I don’t have a current student at Haverford, but my D18 was just admitted ED1 to Haverford for next year. She is also not into social media, an introvert and someone who likes to just hang out with friends, and is likely going into a STEM field (but has varied interests, and means to take advantage of the consortium with Bryn Mawr). Haverford appealed to her on many different fronts; as an introvert, she liked that most students have singles. She needs “alone time” to recharge, but otherwise enjoys being with people. The Customs groups with singles seemed to fit this need well. She also thought that the college would likely attract more people like her, which made her feel more confident that she could find “her people” there. The Honor Code was extremely appealing to her, and the awesome academics go without saying. She visited twice and returned for an interview, which helped her come to the conclusion that this was indeed the place for her.
Of course, come back next year and ask me how things are actually going, and I can give you a much better idea then
This is all true, except that the Deep Springs ranch/campus is actually located in California.
There is frequent confusion because it is located in a remote area near the California-Nevada border, and their mailing address is at the nearest post office, which happens to be across the border in Nevada.
Seems like there could be some noticeable differences between the upscale “Philadelphia Main Line” suburbs and an isolated working ranch near Death Valley.
And it is NOT the school for everyone. It really isn’t a traditional “college” experience. Quite different from Haverford, for example.
Noted on location. Definitely not for the vast majority of the population, but could be a good fit for thoughtful, inquisitive types who favor seminar-style settings and really like the outdoors. Always do your own research when it comes to schools, keeping in mind that you are the one who ultimately has to live with the decision.
I agree that Williams, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Bates, and Whitman are good choices for the outdoor enthusiast. I would also add Colorado College into the mix.
I am currently a biology major at Haverford and I would say that it is very helpful to have taken AP Chem before coming in. All of the biology at Haverford is microbio meaning that having a strong foundation in chem is essential. I did not take AP chem in high school and I really wish I had as it would have made freshman year gen chem a whole lot easier. AP bio is not as necessary in my opinion simply because much of the bio is very grounded in chem, so having background in AP bio is not all that helpful.