<p>hm..I didn't prepare for any of my interviews. haha.. yeah there's really not much you can do though until you have your first interview (I was terrified for my first interview- I was asked why exactly I liked learning, and there was definitely too long of an awkward silence period.) My Haverford interview went really well; it was pretty relaxed. Before you go, really think about why you are interested in Haverford. "Why Haverford?" KEY: They like to see students who are truly interested in Haverford for what it is- not because they saw its name on the US News rankings top LACs. They also try to evaluate you as a person and how you will contribute to the community. Obviously you want to emphasize your strengths, but don't come off as pretentious or anything of the sort. This isn't the time to be modest, but don't overdo it. I remember it was more like a conversation with my interviewer- she asked me about my family, and we found out we had a lot in common in that regard. Remember to keep eye contact, but don't look at them as some authority figure. Obviously be respectful, but you'll do best by just carrying on a conversation. I didn't go into the interview nervous, either; that may have helped. Speak clearly and coherently; be confident in yourself.</p>
<p>Due to the honor code, we have an open alcohol policy which works quite well in my opinion. As long as you are not endangering yourself or the community, you're allowed to drink (at the parties- don't walk around campus drunk). There's actually a pretty strong party scene here for a small liberal arts school. Unlike other institutions with RAs and such, students don't have to cower in their rooms to hide from being caught. Thus, people here tend to be pretty mature and don't manipulate the alcohol policy.. they generally don't go out of control since it's not a big deal to drink. There were a couple of hospital incidents (literally a couple) but I think one was because someone had been getting over a cold. I suppose rape has occurred in the past (this is college after all) but I haven't heard of any stories of recent years. I've heard in past years that an alumna who was a victim of rape comes back to talk to the girls about rape and so on - so naturally, it happens anywhere. But it seems like it would happen MUCH much less here than at other colleges. People really do respect the honor code- it's almost surreal.</p>
<p>I don't know about new dorms or renovations- I think right now we have enough space (with the student population as it is). I personally think the dorms are pretty nice as they are, especially after having seen the rooms my friends at other colleges live in.</p>
<p>I think they are working on fixing up the website. Perhaps the dullness reflects the Quaker modesty? I don't know; but you can't completely learn about a school through a website anyway - do an overnight- talk to students and professors.</p>
<p>I think my first semester is pretty tough- but it's expected. Most of my friends find it to be an adjustment. I mean.. I was well-prepared enough in high school - I had taken 10 ap courses throughout junior/senior year... but still, it's really hard to concentrate in JUST your classes when you have so much else going on. It's really hard when you're living with 18 other people your own age to study all of the time instead of going out to talk to them. At first at least- I'm able to focus much more now that the year has progressed.</p>
<p>I also didn't take courses suited to my strengths: I came in wanting to be a poli sci major, yet I really hate my class. Then I took calculus and macroeconomics, in which I'm doing fairly well in, but I've found that I'm not passionate about economics really.. and I merely took calculus for the sake of minoring in economics... Then I took Italian, which was kind of a hard adjustment since I had 5 years of Latin in high school. I'm not used to the heavy emphasis on conversational learning rather than written, but I'm getting used to it. Nevertheless, I'm much more excited about my courses next semester. I have my required writing seminar, and I'm going to take an English class (either Chaucer, the English Epic, the Bible and Literature, or Victorian Literature- Pre-Raphaelites, Aesthetes, and Decandent) since I really want to be an English major now. I'll take another semester of Italian since a full year is required, and then perhaps a natural science (you need 3 credits of natural science- my calculus counts as one) or probably a psychology class. I don't find anything annoying yet, except maybe that everyone keeps getting sick! It's a lot easier to get sick in college- bring vitamins.</p>
<p>I am a girl, could you tell? haha- I do host prospective students, but I don't know if you're allowed to request people. Call and see what they say.</p>