<p>Looking for outside opinions in comparing these two schools...</p>
<p>Small liberal arts colleges each have their own distinct feel, and these two are no exception.
One important place to start is that Hamilton is small (1800-1900?) and in the middle of nowhere. Haverford is considerably smaller (1100-1200?), and right outside of Philly (you literally walk a block or two to the commuter train that takes you into town).
Academically, both are top flight and well respected. In terms of national reputation, however, as good as Hamilton is, Haverford is even more highly regarded.
I think both schools expect an on-campus interview with applicants who are within a reasonable distance from the school, and truthfully, there is no substitute for a visit to each.</p>
<p>Both my kids looked at both Hamilton and Haverford. Hamilton seemed to have more energy. The idea that Haverford is better known is left over from another era.</p>
<p>I didn’t say “better known”; I said that Haverford has a stronger national reputation. It is truly known as one of the “elite” LACs. Hamilton is not regarded at quite the same level (rightly or wrongly). (Nor is Hamilton as hard to get into.)
I love Hamilton, and would have preferred it to Haverford for my son (he chose to go elsewhere), but Haverford is more highly rated and respected, and has an even better percentage of small classes.<br>
That being said, I do believe that small LACs are all about how they fit a given applicant, and some kids (my son included) find Hamilton more appealing than Haverford.</p>
<p>I think WCASP is spot on with his/her Hamilton vs. Haverford assessment. Just basing this on my obsessive research during the previous months. We visited both schools and my daughter thought Haverford was too small, didn’t apply, but did apply to Hamilton.</p>