Pennsylvania road trip

It’s actually very easy to graduate from Haverford and Swarthmore without taking a class at either. Many, many students do every year, in fact the majority I’d say. However, it is nice to have the option if you so wish to expand the range of classes. In certain majors, it becomes more necessary but that isn’t the norm. And is doable.

On the other hand, Bryn Mawr and Haverford students frequently take classes on each other’s campuses and often engage in clubs and activities on the other campus as well. Very easy to accomplish given the very short distance between these two schools.

As someone who’s booked a trip (by air, not car) for D19 and my wife to see Philly-area schools in late March, I will say that I’ve been reminded how difficult it is to fully visit more than one campus a day. We’ve got an interview scheduled at Haverford, but once you add time for a tour, an information session (which may or may not be useful – anyone have any guidance re: Haverford’s info sessions?), a class visit, and maybe lunch or something, the amount of time to do much more than tour Bryn Mawr, even though it’s just a mile away, seems fairly limited.

For what it’s worth, my D and W are flying in Wednesday night, staying at the Swarthmore Inn that night, visiting S. that Thursday morning/afternoon, heading into a hotel in the city, then visiting Haverford (and Bryn Mawr) that Friday (and Saturday, though I’m hoping they get to enjoy some art and the Liberty Bell instead before they leave that afternoon). Hotels and schedules are designed to maximize ease of getting around without a car – hopefully the only driving they’ll need to do will be to get a Lyft, etc. from Haverford to Bryn Mawr on Friday afternoon.

We frequently did 2 college visits a day. No problem. Sometimes lunch was a quick bite, though (see cooler suggestion previously). We always made time for a relaxed sit-down dinner, though.

We visited Haverford with both kids. At the times of our visits (not too recent), information sessions weren’t offered (I think more due to the time of year we visited vs. no info sessions at all). Just a tour and a more informal Q&A with a rep in the waiting room. We did always take the option of an on-campus interview if it was being offered even if we weren’t sure if the school would make the final list or not. If not, the practice never hurt.

For double visit days (and most schools weren’t just 5 minutes from each other), we would schedule something around 9AM and then the next school around 2 or 3PM. We found 2-3 hours on campus to be plenty for a visit.

If you can take a more leisurely pace, that works as well. We were trying to optimize both time and money spent. It worked for us.

I think there is some confusion here between Muhlenberg College (which is on the OP’s list) and Moravian College (which isn’t).

Moravian is within walking distance of Lehigh. It’s in Bethlehem, like Lehigh, but on the other side of the Lehigh River. According to Google Maps, Moravian is only 2.0 miles from Lehigh, and it’s an 11-minute car ride or 44-minute walk.

Muhlenberg, on the other hand, is in Allentown. That’s relatively close, but not walking distance for most people: Google Maps calls it an 8.1 mile walk. You will probably want to drive instead, and the roads aren’t particularly fast or direct, so Google Maps estimates the drive time at 28 minutes.

If your daughter is interested enough to visit Haverford, then she should definitely visit Bryn Mawr tool. Those two really are within walking distance. For practical purposes, they are almost like a single elite school, since students are free to take classes, major, or get housing on either campus. But there’s one odd quirk: men only get one chance to apply for admission and financial aid, while women get two chances. If you are eligible to apply twice, why not seize the opportunity?

Swarthmore is a tougher admit than any other school on the OP’s list. The D might not have the stats to get in – in that case, I wouldn’t bother stopping in there.

I agree in theory @doschicos that 2 schools a day should be doable. But D’s desire to visit classes has made that difficult for us… we could’ve used more time at St. Olaf when we visited Carleton, for example, and we won’t have as much time as Bryn Mawr as I would like (though I’m not sure D cares), and both of those cases presume a starting time at 9 AM or soon thereafter. If D was willing to skip the classes, it wouldn’t be much of a problem…

I agree completely on the interview practice. That was my insistence for this trip, if only because D hasn’t had a college interview yet and needs the practice.

Another plug for the Lancaster Arts Hotel within a couple of blocks of F&M. Central Market is fun also if you can catch it when it’s open. My kid loved the school and enjoyed a wonderful combination of athletics and academics. We miss our visits there.

If your daughter is sitting in on a class and especially doing an interview, skip the info sessions at each school. Interviews provide an opportunity to ask questions and get info. A good college interview should be a conversation driven by both parties, IMO, so curious questions are a plus. @BorgityBorg

Thanks for that @doschicos – I’m certainly amenable to skipping the info sessions as I’ve (and I think she has) found them thus far to be generally of mixed value, and since this will be her first interview, hadn’t considered that the interview could basically substitute for the info session.

Going to be honest. My D2 skipped interviews at all colleges except one where they scheduled it without telling her. She was NOT good at interviewing at that age – very quiet and reserved, and somewhat socially awkward. She was very good on paper, and had excellent recommendations from teachers and her GC who knew her well. So we made a conscious decision that she would not interview unless a school required it (and none of hers did). She got in everyplace she applied. By the time she graduated from college four years later, she was more confident and interviewed fairly well for grad school.

My D1 is outgoing with a sparkly personality, and people like her immediately when they meet her. She did interview, and in her case I think it helped her.

All I am saying is, your kid CAN hurt their chances if they are not good at interviewing. It also isn’t necessary to show interest – if you visited, especially, she is fine in that department. Only have her interview if you think she showcases well in an interview. Don’t get caught in the “she needs to do it someday, so might as well learn now” trap. College admissions are important. Why do something that might hurt her chances if she isn’t going to shine in it?

And I don’t care how much they say an interview is not evaluative. An interviewee who is kind of awful WILL get talked about.

Plus, talking to someone in the admissions office isn’t going to help you get behind the scenes at the college like going to classes will. Part of your job when you visit is to try to get behind the marketing hype. I also strongly recommend reading the student newspaper if you can get a copy (many are online these days).

True, you have to know your kid, but I’d say an interview certainly doesn’t hurt unless you really do badly. One that is just okay will be a wash.

My kids - one a more reserved, quiet, and thoughtful old soul/one who is easygoing and charismatic - were comfortable with such things (once they got past the first one) and engaging with folks they’ve just met so if anything I think it helped and they represented who they are.

And, yes, do consider each school’s importance re: interviewing. My kids mainly focused on LACs and many on the list either required or encouraged interviews (in general, I found the more competitive the admissions, the less emphasis on interviews probably because they have too many applicants). A quick look at the Common Data Sets (section C7) of a few schools listed on this thread:

Haverford, Lehigh, Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr - Interviews considered in admissions
Dickinson - Interview important in admissions

Thanks for that perspective @intparent – while it would be her first college interview, I think she is safely out of danger in terms of a bad interview. She has more than enough experience in public speaking and engages with adults well. At worst, I think it’s a push in her case.

In this particular case (and not wanting to hijack this thread too much so getting back to the Philly point in particular), Haverford says on its main “Visiting” page, “We recommend that all applicants schedule an interview” and goes on to say that “If you live farther than 150 miles from campus, we recommend that you interview on campus if you can.” It’s a little hard to square those comments with the fact that Haverford only lists the interview as “Considered” rather than “Important” on the CDS, but of the three colleges she’s visiting, Haverford seemed by far the most important to interview on-site. If she was going to visit Haverford, the impression they convey is “schedule the interview.”

I love reading student newspapers, I agree – I think they’re useful.

Even the colleges that said interviews were “important” accepted my D2, who didn’t interview. I’m just saying… this is a case where the CDS might not be all that accurate.

I think one of the reasons for the interview is that they want to make sure your kid understands the vibe of the school and is aware of whether it will “fit”. If they can show that “fit” when they do the school-specific supplemental essay that most LACs have, then that helps negate not having interviewed.

But if your kid will be good at it, then by all means, interview away!

@BorgityBorg Haverford often uses Senior Interviewers (college seniors). My kids enjoyed the conversations. It doesn’t surprise me that Haverford encourages the interviews. Community, and therefore fit, is a big part of one’s 4 years there but “fit” in the case of Haverford doesn’t negate all types of diversity. Quite the opposite actually.

https://www.haverford.edu/admission/contact/meet-our-student-volunteers

Villanova, Bryn Mawr, Haverford and St. Joe’s are all very close to one another. Two are on Lancaster Ave and the others are just off of it. The first three are far more competitive than St. Joe’s but St. Joe’s gives great merit money to strong candidates. They also have a creative writing minor. Just a thought.

https://www.sju.edu/admission/undergraduate/scholarships

PS - Bucknell is great. Pretty campus, on the river and Lewisburg is a cute little town.

Because we are heading down for just a few days and our list seems to keep growing, I wasn’t planning to have my D schedule any interviews. I figured this trip would be to take tours and see which schools seem to be a “fit” for her. Then come back another time to revisit the school and have an interview.

@lastone03 I will have to check out St. Joe’s. I’m not familiar with that school.

@NJWrestlingmom what did you and your D think of F&M?

@MACmiracle I am going to look a little more into Susquehanna, and may add it into our trip. Thank you.

@doschicos great information. I didn’t realize how intertwined Haverford and Bryn Mawr are! She seems to be very opposed to an all girls school, but maybe knowing the easy interaction between the schools would open her up to consider it.