<p>I plan to apply to Haverford ED and I'm really excited about it, but the only thing I'm concerned about is Haverford's recognizability. I'm from Canada so no one has ever heard of Haverford up here, but is it the same in the USA? Will it be difficult for me to get a job after graduating? I know that grad schools will know of it, but will potential employers?
Anyone who's a Haverford alum would be of great help here!
Thanks in advance :)</p>
<p>I’m a current student at Haverford, and I was worried about that too. Cool thing thoughs are that:</p>
<ul>
<li>People in the Northeast know Haverford</li>
<li>Well educated people have a pretty good chance of knowing Haverford (In US)</li>
<li>Grad schools know and respect Haverford very much. </li>
<li>If you find that you want to seek employment outside of the US/outside region that would know Haverford, you can use the prestige of your grad school (assuming you go to grad school).</li>
</ul>
<p>BUT: This question will inevitably arise from most-all LACs, even the top ones. Everybody that has come to Haverford (and other LACs) has faced that question at some point, but luckily we still have very successful alumni/students, so I don’t think this concern is too damning either way. And Haverford has what seems to be an unlimited amount of resources going straight to students who want to do cool things, so if you take advantage of Haverford’s resources, you’ll build an impressive resume that can be recognized universally. S’not all bout dat name recognition</p>
<p>It depends on the employer and field of work. Some will know the school well, other people will be somewhat familiar with it and many will draw a blank. The key thing though is what you do during your 4 years in college… the classes you take, the activities participated, summer internships, life lessons learnt and how you develop your writing, speaking and interpersonal/ social skills. Demonstrate this and you will wow any employer and they will then look up HC and see what’s behind the name. If HC is the college that resonates with you best and you feel you can really sink your teeth into it, then go for it. Crediting or blaming a college’s reputation for one’s success/ lack of is over-stated.</p>
<p>True story: About 8 years ago, my friend from college and his wife (Canadian and went to UNC Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar) were at a dinner party in Manhattan. One of the guests there was the Minister of Education of Canada. He prouldy stated that the Canadian university system was essentially as good as the American university system going into detail why he felt that way… but he then paused and said that Canada though doesn’t have the tradition of the leading liberal arts college and schools such as “Amherst, Swarthmore and Haverford” are not an option in Canada. According to my friend’s wife, although the room was somewhat dark initially, it seemed brighter as my friend’s face was shining so much…so needy… :)</p>