How does Haverford’s campus compare to Swarthmore’s, referring to its setting and the culture within the campus?
They’re both set in affluent suburbs of Philadelphia, with easy access to the city with the regional rail at their doorstep. They’re both lovely tree-filled campuses, neither particularly huge. I think they might both actually be arboretums. The dorms and food at Haverford are honestly kind of meh- can’t speak to that part at Swarthmore (both are nicer at Bryn Mawr, though! My D at Haverford eats at Bryn Mawr multiple times each week). They’re in a consortium with each other, along with Penn and Bryn Mawr- but Haverford and Bryn Mawr also make up the Bi-Co, which is a much closer knit consortium than the wider one. For my kid, who considered both schools, Haverford had the more laid back, work-together, less pressure vibe. To her, Swarthmore was more competitive, more pressure, less… well, happy I guess. She didn’t think the students she interacted with (she visited twice) seemed very happy or at ease. Of course that’s just one person’s opinion.