<p>Hello</p>
<p>My DD14 and I will be doing a tour of schools on spring break. Seton Hall, Haverford, Villanova...I have very little knowledge of these schools and would love some information from the folks here on CC. Are they quality schools? How is the FA? etc. Thanks!</p>
<p>Wow, those are three very different schools! Haverford is a small college seemingly picked up from the English countryside (if you can picture that) and dropped in suburban Philadelphia. Very upscale area. Villanova is just up the street. It’s much larger, and is well thought of academically. I haven’t been to Seton Hall, but I can say that it’s considerably different from Villanova. I don’t know about FA at any of these schools.</p>
<p>My S is a sophomore at Villanova. He’s very happy with his choice and we do consider it a quality school. If you have specific questions, I can give you the parent point of view.</p>
<p>You might want to post this on the Parents Forum. Haverford only gives need based aid, no merit aid. Villanova and Seton Hall are both affiliated with the Catholic Church. All are not huge schools. </p>
<p>Have fun on your trip. If your kiddo is only 14, you have LOTS of time to look at schools.</p>
<p>No no, thumper – i assume that’s Class of 14!</p>
<p>Three completely different market levels. Haverford is a super-selective, national liberal arts college, very small and very demanding, still a strong Quaker vibe, which makes it quiet, liberal, relatively serious (even among elite LACs). It has essentially no name recognition outside of the East Coast Establishment, but inside the Establishment its reputation is golden.</p>
<p>Villanova, which is walking distance from Haverford in good weather, is a nice regional Catholic “masters” university, mainly populated by suburban preppy types, career oriented. For a student who is a good candidate for Haverford, Villanova would be a stone safety, but the two colleges have almost no overlap in the students they attract. Villanova gets a lot of name recognition for its basketball and track teams, and it’s a strong regional training ground for kids who are ambitious and smart but not necessarily Ivy League ambitious and smart.</p>
<p>I know a lot less about Seton Hall, which is another Catholic university in northern New Jersey. My impression is that it’s a lot less preppy than Villanova, more urban (well, not exactly urban; it’s in the Newark suburbs, less than 3 miles from Newark International), and less academic.</p>
<p>Haverford has fewer than 300 students per class, Villanova close to 2,000, and Seton Hall 1,250. Haverford accepts about a quarter of its applicants, Villanova about half, and Seton Hall almost all of them. In terms of test scores, Seton Hall’s 75th percentile level is around Villanova’s 25th percentile, and Villanova’s 75th percentile is around Haverford’s 25th.</p>
<p>Ditto what JHS said.</p>
<p>Haverford is far more selective and by far a better place to learn for most (smallest class size). A small number of students feel the size is stifling, but that is a small minority. Look at the retention rates of each school.</p>
<p>Retention of Freshman
Haverford 96%
Villanova 95%
Seton hall 83%</p>
<p>Toured Seton Hall with Step-D over President’s Weekend and LOVED it. 15 minute train ride from NYC. Nice campus. Great program in her intended major. I would definitely recommend checking it out.</p>
<p>The honor code at Haverford is incredible.</p>
<p>Agree with what was said so far. It is much more of a regional school than Villanova and Haverford. It tends to attract students from Northern NJ Catholic high schools. 2 of my sisters attended many years ago, and received great educations.</p>
<p>Ah…well…class of 2014 would mean the kiddo is in tenth grade now…still plenty of time to look around and adjust college lists! Plus, a lot can change in terms of the student perspective in two years.</p>
<p>Have fun as you BEGIN this college process.</p>
<p>Since people are talking about Haverford and the Quaker influence, what exactly does attending a Quaker school mean? Is it like a Baptist school with no dancing or similar conduct rules? D has gotten some recruiting information from a Quaker school and we really are not all that familiar with them. Sorry for the hijack.:D.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the input. I have heard some great things about Haverford on other threads… so we will be looking forward to the visit. </p>
<p>@stevema-Great question. I should have asked it.</p>
<p>Husband went to a Quaker high school. They tend to be liberal and into peace, non-violence and justice. They had meeting once a week which basically is an opportunity for everyone to speak or meditate as they feel moved. I don’t believe any of the Quaker colleges require attendance at meetings.</p>
<p>Here’s what Haverford has to say about its Quaker connection: [Quaker</a> Character - Religious & Spiritual Life : Haverford College](<a href=“http://www.haverford.edu/religiouslife/quaker_character.php]Quaker”>http://www.haverford.edu/religiouslife/quaker_character.php)</p>
<p>Here’s a link to the honor code at Haverford: [What</a> is the Code | Honor Council](<a href=“http://honorcouncil.haverford.edu/the-code/what-is-the-code/]What”>What is the Code? – Honor Council)</p>
<p>If you’re daughter is indeed a sophomore, it probably wouldn’t hurt to see some of the other Philly schools-- they’re all pretty accessible, and it’s good to see a variety of schools early on. UPenn (and Drexel) is an easy SEPTA ride away, and have an urban atmosphere that contrasts the other three you’re visiting. I’d seriously consider walking around those campuses, even if not for a formal tour.</p>
<p>We visited Pittsburgh for colleges and hit Duquesne, Pitt and CMU in one day. It was great to make the comparisons like that and hit a triple header. Once you do a few tours of different types of colleges, you may find that your student prefers certain “types” better. Also, take a look at what schools are real possibilities for your student. For my son, CMU was a very high lottery ticket reach, but we looked anyways but did not focus on schools of that selectivity for the most part. Also if financial aid is an issue, one of the most important steps in picking schools is to find one that fits your students needs and wants, that is highly likely to take your student and is affordable. Financial aid can be a crapshoot so to apply to all high ticket schools is not a good idea. Vary the types of schools, price tags and the way they dispense aid/merit. Look for some schools that you can afford as well. One acquaintance looked at only private, high ticket schools and just threw in some state schools without much thought and it was not a good scene when it became apparent that those state school were the only realistic choices when the scanty aid and merit packages arrived. with private college costs crossing the $60K line these days, even a nice scholarship can leave the remaining cost over budget.</p>
<p>SteveMA, what we heard at Swarthmore about its Quaker roots is that many things decided by committee involve students. The example given was that students had the opportunity to interview candidates for a dean of something (don’t remember what) and that students have a lot of input into how the college is run.</p>
<p>Looking forward to OP’s D’s opinion on these schools. My D14 has two of them on her list, as well.</p>
<p>If you are driving, when you go to Haverford, you should also pas by Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr, which are part to the tri-college exchange.</p>
<p>I agree that you should also look at Drexel and Penn, which are a short distance away.</p>
<p>sybbie - I was just about to say that! </p>
<p>My S just got accepted to Haverford - really great school and very pretty. Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore look very similar and have the same feel, but the honor code at Haverford is very prevalent and doesn’t exist at Swarthmore (I don’t think). Although these have Quaker roots, they are not Quaker affiliated any longer. They do, however, keep the same principles of open-mindedness, diversity, acceptance, peace, trust, and community service. Haverford is very small - only 1177 students, so you really have to like a small school. It’s very tied to Bryn Mawr and less so to Swarthmore. Athough you can take classes at Swarthmore or Penn, it’s not very easy to do.</p>
<p>Villanova is also a good school - we’ve only driven past, but it seemed like a pretty campus. Don’t know much more about it than that and don’t know anything about Seton Hall.</p>