What do you think my chances are?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Haverford College
1

<p>Thanks so much for taking the time to read/evaluate!</p>

<p>White, Jewish girl living in the South (not Texas/Florida)
Public high school, extremely competitive (on US News' top 100 for most of my time there, district was voted "Best in the Southeast" at one point)</p>

<p>SCORES:
SAT- 2230. 710 CR, 730 M, 790 W
SAT II- Spanish 710, Math II 770
PSAT- National Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist, mentioned Haverford as one of my two "top-choice" schools to report score to (a 228)</p>

<p>SCHOOL:
4.0 unweighted GPA freshman-junior years
4.6 weighted GPA freshman-junior years
Freshman year: 2 honors classes
Sophomore year: 3 honors classes
Junior year: 2 APs (environmental science, art history, received 4s on both), 2 honors classes
Senior year: 4 APs (ab calculus, literature, spanish language, biology), 3 honors classes
This is about as rigorous as is possible at my school. 4-5 APs senior year is what people who go on to ivies/top LACs take. Actually, you're technically not even allowed to have 7 weighted periods, but I found a loophole and am anyway.
I expect a drop in grades this year (so much work!) Probably a B in AP lit and maybe in Honors Bio Lab (which goes along with AP Bio). However, I have expected Bs before and evaded them, so who knows.
Just barely NOT in top 10% of class, somehow. 400 people in class, I'm 43rd, I think.
Have taken a math, science (but no physics!), social studies, english, foreign language, and art each year.</p>

<p>EXTRA-CURRICULARS:
No job experience
CHORUS- 3 years in elite auditioned ensembles, Treasurer of one junior year, Treasurer of a better one senior year. Co-President of a Spanish singing group senior year. Traveled to Boston and won group awards. Went to summer choral institute for 4 summers. Selected for state honors chorus (thousands auditioned, 180 got in, I sung one of most competitive voice parts). Founded a'cappella group in Middle School and participated as an alum during high school.
SPANISH- Co-president of Spanish Honor Society senior year. Service trip to Nicaragua, I organized a fundraiser project that involved communicating with local government and cleaning up a park by the school. Also Co-President of Spanish singing group (already said this).
LITERARY MAGAZINE- Was Asst. Art Editor Sophomore year and Chief Editor elect (had to stop next year, very complicated).
COMMUNITY SERVICE- 200 hours currently, lots of international service (India/Tibet, rural Thailand, Nicaragua), tutoring, and political stuff. Was committee president of a town youth council that sponsored lots of community service.</p>

<p>HONORS:
State honors chorus
National Merit Scholar Semi-finalist
Nominated for Presidential Leadership Award
National Honors Society (12)
Spanish Honors Society (11, 12)</p>

<p>Passed pre-college philosophy course at Brown</p>

<p>Teacher recs should be good (having trouble finding people to write them- all my teachers are leaving!)
Essay should be unique (a little risky), but I think really good.
Interview was good (the interviewer told me she was "very impressed by me", which I took to be a good sign)</p>

<p>I'm also considering applying ED.</p>

2

<p>Also, I'm having trouble deciding on a top-choice school (Haverford and Wesleyan are my top choices, I think, but I'm also really liking Oberlin and maybe Vassar. Considering Kenyon, Brandeis, Reed, and Bard as well).</p>

<p>Looking for a school with an intellectual environment full of people who are excited about what they are learning (but not one that is too cutthroat, or one that is so much work academically that I cannot enjoy my college experience-- ie, not Swarthmore). Would like a school that is full of sweet, genuine, quirky/nerdy, warm, individualistic (to an extent), witty/engaging people. I'm an "out to save the world" idealist so a school filled with those kinds of people would be great (but I'd much prefer people to be legit politically activists, not just "liberal chic" hipsters/hippies). I am involved in the performing arts, so would prefer a school more geared towards this than athletics (although again, please don't interpret my artsiness as hipsterness. oy). I'd also like a very supportive environment in which you can find who you want to be and what you want to do with you life, in addition to just having a good time. Professors having close relationships with students would help with this, I'd imagine. I'd also like a social scene that is not focused on drugs/alcohol/partying, but instead one that is more low-key (movies, events, hanging out). A beautiful, green campus and rich tradition are also turn-ons :)</p>

3

<p>I think you'd be competitive at Haverford, and the positive comments frm the interview seem like a good sign.</p>

<p>Based on your second post, Haverford seems to make a lot of sense for you.</p>

<p>Have you visited the campus? Have you seen these videos? Click Haverford</a> College Office of Admission: Admission Videos videos</p>

4

<p>All these schools seem to meet your requirements in one way or another.</p>

<p>I would also suggest you look at Sarah Lawrence. It doesn't immediately come to mind, but it is an interesting place.</p>

5

<p>Thanks, both of you!
I have visited the campus (and plan to do an overnight soon, hopefully), and I've basically memorized the admissions videos :) hahah thanks!!</p>

<p>I considered SL but I wasn't thrilled about the gender ratio and I know several people who go there who seem a little too mainstream and not very intellectually impressive (wow, I sound like such a snob). The school's finishing-schoolish history really didn't do much for me either (although I guess Vassar is similar).</p>

6

<p>My son recently had an overnight at Haverford, so I thought I'd share his reaction (he loved it) in terms of how it might intersect with your interests. First, he is an athlete and was attending a recruiting weekend. But he also is interested in music, writing and things like slam poetry, so also has an artistic side. Haverford emphasizes athletics more than Weslayan or Vassar from all I've heard and read, and probably is not known to be as artsy as either of those two. But we were told in an information session that the school strives to avoid any distintion between athletes and non-athletes and many students are involved in both athletics and more arts oriented activities. My son's experience, though just two days and an overnight, seemed to bear this out. </p>

<p>The guys he was staying with were great...really nice, easy to talk to, accommodating. One of the guys knew a girl from class who had invited him to a wine and cheese tasting to support an art show, so several members of the team went along with him (as well as my son) to support that. Then they went to an improv show that one of their teammates was in to support him (and also to enjoy the show, which my son said was very funny). So my son felt that there was no divide or social barriers among the groups that he was exposed to. With such a small student population, and many students involved in multiple activities, it seems there is a lot of support for each other and genuine caring. Plus, with your interests in the arts, there is also Bryn Mawr there to draw from in terms of courses and resources.</p>

<p>My son also visited Wesleyan, which he liked, and is going to visit Vassar, but is pretty certain at this point that he will be applying ED to Haverford. He just loved the whole enviornment of academic and intellectual rigor without the competitiveness he has experienced in high school, the physical beauty of the campus and its layout, the strong sciences, the chill attitudes of the prospective team members he met, the great coach, the ability to pursue athletics but have academics be given the priority...i.e., he felt it reflected who he was.</p>

7

<p>Thanks, that was really informative!</p>

8

<p>You seem to have strong stats for Haverford, especially ED. Haverford's Music Department is very small but excellent, and their choral director is great. </p>

<p>My son is at Wesleyan and loves it. Your description of what you're looking for matches his uncannily, and Wesleyan fits the bill. Based on his visits, he thought Wes was much more artsy and political than Haverford. And since he's been at Wes he's found it to be intellectually thrilling, very nurturing, and he thinks the students are incredibly warm, accepting, open and fun. The classical music scene is less intense than he would like, but he loves his music professors and activities and is enjoying his status as a big fish in a small pond. </p>

<p>Vassar and Oberlin were two other schools that he liked very much (got waitlisted). Their music programs are very strong (especially Oberlin, obviously). He thought Vassar was more artsy than Wes but much less political. Wes really is in a category of its own when it comes to political activisim.</p>

<p>He seriously considered Brandeis, which had everything he was looking for. And he liked Bard a lot, too. (Great piano teachers, but no choral music.)</p>

<p>Feel free to PM me if you want any more details, and good luck as you sort this all out!</p>

9

<p>Wow, those are exactly my reactions to all those schools. Thanks so much for your wonderful insight! I'll definitely PM you if I have questions!!</p>

<p>I really like Brandeis' social scene but it's too far on the research-university end of things for what I'm interested in (humanities- philosophy/religion).</p>

<p>That's interesting (and good to hear) that you described Wes as "nurturing". This is definitely something I thought was present in the Haverford environment, but I was worried that, while Wes would be fun and exciting, it wouldn't be as serious/nurturing. Haverford has a customs program at the beginning of the year that (so I've heard) makes everyone feel immediately accepted. They also set you up with 50 different counselor-type people. However, it's hard to know how helpful those kinds of people actually are- maybe it's more helpful to just experience many new things like you would at Wes, and find yourself/your interests that way instead of discussing them with counselors/advisors.</p>

<p>Bard has NO choral music? Wow, thanks for telling me that!</p>

10

<p>Haverford's customs program sounds unique, and meeting with 50 different counselor types sounds amazing! Wes' advising system is much more conventional, with upperclass peer advisors in the dorms and a faculty advisor in an academic field that a student has indicated as a possible major. </p>

<p>My son is a philosophy major and was assigned a philosophy professor as an advisor. As it turned out, my son had just read a book by this professor, so he emailed him as soon as he found out he would be his advisor. They stayed in touch throughout the summer before his freshman year, which impressed us very much!</p>

<p>I'd have to disagree with you about Brandeis (my alma mater). It is very strong in the humanities - philosophy/religion, and the school feels much more like a LAC than a large research university. Like at Wesleyan, there are graduate students around (which I consider a good thing) but the focus is much more on undergraduate education. And there's a very cozy, nurturing feeling to the place that's much more similar to Wesleyan (and what I sensed at the other LACs we visited) than to a big school. </p>

<p>Dawn Upshaw is now heading up the graduate program in voice at Bard, so there must be some serious singers there. But there is no mention of a chorus or choral music in the Conservatory or College literature, on paper or online. It may be the only school in the country where that is the case!</p>

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<p>Wow, yet another coincidence (we're both philosophy possible-majors).</p>

<p>I haven't done much research on Brandeis, to be honest. It was one of the last schools to be put on my list (I had taken Colby, Bates, and Grinnell off after visiting them and felt that I needed to replace them with a similarly-selective school that I would still really like to go to). The more I find out about it, though, the more I like it. Thanks!</p>

<p>Yes, "cozy" is a good word to describe the feeling that I wanted (and part of the reason to choose an LAC, in addition to individual attention/small classes etc.) I'm glad you agree that Wes has this, despite its size, and I'll look further into Brandeis!</p>

<p>I'm not serious enough to major in voice, I don't think, but I definitely do want to continue it in college. Everyone says if a school is lacking a club that you think should exist, you can start one. Maybe your son (or I, if I get to go there) could start a more serious, classical chorus at Wes? I just looked at the music dept webpage and saw two choirs, and the more advanced one is not even being offered this Spring. Kind of disappointing- even my high school has 4 classical choirs (plus a show choir, 2 a cappella groups, and 4 other extracurricular language singing groups). Being a "big fish in a small pond", as you said, must have its own advantages, though :)</p>

<p>That's great that your son formed a real relationship with his advisor before the school year even started- very impressive!! Can I ask what kind of philosophy he's interested in? (I have a philosophy professor in the family who does philosophy of science, and he "evaluates" various schools' departments by looking at whether their courses are logic-science-epistemology-math vs. confucianism-feminism-aesthetics. He finds the former representative of a more serious department. I find them both interesting, actually, but I take his point that "philosophy" can mean vastly different things at different places). Wesleyan seems to have a VERY fine philosophy department by any standards, and the building given to the department (which I got to go into during my visit!) sure reflects it-- wow!</p>

<p>Sorry I keep continuing this conversation- you're very nice to put up with all of my questions!</p>

12

<p>Actually Wesleyan does have a decent choral music program. I've heard the regular chorus, conducted by the same person who conducts the orchestra, and they were pretty good. And the Collegium, conducted by a musicologist who is also a singer, is really excellent. My son doesn't sing, but he performed as a pianist on some concerts that I went to hear last year. I also happened to sit in a lounge where a really good student-run a cappella group was rehearsing. There are apparently quite a few of them on campus.</p>

<p>Can't say what kind of philosophy my son is most interested in. So far he's just exploring everything available. He's taken 2 philosophy classes every semester (he's a sophomore) and has loved every one of them.</p>

<p>Happy to continue the conversation. Hope the Haverford folks don't mind! </p>

<p>I also sent you a PM, as it turns out there are even more coincidences....</p>

13

<p>Thanks for the PM. </p>

<p>Cool, I'm glad the chorus sounded good. I read about the Collegium mentioned on the website, but thought it was purely instrumental. Good to know, thanks!</p>

<p>I'm glad your son is enjoying his courses!!</p>

14

<p>hi, i'm a current freshmen.</p>

<p>Saying that Haverford provides you with 50 different advisers is only a slight exaggeration. </p>

<p>You have two sophomores that live on your hall that i suppose are similar to RAs but if you come to Haverford you'll realize that they are NOTHING like RAs at all. Really, they're super cool people that help you out with anything and everything. </p>

<p>There's also an Upper-Class Advisor (UCA) on the hall that helps with academic stuff.</p>

<p>Then you have an Ambassador for multi-cultural awareness whose job is to lead discussions about race, gender etc.</p>

<p>There are Peer Awareness Facilitators that lead discussions throughout the year and during customs week about body image, alcohol, etc.</p>

<p>There are Honor Code Orienteers that teach you all about the honor code. </p>

<p>These people are all incredibly amazing. They introduce you to all of their friends, invite you to their apartments (if they don't live on the hall with you) for cup cakes, and make sure you're safe at parties. THEY ARE AMAZING, and i promise you'll love them. </p>

<p>In the more formal academic sense, you'll get a faculty adviser and a dean that actually wants to know you. My faculty adviser was out of town when all of the other freshmen were meeting with their faculty advisers so I walked into my deans office and asked for help with choosing classes. Raisa talked to me for more then an hour and half, not only about potential classes but also about how i was doing. </p>

<p>I adore Haverford. It is exactly what I had been craving all throughout high school. Intense academics with people that are very passionate (but not competitive!) about what they're learning. </p>

<p>If you have other questions about life at the Ford, PM me! I'd love to answer them.</p>

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<p>Thanks so much!! I'll definitely PM you if I have any (more) questions :)</p>

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