I am a current Haverford student, and while I may not be the biggest fan of Haverford, after reading the current reviews that are posted about the school I have decided to write a little series. I hope that these articles will give people a better sense of the college from a students perspective. This is the first installment in the series, and this one is about the academics at Haverford.


Haverford Academics


Haverford College does not have the name recognition that Harvard, Princeton, Brown, or Amherst may have, but none the less it is a great academic school that is among the ranks of these collegiate powerhouses. We are consistently raked in the top 5 liberal arts schools in the country, and the school is an excellent choice for those who plan on pursuing medicine or journalism. 90% of our pre-med students get accepted into the school of their choice. This college is by no means average.


Class Choice
I am a Computer Science major, and I am not satisfied with the choice of classes with in my major. There are not a lot of Computer Science courses at Haverford, and the classes that they have are very theoretical(computer theory) instead of practical (applying it in the real world). After having said that, and disregarding computer science, and a few other very technical fields, the course offerings at Haverford are very broad. Including the stereotypical college classes like chemistry, physics, and English, one can take classes in anything from German history, to sociological foundations, to the philosophy of death, to atomospheric chemistry.

The leniency that the administration gives the professors in coming up with class topics is defiantly a great aspect of Haverford. This policy has allowed teachers to turn mundane classes into interesting and engaging classes. For instance, my freshman year, instead of taking a boring econ 101, I took The Economics of Public Policy. In this class we not only learned the basic micro/macro foundations of economics, but also how these foundations relate to public policy decisions (like whether or not to raise the minimum wage and the economics of welfare). Classes such as these teach fundamentals, but also show real world applications of what you are learning, while keeping it interesting.


Professors
The professors that teach at this college are one of the best aspects of the school. The majority of the professors are down to earth, and they treat you with respect. They are easy going and approachable. A majority of the teachers live on campus, and I have been invited to dinner by a couple teachers and my faculty advisor.

While most of the professors are great, there are a few who are total anal idiots. The first day of one of my classes, the teacher started class by saying “I do not give As. I have only given one A in my life, and you will not get and A.” That comment shocked and angered me, so I asked other students about this teacher, and apparently the one A that he gave was to a student that he later married. Coincidence, I think not. Is he anal, I think yes. While there are a few characters such as the aforementioned, the dedication of the professors at Haverford is unparalleled.


Classes Elsewhere
If you are like me and have a major that is under represented at Haverford, or you just want to explore the many college the surround Haverford, you can take classes at many of the Philadelphia area colleges. Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, and University Of Pennsylvania are just a few of the colleges that students of Haverford can take classes at.


Finals
At most schools finals are one of the worst experiences that college has to offer. Haverford tries to eliminate some of the stress of finals by allowing students to schedule their own un-proctored finals, choosing the academic classroom in which the take them, and the time that they take their exam, as long is it’s between 8AM and 10PM (this is all thanks the student run honor code an article will be dedicated to this a little later). This nice luxury allows kids more time to study, and it eases the pressure of finals week. While this is the norm, half of my teachers have given me take home finals which were to be taken when ever I wanted, where ever I wanted, but with in a certain time span.

Requirements
The requirement aspect of Haverford academics turns me off. While the requirements are not a stringent as a school like Columbia, Haverford does have a fair number of requirements that must be fulfilled. A few of these requirements, of the top of my head, are 2 semesters of a natural science(chemistry, physics, any math, or computer science), 2 semesters of a foreign language, and a social justice class. I believe that these aren’t the only requirements, but they are the main ones.


Conclusion
The academics at Haverford are world class. Haverford offers a broad range of classes taught by friendly, intelligent, professors. The medical school acceptances are an indicator of the level of education received at Haverford. While everyone may not have heard of this school, it is one of the best academic schools in the country, and simple research will show anyone that.


** If I didn’t comment on anything that someone would like to heard about email me or write a comment.

More to come on different aspects of Haverford.

Recommended: Yes