Hello! I can only speak for my daughter, but she is enjoying her spring semester very much. She chose to stay home in the fall because she was worried about Covid procedures being followed and working, but she was so excited to get back to campus in February. She hasn’t found bullying to be an issue on campus, and has felt very welcomed from the beginning- she’s made great friends at school.
For the stuff going on this year… the racial unrest of the fall was more a show of how supportive the school’s student body is of each other, from her perspective at least. The strike brought about changes that previous strikes (this wasn’t the first in the school’s history) had not. When it ended in November she didn’t feel bad vibes from anyone or have bad vibes toward anyone. She is a club athlete and an independent athlete in an outside sport, so she cannot speak to the varsity experience, but her club sport was new to her when she arrived at campus and she is practicing with them right now actually- that team spirit is still there. She does miss her independent sport terribly, but there is nothing haverford did wrong there, just Covid and bad luck.
I cannot discount anyone else’s negative experiences this year, but my daughter has not experienced them herself, and I am happy to answer specific questions about her time at haverford so far.
Thank you to everyone who replied. It’s very helpful info. In regards to the strike, I personally feel that if you feel something is unjust, then do something positive/peaceful to fix it. It’s wonderful to hear your daughter is enjoying her time at HC. Covid has certainly brought is challenges to all. Missing some activities and experiences, is unfortunately just part of it. Safety first. I hope your daughter continues to have a fantastic college journey. Good luck and best wishes to all who applied!!
Quick answer: we aren’t concerned about the atmosphere on campus.
Our experiences were very similar to @milgymfam 's. Home in the fall, back on campus this spring, and thrilled to be there. The COVID restrictions have definitely been a downer, but small groups have managed to be social, and that’s been a nice change.
Regarding the fall…there were several discussions about the strike around our dinner table. I appreciate the perspective of the strikers, but I felt they leveraged the moment to attack the President at unreasonable levels. Their demands (IMO) were somewhat unreasonable, and my problem all along was they didn’t have a metric for success. In some ways, I think the administration did an amazing job limiting the damage. It took me some time to get there…but given the options, I think the damage inflicted by the strike was minimal.
The lack of sports is a mistake (IMO), but I appreciate the decision. I think the reaction by some of the posters here was unwarranted, but they’re entitled to their opinions and actions. This is a case where being part of the Tri-Co didn’t help the Haverford students. I think the Tri-Co is an underappreciated benefit. Our student has taken 3 Swat classes, and 4 or 5 BMC classes…and loved the options provided across the consortium.
The general atmosphere at Haverford hasn’t been impacted much by the past year. It remains a supportive community for the vast majority of students. It’s not perfect, but I believe there’s more consideration and support than most other schools. There will always be exceptions, but I feel the vast majority of students are engaged at higher levels than other institutions this year. I have several friends with students elsewhere, and they aren’t nearly as satisfied with this academic year as we’ve been. Good luck.
Congrats on both!! I now have both Haverford and Macalester so I feel you. The main difference is location; Haverford is more suburban and Carleton is more rural. Carleton is also a bit larger by almost 800 students. Culture-wise they seem pretty similar-- both quietly quirky and academic!
A couple of basic differences: Carleton is on trimesters, Haverford is on semesters. Haverford is part of the Quaker Consortium which allows students to take classes at Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, and U Penn, although the relationships with BMC and Swat are closer than with Penn. (There is free and frequent transportation between Haverford and BMC and a free, less frequent shuttle to Swarthmore. Students have to take a train, Uber or drive to Penn.) I think Carleton students can take classes at St. Olaf’s, but I don’t think there’s as much interaction between the campuses, especially compared with Haverford and Bryn Mawr which have total cross-registration. Haverford is around a 25-minute train ride to Center City, Philadelphia (commuter rail is 10 minutes from campus). Carleton is 45 minutes from the Twin Cities. Haverford is located in a busy suburb. AFAIK Northfield, MN is a bit more rural, but not really remote IYKWIM.
Thank you so much for the info and your response!! I had originally been leaning towards Carleton, but I am slowly starting to favorite Haverford. It will be a difficult decision.
Happy to help! Take your time and take advantage of not only the virtual admitted students events, but the chance to connect with current students at each school. My daughter and I loved everything we read about Carleton, but ultimately she didn’t apply because of the other big difference with Haverford, much colder and more snow.
rejected I interviewed and demonstrated interest (also bc I just really enjoyed HC’s programs) but wasn’t expecting much. Though a waitlist would’ve been nice
I interviewed and demonstrated interest (also bc I just really enjoyed HC’s programs) but wasn’t expecting much. Though a waitlist would’ve been nice 