Haverford College Top Questions

Haverford is hard but not impossible. If you get a 2.7 in a class, it is because you did not try.

The academics are pretty great, in that all of your professors, by and large, know and care about you. In the last year or so, though, I became frustrated with the fact that Haverford has almost no "practical" majors--a function of Liberal Arts, certainly. In the course of college, I became interested in journalism, which is not an option. In order to take journalism classes, I have to commute to Upenn. Luckily, an exchange program is in place. It just sucks that, if in the course of growing up, you realize you're not into liberal arts, that's too bad.

Because of the Honor Code, no one really talks about their grades which is a GREAT change from high school. I just assume everyone is smart because they obviously are. People aren't really competitive, but I wouldn't say the school is low-pressure. There's so much work- it's very challenging but almost always worthwhile and interesting- and everyone's so driven that it's hard not to be stressed out sometimes. As a true liberal arts institution, Haverford is all about learning for learning's sake. There ARE some academic requirements but not too many, so for the most part people get to take the classes they're really interested in which makes for some really great discussions. The best class I've taken here so far has been a history class, The Age of Jefferson and Jackson. Our professor was off-the-wall nuts but intelligent and really passionate about US History. She assigned heavy reading and some really tough papers, but everyone was on top of the reading and we had some great discussions. Everyone here is nerdy on some level, there's no way around it. You'll hear people talking about EVERYTHING, even at parties on a Saturday night- presidential politics, their project from Bio lab, the paper they should be writing.

Academics at Haverford are generally pretty intense. Of course, it depends on the classes you take and the effort you want to put in, but students generally spend a lot of spare time studying. Most students are very self-motivated- even though grades are not generally discussed very specifically among students, they tend to be competitive with themselves. Haverford students are definitely intellectuals- classes are rarely "boring" and there is often engaging discussion or debate in classes. My favorite class has actually been at Bryn Mawr- Sociology of AIDS- and on that note I'll add that it's extremely convenient and easy to take classes there if you so desire. The main reason students tend to do that is for variety in course offering or department- at such a small school the mix of classes to choose from is obviously smaller, so Bryn Mawr helps broaden the possiblities. My major is actually an independent major- called Health in Communities and Societies- that looks at the social aspects that affect health in different populations. In order to do an independent major, I worked with a faculty adviser, selected the courses I wanted to take, and submitted my proposal to a committee of deans, professors, and students who approved it. I think students occassionally spend time with professors outside of class, but I have only done twice (not including academics-related meetings). Haverford's education is definitely geared toward learning for the sake of learning, but in my opinion this is still very good job preparation, because in class we're actually learning "how to learn" which is always useful in the real world.

1) yes 2) Its hard to do that, everything depends on so many factors 3) A lot, depending sometimes on the student 4) among select people and in some climates (depending on big or small classes, etc) yes 5) sometimes 6) sometimes, but rarely 7) Anglophone african fiction 8) I'm undecided 9) sometimes 10) strenuous 11) It really depends on the person, but more for learning for its own sake; it still seems, however, that many people are just looking for the degree to get the job

I've had some really amazing professors at Haverford with a couple duds mixed in. Overall Haverford profs are really interested in their students and go out of their way to get to know you. When a prof has office hours they are serious about having students come to them, and do go! They can be very helpful. Students at Haverford are constantly studying. There is an infamous term on campus the "Phantom 500" which refers to the half of campus that you never see because they are always in the library. It is much more rare though to find a student who is never bogged down with work than one who has to spend a lot of time studying. But it isn't out of control amounts of work, you have hard and easy semesters and you get used to grind after a while. As much as students study there is a fair amount of down time, meaning parties and student led events. I've only had one class at Haverford that didn't require some amount of student participation. This is definitely the school for people who like to have discussions in class. Some times profs take it too far and try to trick you or single you out with questions, but mostly it is interesting and enhances the learning experience. Haverford students are intellectual so it is not unusual to find yourself discussion modern day religion or politics in the middle of a party. It is a great place to be if you are really into discussing important, and difficult topics on a regular basis. But at the same time we don't take ourselves too seriously so it is not overwhelming. Haverford students are not competitive at all (except on the sports field). Grades are never discussed and you will be friends someone for four years and have no clue what their GPA is or how good at taking tests they really are. Discussing grades is very taboo. I am a math major, and I can tell you that the Math Department is really challenging but very supportive. The good professors spend more time out of class than in it helping with problem sets. The people you take classes with become like a strange extended family because you have to spend so much time with them on homework. It is mostly a rewarding experience though. I think the most negative thing about academics at Haverford is Bryn Mawr students. In any Haverford class there is probably going to be anywhere from a couple Bryn Mawr students to around 10. These students can sometimes be intelligent and interesting, but mostly this is much outweighed by the "crazies." They are the students in my classes that I feel are denigrating my education, their comments are often superficial, ditzy, or silly and are consistently not as thoughtful as Haverford students. I can honestly say that maybe a fifth to a quarter of my classes at Haverford would have been drastically better if there were no Bryn Mawr students in the class. The only plus side is that we get to take classes at Bryn Mawr so there are more options in what you can take.