to its emphasis on “intellectualism”. While bright and a good student, DD is not an “intellectual”.
My thoughts if I were choosing: It seems to me all the schools would offer a fine academic experience so the decision would be driven by some other attribute.
Weather: Unless you know you have a high tolerance for rain and gray skies, I would eliminate Reed. Having lived in Seattle for two years, I just found the rain and grayness intolerably depressing. Portland is a fabulous city but I just don’t think its advantages could offset my need for more sunshine. (As an aside, I also found Reed’s facilities to be a bit shabby compared to the other two campuses.)
I grew up in Pennsylvania and would characterize the weather there as “normal”, nothing too dramatic and therefore not a decision-driver. As for Minnesota, I can’t speak to the winter cold but obviously plenty of people deal with it successfully. From a personal perspective, I could probably handle the cold for four years as long as there was some sunshine.
Location/Campus: The campuses of both Carleton and Haverford are gorgeous plus Carleton is adjacent to a huge arboretum. As we’ve struggled with deciding between these two schools ourselves, we’ve tried to guess how important access to a city will be for my DD. Northfield, MN where Carleton is located is a pretty little town but to be honest, you will have exhausted all it has to offer in about a week. And while there is bus service (Northfield Lines) between Carleton and Minneapolis, it is neither frequent (3 times per day) nor cheap ($14 one-way). Plus it is a 45-minute ride one-way. In my estimation, I would be surprised if my DD went to Minneapolis more than once a month, if even that. In contrast, the Philadelphia regional rail service (SEPTA) runs from Haverford to downtown multiple times per hour and costs about $9 one-way. In this case, I could potentially see my DD going to Philly a few times a month.
Ultimately though, each student has to assess how important urban access will be to them specifically. If you’re a laser-focused student who is likely to be holed up in the library all the time, then none of this matters.
Size: Another key difference between Haverford and Carleton is size of student body with Haverford around 1300 and Carleton around 2000. Percentage-wise that’s a big difference. Unfortunately, we visited both schools in the summer when classes were out so both places felt “empty”. However, DD did overnight trips and class visits to both schools in September and did not come away thinking Haverford was “too small”. But again, at what point a school might feel too small is totally personal preference.
Carleton. Great school in the upper Midwest. I think you’ll get the best combination of a stellar education, and a representative American experience.
Congratulations on having three incredible choices.
I like reading others’ thought processes. Ours was similar, but I can say so much of it was just a mental exercise and and little to do with ds’s day-to-day life.
We liked Carleton, in part, because of what we saw as the “good” access to a major metropolitan area. As it turns out, he rarely ventured into the Twin Cities his whole time there. He went to a couple of Twins games and the spring concert at Macalester with friends there, but otherwise he was perfectly happy in the Carleton bubble. I love Northfield and don’t feel like it will get old in a week. How ds “used” it changed over time. Once he turned 21 he was a regular at trivia night at some local pub. Before that, it was an occasional meal at one of the restaurants within walking distance.
On the weather, we told ds that this is the best chance he’ll ever have to try something really different. And MN cold is definitely different for us. I agree with PP who said he/she couldn’t deal with gray skies, but thankfully MN gets plenty of sun, even in the winter. His first three years were each different … the first year was the perfect winter he has expecting – perfect for traying and cold but not bitterly so. Another year, it was so warm that the broomball rinks were having trouble staying frozen. Another year was what you feared. So. Cold. Bitterly cold. One of his profs cancelled class even though the school didn’t. One of my favorite Carleton phrases is “Hell freezes over. Classed delayed two hours.” These are hearty people!
Also, the Arboretum is so beautiful.
But, really, all are good schools. I don’t think of Carleton as “intellectual.” To me, that feels pretentious, and Carls are definitely not pretentious. But there are plenty of super-sharp kids. You’d get a great education there.
@OnTheBubble I am actually an international student. I am American, but I am currently living in Ghana.
@marvin100 Interesting that you say Reed has a countercultural student atmosphere. Could you define that?
@fencingchick Reed has yield with females of 22%. Haverford, 41%, Carleton, 37%.
22% is a very low number. It suggests that Reed is not a good fit for many students that are accepted. This means only 1 in 5 accepted actually enroll.
Since you cannot visit, take this under consideration.
More weed use at Reed than the other two. I would say it has a less practical focus (even for an LAC).
What is your planned major?
I was wondering about those tunnels, too – have been to several Quiz Bowl tournaments there and toured a couple of times – even in winter we were not using tunnels. They do play Broomball at Carleton. 
And are strong in ultimate frisby.