<p>My dd was interested in Haverford until we found that bio coursework doesn’t begin until the sophomore yr - that and a prof and his stemcell research is moving to Columbia this fall…it’s off the list.</p>
<p>With your kind of acceptances and demonstrated capability in bio, you will undoubtedly be a strong med school candidate from either. Stanford is Stanford, and would be the clear choice for most. But you seem to be really drawn to Haverford and looking for specific reasons that support that decision. Instead of all these specifics, try looking at it this way . . </p>
<p>To choose Haverford, you should be able to answer “yes” to ALL of the following:
- Your parents can easily (and happily) pay the $36k difference
- You VERY much prefer the LAC atmosphere
- You have visited Stanford and cannot see yourself thriving there</p>
<p>I think 1 and 2 above are critical, and that 3 is essentially 2, in the sense of not thriving at ANY huge institution, as a personal preference. Our DD1 thrived at a small LAC, and DD2 thrived at a Huge U, with neither wanting the other’s path. It’s certainly a tougher call when either atmosphere feels good!</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for the great feedback and advice! After visiting both Haverford and Stanford, the decision was easy. I loved the overall campus feel of Haverford, but I loved Stanford and all its resources and people much much more. I am happy to say that I will be a tree! Go Cardinal! :)</p>
Would love to hear how your decision turned out three years later?