Hi all! I currently am already within the SAT range for Colby College and is a little bit on the the lower side of the SAT range for Haverford. I looked at threads about them both and their differences is not enough to sway my decision in terms of location. Can anyone tell me some additional details? Can anyone tell me more about how their academics differ? I also heard that Haverford is a gpa killer without much explanation? Also in which college are you more prone to get into the classes you want?
My kid didn’t have problems getting into class at Haverford. One or twice was on a waitlist but was able to get off it. Can’t speak to the process at Colby. Haverford has a “shopping period” which is nice. You can test out different classes for the first week or so of each semester to see what profs are like, etc.
What are your areas of academic interest?
Haverford is much more diverse for its size than Colby. Easy access to stores, shopping, movies, etc. via bike and walking. With the bi-college and Quaker consortium you would have many more classes at your disposal. Easy access to Philly means great dining, great arts and culture, dynamic music scene. Also, getting to NYC and DC via bus or train is easy.
Colby would be a better match if you are into outdoors activities like skiing and camping.
I am interested in life sciences like biology or neuroscience. Anything to know about them?
I do know Haverford is very strong and well regarded in the sciences. Access to Philly makes internships accessible. Many students do volunteer with in the UPenn Med Center system.
Have you visited both schools yet?
They aren’t very different academically. They both offer excellent undergraduate programs in liberal arts disciplines, including biology and neuroscience. There might be more on-campus course options at Colby, because it’s a bigger school. There might be more off-campus course options at Haverford, because of the Quaker Consortium.
No difference. You will get the classes you want at any highly ranked liberal arts college.
As far as I know, nobody tracks the average GPA at different colleges, so there is no way to check this. I would be surprised if there was a significant difference.
Well, location is really what distinguishes these two schools. Your college experience will be very different if you spend four years in the affluent suburbs of Philadelphia vs. four years in a small town in Maine.
Colby has Jan Plan. I don’t know if I would pick a college based on this, but it can afford students who might feel bound to stay on campus (pre meds, for example ) with short study abroad opportunities. If your life science interest might include environmental science, Colby has some very interesting field work options due to its location ( and land gifts from alumni. ) I would look at the course catalogs and requirements for graduation for both - I don’t recall what Haverford’s distribution requirements are, but Colby’s are broad and include FL. For many students, that’s a plus, but for others less so. It’s been a while since I sat in on a class at Haverford, but I recall that the philosophy department was amazing. It is strong in the sciences as well.
On campus, I suspect you’d find these two quite similar – strong community, intentional orientation, happy students who are engaged and have fun but not a big party environment, excellent academics, etc. As noted above, many students choose Colby for its wealth of outdoor activities whereas Haverford 's easy access to Philly makes it a standout for someone who wants the LAC experience without being in the middle of nowhere. The location really drives the difference between the experience you’d have. .
Did one feel more right to you when you visited?
You could not go wrong with either, imo. Both are great schools.
At Haverford you have acess to courses at Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore as part of the Tri-co (Consortium).There are also options to take courses at U Penn, which gives you a broad range of options.
Second the comments above–both LACs have strong academics; one major difference is the location. Do you want to be in surban Philadelphia with easy access to the city or in a small town in Maine. Definitely visit both.