Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Haverford is ok for prelaw but not STEM.

Depends on your ultimate goal. If it's a research career, there's a lot to be said for a SLAC like Haverford, where you have very close contact with full professors and the opportunity to get involved in their research beyond the glassware-washing you're sometimes relegated to as an undergrad at larger schools. Can't speak to the lack of engineering opportunities, but if you are going to a SLAC with interest in liberal arts and engineering, you're a bit of a hybrid anyway, and will be looking for atypical experiences.

--Bryn Mawr grad with STEM PhD

Another cheap shot. Do you think the kids at MIT are glasseware-washing in their STEM classes? The obnoxious comments on here say it all. If you go to a very small school that a lot of people never heard of you will constantly be defending your school being ok. large schools people know their reputations.

+1

Clearly, PP hasn't been an undergraduate at other highly-rated STEM programs. Sometimes you can have close contact with professors, make meaningful contributions as an undergrad, AND have world-class resources and opportunities.

Really quirky kids at Haverford.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Haverford is ok for prelaw but not STEM.

Depends on your ultimate goal. If it's a research career, there's a lot to be said for a SLAC like Haverford, where you have very close contact with full professors and the opportunity to get involved in their research beyond the glassware-washing you're sometimes relegated to as an undergrad at larger schools. Can't speak to the lack of engineering opportunities, but if you are going to a SLAC with interest in liberal arts and engineering, you're a bit of a hybrid anyway, and will be looking for atypical experiences.

--Bryn Mawr grad with STEM PhD

Another cheap shot. Do you think the kids at MIT are glasseware-washing in their STEM classes? The obnoxious comments on here say it all. If you go to a very small school that a lot of people never heard of you will constantly be defending your school being ok. large schools people know their reputations.

Anonymous wrote:So Haverford is ok for prelaw but not STEM.

Depends on your ultimate goal. If it's a research career, there's a lot to be said for a SLAC like Haverford, where you have very close contact with full professors and the opportunity to get involved in their research beyond the glassware-washing you're sometimes relegated to as an undergrad at larger schools. Can't speak to the lack of engineering opportunities, but if you are going to a SLAC with interest in liberal arts and engineering, you're a bit of a hybrid anyway, and will be looking for atypical experiences.

--Bryn Mawr grad with STEM PhD

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why Haverford? I would send my child to Maryland, Penn State, University of Virginia, Michigan, or Syracuse before this school.

Well, I agree except for Syracuse, Maryland, or Penn State. Awful schools those.

The alumni, student size, college atmosphere, majors offered, graduate school options, Greek life, diversity, and most importantly ratio between the sexes of those schools literally blow teeny tiny Haverford away.

The fact that you list greek life among the must haves for a college indicates a lot.

BTW, I drilled down into US News. Haverford is considered:

#12 in national liberal colleges
#8 in undergraduate teaching
#18 in HS counselor's ratings
#9 for best value

So Haverford is ok for prelaw but not STEM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why Haverford? I would send my child to Maryland, Penn State, University of Virginia, Michigan, or Syracuse before this school.

Those are all enormous schools. Haverford is very small- similar to Amherst, Williams, Colby, Bowdoin, Wesleyan, etc. Very different schools in general.

It's not in the same league as Williams and Amherst. And unless your child plans to stay in the Philadelphia area near the school, lots of employers will not know much about the school. Most employers know the large state schools, if your child moves to California after college, when applying for a job Haverford will equal to Frostburg. A small school no one has heard about. Only you as the parent will spend a fortune for the small school.

We just took my niece, who was visiting from California to see Haverford, Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore. She knew about all these schools as did I when I went to high school in the Bay Area. In fact, one of my closest friends went to Swarthmore and loved it.

Re the lack of tailgating cited by a PP: Haverford has a great athletic facilities and really good XC, soccer and baseball teams. I don't think the kids who go there miss tailgating too much -- you know, it's not everybody's idea of a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Re engineering at liberal arts colleges, particularly schools that offer 3-2 or 4-1 programs: students considering these programs should be aware that opportunities to participate in research projects and engineering competitions will be limited compared to schools with larger engineering programs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why Haverford? I would send my child to Maryland, Penn State, University of Virginia, Michigan, or Syracuse before this school.

Well, I agree except for Syracuse, Maryland, or Penn State. Awful schools those.

The alumni, student size, college atmosphere, majors offered, graduate school options, Greek life, diversity, and most importantly ratio between the sexes of those schools literally blow teeny tiny Haverford away.

Something for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why Haverford? I would send my child to Maryland, Penn State, University of Virginia, Michigan, or Syracuse before this school.

Well, I agree except for Syracuse, Maryland, or Penn State. Awful schools those.

The alumni, student size, college atmosphere, majors offered, graduate school options, Greek life, diversity, and most importantly ratio between the sexes of those schools literally blow teeny tiny Haverford away.

Anonymous wrote:Why Haverford? I would send my child to Maryland, Penn State, University of Virginia, Michigan, or Syracuse before this school.

Well, I agree except for Syracuse, Maryland, or Penn State. Awful schools those.

Haverford and Bryn Mawr students are together in classes. It's a straight guys dream as 1 guy for 4 girls. Not so much socialization with swathmore and pen students.

Anonymous wrote:Yes Bryn Mawr an all girls school can take classes at Haverford it's a bus ride away and its reciprocal. Haverford is half girls and half boys. Bryn Mawr is all girls. So the campus becomes 4 girls for every 1 guy. Great if your kid is a straight male. Your son would love it.

Swarthmore is 'down the street' so there's a few more pickings for the girls. And UPenn is up the street, around the corner, and down the block. All part of the consortium.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard of San Jose State but never heard of Haverford. I wouldn't advise my child to attend Haverford and I would not think its a good financial ROI.

I love how you have decided it's not a good ROI without ever having heard of the school. Well researched, my friend.

+1. Sounds like the other PP has no problem attending San Jose State because they've 'heard' of it.

Know lots of super smart grads. Beautiful campus. Less weird/intense than swarthmore, IMO, but similar social justice emphasis. Drawback is that it's very small.

Lots of Bryn Mawr girls are in the Haverford classes. However the location and scheduling of classes allow very few kids to actually take many classes at Penn.

Great school for straight boys, very limiting socially for gay boys or straight girls.