honestly, i have the stats for haverford, but I know that their admissions committee is absolutely huge on fit so if they didn’t accept me it’s because it’s not the place for me and I’m okay with that even though it’s disappointing
Some interesting points raised on this thread. Some comments (I apologize in advance for my verbosity):
Big vs small envelope: I know someone whose student who got in off the waitlist. They initially got a small envelope then received a large one once accepted. Acceptance packages include info on accepted students day which is focused on RD-accepted (i.e., to convince them to attend Haverford).
@afterthought: Congratulations on your excellent record and I applaud you for your passion; I believe you will be successful wherever you decide to go. You raised some excellent points that I’d like to address. First, the “Haverford Way” is really the “Quaker Way.” Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and Swarthmore were founded by Quakers (Hav and BM as single-sex schools, Swat as one the first co-ed schools and one of the first to welcome African Americans) and were strongly influenced by their ideals. A key element of the Quaker way (and this is an extreme oversimplification, so I apologize in advance) is to provide a welcoming community where all are valued for there strengths and are given the opportunity to become their best selves, while in turn helping strengthen the community as a whole. While individual achievement was valued, it was done so in the context of how it could benefit the entire community and the world. Accolades for their own sake were not held with particularly high regard. Over the years, all three schools have dropped their official affiliation with the Society of Friends, yet, of the three, Haverford has more overtly and explicitly adhered to the founding principals upon which it was founded. Hence, Haveford’s admissions process is holistic in that it seeks passionate, capable students who will contribute to the community at large and excel academically. Test scores are required to provide a standard to ensure students have the academic ability to succeed since GPAs are not standardized and vary widely. Contrary to your post, Haverford does not post average SAT/ACT scores; it posts medians. This was raised when we took a tour a few years back (by the parent of an international applicant, as it turns out); the admissions staff pointed out that most people perceive averages/arithmetic means as a concrete number, while a median, especially when the range is not included, is a bit more vague. The admissions person said that (at least at that time) was done to de-emphasize the importance of standardized scores relative to the entire holistic process. You responded directly to a request from someone for your stats; I understand your point in providing them. @doschicos is correct in that the stats, at least in the case of the Haverford admissions process, are essentially meaningless without the context of the entire application. Both of you are therefore on valid ground. I would suggest that specific info might best be communicated to a requester via CC’s excellent direct msg feature. I would post general info on SATs (e.g., >1350, etc). ACTs have such a tight scale, it’s hard not to give a specific score. In general, I would say that for a student applying through the regular ED or RD process, you want to be above a 33 on the ACT and 1400 on the SAT; students get accepted with lower scores and get rejected with higher scores. The one thing I would strongly recommend is to have an interview, even though it is optional; if you can’t do it on-campus, they are more than willing to accommodate you with an alumni interview or via phone or videochat. Haverford wants to get to know its applicants, and you owe it to yourself to maximize the opportunity (besides letting them know who you are in your essays) to introduce yourself to the people who will determine the fate of your application. Since Haverford had to pull back a bit on financial aid guarantees, their has been a lot of angst among international students interested in attending. The same holistic rules apply; however, there is sensitivity to financial need because some international applicants might need more assistance to accommodate travel and because they wouldn’t be eligible for some aid available only to US students.
Haverford vs Swarthmore: Two great schools with similar origins that have over time developed very different cultures. Haverford’s atmosphere is more collaborative, especially since almost nobody talks about grades and therefore there is perceived to be less need for competition (except with yourself). Something that sums this up perfectly: Google “Haverford honor” and then “Swarthmore honor.” For Haverford, the top entries will be about the school’s honor code and it’s impact on academics and campus social life. For Swarthmore, top entries will discuss Swat’s honors program, which has competitive entry and provides differentiated opportunities for selected students, including the opportunity to write an undergraduate thesis. Haverford doesn’t have a differentiated honors program and everyone writes a thesis. Swarthmore’s honor code is focused primarily on academic conduct. FYI, if you Google “Bryn Mawr honor”, the top entries discuss BM’s honor code.
Admissions, to some extent is a roll of the dice. Be informed and have multiple options at the ready. I recommend anyone applying to college in the US for the classes of 2023 and beyond read Daniel Golden’s “The Price of Admission.” It’s been out about a decade now, but it is very revealing. (Yes I have recommended this before and no, I do not gain anything from it’s sale.) The admissions process at many schools is not a level playing field.
Sorry again for the rant. Best wishes and best of luck to all. Carpe diem!
Has anyone received their decisions today???
yup just got mine I’m waitlisted
rejected
Got mine today in NC, was wait listed. Just accepted my spot on the list, anyone know odds of getting in off of the wait list?
nobody does bc yield varies from year to year @ecfv
Rejected, not a big surprise
@ecfv From the 2017-2078 Common Data Set,
Number of qualified applicants offered a place on waiting list: 1152
Number accepting a place on the waiting list: 483
Number of wait-listed students admitted: 37
Admissions has stated over the past couple of years that they have been looking to achieve a 40% yield rate for an entering class of approx 350. Since they accepted 877 this year, 40% would be 350.8 or 351. That’s consistent with the past two years, which had entering classes of 351 (2020) and 352 (2021). For those on the waitlist, it all depends on how many of those accepted decide to attend Haverford. I’m not sure whether Haverford publishes stats related to how many get admitted off the waitlist each year. Some unofficial (?) results can be found at https://www.college-kickstart.com/blog/item/class-of-2021-waitlist-admission-rates-and-notification-dates .
“I’m not sure whether Haverford publishes stats related to how many get admitted off the waitlist each year.”
They do in the Common Data Set. One can go back and look at a couple more years in addition to the data posted in #128. The odds aren’t good but it is possible.
Didn’t hear in Upstate NY…the respect is killing me(andDD)!
DD was waitlisted. Haverford is her first choice so she’ll accept a spot on the waitlist.
Can I do an interview now? I was just waitlisted.
@brandy11 Haverford’s published interview deadline is Jan 15.
Rejected. Out of state in norcal and the mail arrived monday. Small envelope. 3.83 UW and 4.05 W with three concussions. 1470 superscored SAT with 760 math and 710 english. EC of varsity volleyball (captain senior year, 2nd team all league senior year, state and norcal regional champion junior year), performing arts (school musical all for years, advanced choir three years, advanced drama), activism (feminist club, QSA), and a job for two summers. Congrats to those who got in!
Accepted! " and there was much rejoicing!"
Are there any other international students whose waitlist offer didn’t say anything about limited funding for international students… ?
Still nothing from Haverford, either in the mail or the portal.
@jkinmaine Nothing in the mail for me either, based in southern Maine.