Haverford is tiny, which allows the student body of 1,200 to generalize about itself. Rolled into one person, 'Ford would be “
slightly more female than male and be mostly white, but one third of color,” says one junior, and “
moderately liberal in terms of political views. Haverperson would be confused about religion, but most of the time would be atheist or agnostic but with serious respect for the Quakers. Haverperson would wear jeans and a t-shirt to class and only really dress up on the weekend. For this reason, you're going to have a hard time telling Haverperson's socio-economic class. He/she would be involved in two or three clubs and probably still get emails from a club that he or she signed up for but has no time to attend. He or she would probably chose to party every other weekend, but the Haverperson knows that he or she will be respected if he or she chooses to drink or not to drink, as long as he or she doesn't go overboard.”
Naturally, Haverperson would be all about the unique, student-run Honor Code that governs life on campus, allowing students to leave their doors open and take exams when and where they please. It gives Fords an unusual amount of freedom, but it also contributes to the occasionally constraining atmosphere. According to one junior, the “
biggest controversies on campus always involve someone being un-PC, too intolerant, not respecting the Honor Code, not respecting their peers, etc. Nothing really terrible ever happens—it's just that they become a bigger deal at Haverford because we have the Honor Code in place and any breach of that sort of undermines the ideals of the school.” Intense? Sure. 'Fords are accustomed to taking things seriously, from the clubs they join to the classes they take. At the same time, they’re pretty laid back. As one alum explains, “
It's a community focused on comfort—people wear comfortable clothes, and make a lot of effort to make each other feel comfortable. Starting with "Customs" (freshman orientation), Haverford does a great job of providing comfort and truly nurturing its freshmen.”
Social life on campus can be somewhat strained. Although there are always events, activities, concerts, movies, and parties, usually for free, when it comes to dating, students gripe that their options are either to hook up or be Havermarried. “
The normal Haverford male is 5’7”, brilliant, and socially inept,” says one sophomore. “
The normal Haverford female is relatively the same height, just as smart, although with more social intelligence than the male.” Other students insist that awkwardness is more widespread—as one freshman puts it, “
People here are nerdy, but in the best way possible.”
Either way, straight male 'Fords can also browse the selection down the road at single-sex Bryn Mawr College, while straight female students must go farther afield to co-ed Swarthmore or to Philly (about half an hour away by train), so the women on campus can get particularly cranky about their options.
This competition contributes to the fraying of the school’s longstanding Bi-College relationship with Bryn Mawr. Students can hardly avoid each other: they share a newspaper as well as dining halls and academic offerings, which is a boon for students in search of more than one tiny institution can provide. For instance, says one junior, “
lots of classes are only offered one semester a year instead of both. For its size Haverford does an amazing job, but it has its limits. That said, you can also take courses at Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore, so in the end you do have a very wide selection.”
Other students complain of a visible lack of funds. One alum points out that at Haverford “
the music and art facilities need improving (though the art department is currently undergoing vast improvement) and we need more computer labs and libraries.” By contrast, Bryn Mawr has a strong humanities program, especially in theater, where Haverford is also lacking. And students can take classes at UPenn as well, although that is less common.
Overall, academics are top notch, and Fords thrive on both formal and informal intellectual conversations. One senior, a History major, sums it up this way: “
Every single class I've had at Haverford has been stimulating. The intro-level classes are the biggest, generally, but that's still only 40 people at most (unless you take something like gen. chem or intro. psych)--and professors always know your name after the first couple of weeks.” Most students don’t have trouble balancing a passion for learning with a passion for enjoying themselves. Some, of course, do: “
They're called the phantom 500 and if you do the math that's almost half the school,” says one senior. “
So it makes for a really small social scene (but a fun one nonetheless).”
