Hi! I am a transfer student deciding between attending NYU or Haverford College for Fall 2018 and beyond. I am still waiting on one decision from another university, which I will attend if accepted, but I am kind of expecting to be rejected. Nonetheless, Haverford and NYU are both really great options to have, and I am so excited for the rest of my college experience either way!
I have looked into the academics of both universities, and I am good with all of that. My questions are really about campus life and student culture at either or both of these schools. I’m mostly wondering about being a transfer student and coming into one of these schools not knowing anybody and making friends as a sophomore rather than a freshman. I’m not a super quiet/shy person, but I’m also not really the type to go up to somebody random and start talking all of a sudden either. In theory, the warm/accepting Haverford community that I have read a lot about sounds wonderful and is something that I would love. However, I’m worried that because it’s such a small community, everybody will already know most people and have made the decisions about who their friends are and not really look to expand their friend groups. Also, I’m kind of worried because there are very few Haverford transfers. I realize that this will be a struggle at both places, but NYU is significantly larger than Haverford, so I feel like it would be easier to meet more people, and NYU has more transfer students.
Basically, does anybody have any experience transferring to Haverford or to NYU Gallatin? Or know anybody who transferred? I’m really just trying to get more insight as to what I will be walking into next year in terms of culture and student life (and I know that it’s going to be varied because everybody is different there are many clubs/groups etc. but like if the vibe of the campus is very closed off and individualistic, as is the case with NYU for the most part, according to what I’ve heard, then that kind of makes a difference).
Thank you so much, I would really appreciate hearing any experiences about either place if you guys have them. Thanks again!!
This is apples and oranges. New York City vs suburban Philly? I would pick NYU hands down.
If you’re reserved by nature and looking for an accepting environment, choose Haverford. NYU is wonderful but it’s not for everyone - I think the people who would thrive the big city campus wouldn’t even consider a school like Haverford. I went to a very small school and I remember the transfer students were a little lost at first but within a year they found a group of friends. At a large school you make many of your college friends freshman year - at a small school you add on friends every year until you know your whole darned class by senior year and you can’t wait to get out of there. lol.
Haverford is functionally half of the BMC-HC community, with reasonable cross registration at Swarthmore and Penn. This means that there always are a few new faces turining up in classes. Granted, it is nowhere near the transfer experience of a big state U where there are a gazillion new students every semester.
Wherever you end up as a transfe, you will have to be proactive in getting settled in. Attend all of the transfer/new student orientations that you are offered.
And I’d pick Haverford hands down. You won’t have any issues meeting people and making friends at Haverford. First off, the classes will be small and discussion based so it’s easy to meet your classmates. Second, it is a very opening, accepting, and welcoming community. Clubs, events and parties are pretty much open to all. Pick a few clubs/activities you think you would like and join in. Pick a few more than you think you’ll have time for because you can always drop the ones you find less engaging. Easy way to make friends as a newcomer. Also remember, that all the first years, so at least 25% of campus, will be new. Everybody will be meeting new people. At Haverford, people aren’t big on only forming friends with people in their class. You’ll meet people across all 4 years. Do athletic activities interest you at all? Play intramurals or join a club team like Ultimate Frisbee or Rugby. Lastly, it is super easy to find jobs on campus. You could find a job for 5-10 hours per week where you come in contact with lots of people like the library, campus store, or campus cafe.
@doschicos Thank you so much! This really made me feel better. I was leaning toward Haverford for a few other reasons, but I was really nervous about people not being open to meeting me. Thank you for saying this!!! A lot of good points
If you have any questions on Haverford, feel free to ask.
Haverford has more of a reserved/introspective student body. It offers much smaller classes, more direct interaction with professors, and much prettier surroundings.
If you much prefer manhattan, you could choose NYU; but if the quality of your undergraduate academic experience is important to you, and you aren’t a huge fan of big attitudes and constant noise, choose Haverford.
Another attribute of Haverford is that you can also take classes at UPenn, Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore.
I too would pick Haverford, if I were 18 again. If only! haha
I’d pick Haverford, hands down too. NYU is, IMO, the most overrated college in the USNWR. It has nothing going for it that would ever make me recommend it, except for Tisch and Stern. It’s outrageously expensive, and I really dislike the class-driven lodging sysetem, which separates people based on money. Sorry to be so blunt. Haverford has it all, including a real, and beautiful, campus. If you care about a traditional college experience, you simply will not get it at NYU.
Woah! Tell me more about NYU housing, please.
@Jon234 , as far as I am aware, there are different levels of housing. More expensive housing is better. Built in class system.
@jon234 and @lindagaf - my daughter is starting at NYU next year and there are different levels of expense for housing, but that’s true at most large universities. You pay more for fancier dorms at Purdue, for instance. You pay more everywhere for a single than a double or quad. I don’t see any difference between that at the options we’re given at NYU for housing. Smaller schools won’t have that kind of variety in housing and also won’t have a difference in rates but I don’t think it’s at all unique that you can spend more or less on a dorm depending on which dorm you choose.
Just as a reality check I googled the first large public university I could think of that provides dorms for 4 years… U Mich has seven rate levels for housing…
http://www.housing.umich.edu/undergrad-rates
At Haverford, you don’t pay more for a single than a double actually. There are large number of singles. Housing is one price regardless of what you get.
Hey @doschicos - sorry to be too general - I did say smaller schools were different but I didn’t parse all of the options. 
My point, which is a little off-topic, is that singling out NYU for having different rates for housing is odd. There are plenty of reasons to dislike NYU but that’s seems an odd one as it’s not unique to NYU at all.
Something else I was unaware of. Never crossed my mind. I thought housing was housing.
I don’t think anyone is singling NYU out, rather it came up in a straight comparison between NYU and Haverford.
Lived in NY and never felt NYU had a clearly defined campus. Haverford has a clearly defined, beautiful campus. They were demolishing a library when we visited about a month ago. Seemed a shame they couldn’t keep what was a beautiful building.
I get it but the two options here in this particular discussion are just NYU and Haverford not other schools. So, given the choices for the OP, there is a valid difference in housing options/styles and how it impacts community, @CaMom13. Haverford’s approach to housing is no doubt intentional and it speaks to the Quaker value based culture and community based environment on campus as do other school policies like no Dean’s List, no honors program and the special privileges that allows for a subset of students, one dining hall, thesis required for all students not just some, etc.
Haverford is a beautiful campus, IMO, and has an arboretum so it is a calm and relaxing place to live for 4 years. Easy to get to all kinds of restaurants and shopping on foot or by bike. Also an easy walk to the commuter train station and you can be in Philly in about 20 minutes or so. Philly is very vibrant with some wonderful dining and a great music and arts scene.
Regarding the library, @Jon234, they are retaining many parts of the beautiful old library and incorporating that into the new, much larger library. Should be very nice. You can visit here for more info on the plans:
https://www.haverford.edu/library-building-project
Yes @doschicos, if you read my original post to the OP I suggested they go to Haverford, it seems like a better fit. There are many good schools in this world, college selection is all about finding yours.
A close friend’s kid transferred to Haverford as a sophomore and fit right in quickly. I got the feeling that everyone was open to meeting new people and committed to community. I think that as long as you want to engage, people will be happy to engage with you.
@gardenstategal Thank you so much! I wasn’t really expecting more than one or two people to respond to this thread, but this has been great!! I really appreciate everyone’s input and the amount of feedback I have received. As of right now, I am almost certain that I would rather attend Haverford. This thread has really made me feel so much better, thank you all!
@CaMom13 , thanks for clarifying. I didn’t realize that this was common, but I don’t care for it. I guess it makes sense for upperclassmen, who are definitely young adults. It strikes me as a way of flaunting money, I guess. My daughter’s college has no difference on price for housing. Some kids luck out and get the beautiful new dorms, some get singles, some get stuck in party central. It doesn’t seem to bother most kids at her LAC.