num_pages: 180
description: Introduction from the AuthorI first heard about Haverford College in my sophomore year of high school when a senior girl I had a crush on was accepted early decision. I was looking for a reason to talk to her so I pretended to be interested in the school. A few months later, I found myself falling in love—with Haverford.It turned out that Haverford was just what I was looking for; a lush, green campus located near a big city, with a stellar academic reputation, small class sizes, and tons of extracurricular opportunities. Of course, there are a handful of colleges which offer all of this, but moments after setting foot on campus I realized that Haverford was something special. Students and professors who had never met me before gave broad smiles and waved hello. I attended a few classes and found vibrant discussions. Everybody was extraordinarily friendly and accommodating. Small liberal arts colleges all guarantee students some degree of personal attention exceeding that of large universities, but Haverford has an aura of kindness that cannot be found at its competitor schools.Part of this undoubtedly ties into the school’s honor code. In recent years honor codes have become something of a fad in higher education, but Haverford’s code has been central to the school’s character for decades. In addition to the academic component, which allows for un-proctored self-scheduled exams, the honor code contains a social component which requires that students respect each other and resolve disputes through dialogue. The social honor code is ambitious, controversial, and blissfully vague. Nobody feels the code is perfect, but everybody has a general sense of what it demands, and people act accordingly. The result is a caring environment populated by some of the nicest college students around.At the same time, Haverford continues to offer an outstanding academic program. In 2002, the school completed construction on a $34 million integrated natural science center, which complements already strong departments in the humanities and social sciences.Haverford is not for everybody. If you want to get lost in the privacy and faceless anonymity of larger undergraduate institutions, you will not feel comfortable here. But if you are looking to become part of a real community and not just a clique of friends, you will find a home at Haverford. It happened to me . . . and all I was looking for was a date.David Langlieb, AuthorHaverford College
language: English
title: Haverford College: Off the Record - College Prowler
titlecomplete: Haverford College: Off the Record - College Prowler
ratings_count: 2
publisher: College Prowler