Haverford has better undergraduate teaching, no TAs, and great acceptance rate to top grad schools while Yale has a great name brand. Any thoughts?
Have you taken classes at Yale? Haverford? They are both excellent schools, with excellent teaching. Why can’t you prefer one without falsely knocking the other? If you want helpful responses to a post, then try asking a serious question.
Both are great schools and a student could get a wonderful education at either. It is a matter of personal fit. It sounds like you are drawn to Haverford. Can you visit or have you visited both, as well as other small and large colleges?
Undergraduate teaching quality is hard to assess and compare across institutions. So I wonder what data (or other evidence) the OP is using. Yes, Haverford will have more consistently small classes (and no TAs), but Yale will attract more highly distinguished scholars. It’s hard to draw reliable conclusions about how these differences impact undergraduate teaching quality overall.
I think you’d find that both Yale and Haverford have high acceptance rates to top grad schools, if only because both are very selective colleges that enroll high concentrations of capable, ambitious students. Although, again, there doesn’t seem to be any very good data available to quantify the differences across “top” colleges. The NSF/WebCASPAR has abundant data on PhD completions (by college, by field, etc) but it does not break out acceptance rates to "top"grad schools (nor does it track completions for other kinds of graduate degrees). Years ago the Wall Street Journal tried to rank “feeders” to top professional schools, but that study was widely criticized and AFAIK was not repeated.
They both have excellent reputations among people who know American colleges well. IMO if you’re fortunate enough to be able to choose, and the net costs are similar, it’s largely a question of whether you prefer a small LAC or a mid-sized research university. Other significant factors might include your feelings about Haverford’s honor code, the locations, or the availability of specific programs/activities you want.
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Such different schools in obvious ways.
If one of my kids were drawn to Haverford I would jump for joy. I say this as the mom of a very happy Yale junior. These are clearly two very different experiences. It can be electrifying to take a large lecture class with 100 other kids when the lectures are coming from a Nobel prize winner. And it can be liberating to take a small seminar where you are one of 10 students. If you are more drawn to one or the other of those types of learning you already have a hint. I qualify with “more drawn” however because Yale does have smaller classes, you just have to look harder for them. And being at Haverford you actually could take a large lecture class – through cross registration with UPenn.
If you can’t make it to both campuses, visit a small campus and a large campus; a Quaker campus and a comparable Ivy; an urban and a suburban campus, etc. Those experiences will give you an approximation. Figure out hwat is best for YOU and go from there.
Go to Yale. Haverford alums have to spend the rest of their lives explaining where and what H’ford is. As excellent as H’ford is, this will get tiresome after a while. At least when you say “I went to Yale,” everyone will know exactly what you’re talking about and you won’t continuously feel like you have to “prove” you went to a respected school. There’s absolutely nothing at H’ford (except perhaps the Honor Code) that you can’t get at Yale, though the reverse is not true. Now, if you visit Yale and have an allergic reaction to the place, that’s a different story…but if you like each one for different reasons, I’d say the balance tips in favor of Yale.
“Haverford alums have to spend the rest of their lives explaining where and what H’ford is”
"you won’t continuously feel like you have to “prove” you went to a respected school. "
My guess is many Haverford alums don’t feel like they have to “prove” anything or feel like they need to explain to anyone. Prestige isn’t necessarily high on their radar. Bottom line is, once you’re in the working world, your work experience matters most. Talking about where you went to college once you are past your 20s is kind of boorish anyway.
Just go with what you feel most comfortable with and where you feel you’ll fit in better, OP. You can’t go wrong with either. You’ll get a top notch education at both. If prestige really matters to you, which I get a feeling it does a little based on your postings, maybe Yale is right for you. If you value the unique community and Quaker values of Haverford, go that route.
If you can’t make up your mind, perhaps you shouldn’t be applying early.
Good luck with the process.
A few things you can’t get from Yale:
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A open, non-gated campus.
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Reunions where you’ll know virtually everyone (as opposed to almost no one, unless they were in your “house”.)
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Freedom from stereotypes. No one has any preconceptions about a Haverford grad; but, get ready to be constantly referred to as “the Yalie”, or forever refer to your school years as spent “in New Haven.” or, “in Connecticut”.
At Yale you’d get to got to school with the quadruplets, CC’s favorite students. 
Haverford wins on location, though, IMO.
No need to be rude.
@justliviglife What exactly was rude about Doschicos’ comment? I thought the quip was very amusing. A bit of levity is always beneficial.
It is true that Haverford is less well known with the general public than Yale. If you want every person you meet to know the name, it won’t happen with Haverford.
I went to Williams. I thought I received the best education possible, I would go there again if I could do it all over, and I would be happy for my son to attend a similar school.
Yes, when someone asks where I went to college, either they know it and are impressed, or they give a blank look and ask where it is, and I tell them, “It’s in the northwest corner of Massachusetts.” So what? Do I need everyone to be impressed by where I got my degree? Hopefully they form their opinions of me based on my work in my career or my parenting or my kindness.
If you go to Haverford, I doubt you will ever regret it!
Both great schools. Pick by fit.
lol I thought it was kind of sassy. He knows what he’s trying to ask and obviously the OP knows they’re both great schools. He’s not falsely knocking Yale…I mean it is kind of overrated compared to some non-ivies. I don’t know the price tag on Haverford, but in general, I think people kind of are just buying the name when you can get an equal education somewhere else. Sometimes buying the name helps in life though…not sure…after re-reading it, it’s not that bad, but I think the OP’s questions is fine.
If someone thinks it’s a bad question and the OP should actually ask a “serious question” he/she should say something like “Maybe you mean this…” or just don’t come onto a board to simply knock someone’s question. OP didn’t say anything negative about either school.
Especially if it’s a parent. Parents coming onto student threads to be rude is just immature. Not @ you.
@crewdad, sounds like justlivglife’s comment was in response to worriestoomuch, not doschicos.
@TheGreyKing, Thanks, I realized that too late. Workout an @, I assumed he was responding to the post directly above his.
@justliviglife If you are going to comment here with remarks like “No need to be rude”, going forward it would be helpful to let folks know what comment you are targeting and why. Otherwise, you’re really not adding to the conversation. Your second post helped flesh things out.
For the record, the cost of Yale and Haverford are pretty much in the same ballpark, anyway. I’ve seen no post here I consider rude. As far as parents chiming in, perhaps it is parents with the knowledge and years of experience to share.
From Dave Barry (the humorist not the college counselor)
@justliviglife - OP asserted that “Haverford has better teaching” while “Yale has just a brand name.” You don’t think that is a silly assertion? Of course the OP was “just” being “sassy” or impudent. As an adult who only contributes to threads based on both personal and professional knowledge, it didn’t seem like the OP was posing a question in search of serious answers. But here is mine anyway. Anyone who knows anything about both schools would say they are both filled with extremely bright, highly curious, thoughtful people - and that includes the folks that teach at each school. There are real differences between the schools. But the central difference isn’t about quality of teaching. It is about school size and geographic location. I’d say the OP would be incredibly fortunate to attend either school, but should choose one based on “fit.”
"Go to Yale. Haverford alums have to spend the rest of their lives explaining where and what H’ford is. As excellent as H’ford is, this will get tiresome after a while. At least when you say “I went to Yale,” everyone will know exactly what you’re talking about and you won’t continuously feel like you have to “prove” you went to a respected school. "
This is silly. As a Wes alum, I can assure you that anyone I ever really needed to impress with my undergrad degree (employers and grad school admissions) knew Wesleyan and was duly impressed. As for everyone else, who cares?
Or if one is so insecure that one feels the need to impress random strangers and to feel snobby about where one went to school, it is always comforting to remind oneself that anyone who hasn’t heard of Haverford obviously doesn’t really know about the country’s best schools, has probably only heard of a few Ivies, the local State U and some sports powerhouses and isn’t worth impressing anyway.
OTOH, Post #16 is very funny and I’m sure will be enjoyed by my best friend, who went to Bryn Mawr, and her husband, who went to Haverford. Neither has been held back personally or professionally by their alma maters.
I didn’t say OP was sassy. The person that said what I would consider is a somewhat “rude” comment.
Here’s the thing, literally everyone knows Yale is a good school. Saying “it’s just a brand name” in the context of this situation really isn’t knocking Yale. I read it in the context of the comparison between the two. I think both are great schools and are very comparable. Yale may have the famous professors because of the name (and vice versa), but when it comes down to comparing them, I really think Yale just has the brand name which does give it more weight than Haverford.
I think it ultimately comes down to great fit as well, but honestly, I truly believe that Yale gives you more expansive opportunities. I’ve worked in a recruiting offices where people have said they only want candidates from ivies + Stanford which is absolutely ridiculous. Also, I’m from the south and people here have no idea what Haverford is unless he/she went there, works in college sphere of education, is familiar with NE schools, etc. For me, it comes down to happiness because that’s where someone will succeed the best he/she can. There are 1000s of wonderful colleges/unis in the U.S. I do hope OP finds the “best fit” but I still don’t find the question “less serious”. It’s a genuine question that even “adults” have.