Haverford College

The honor code at Haverford is the foundation of the school’s academics and culture.  This strong code of ethics is constructed and enforced by the students and impacts almost all facets of student life within the college.  Students schedule their own exams, take unsupervised tests and enforce their own underage drinking policies.  The code is reviewed and refined every year by the students at a meeting called the Plenary.  In typical Quaker style, decisions are not determined by vote but by consensus. The importance of a this strong set of values then infiltrates down to the most mundane behaviors with students feeling comfortable leaving doors unlocked and and their computers on their desk in the library if they have to step away because crime is basically non-existent.  Having such a strong honor code then serves as almost a self-selecting process by drawing students with similar values and concerns and a strong respect for others.

A second dynamic that also makes Haverford unique is the fact that all students have a senior thesis/project.  This effort may range from a 25 - 120 page paper depending on the field of interest. On average there are 325 graduating seniors, each providing a senior presentation to which the whole school is invited.  

Haverford is a small liberal arts college of just over 1,000 students.  Some of the schools’ strongest programs include the Biological and Physical sciences,  English, History, Political Science and Economics.  Historically, Haverford was an all male college with Bryn Mawr being its sister school.  The vestiges of this relationship remain with Bryn Mawr having complimentary academic strengths and Haverford students not only being able to take classes at Bryn Mawr but also having the ability to major in areas at Bryn Mawr. 10% of Haverford students major at Bryn Mawr.  Popular areas include Macro Biology, Clinical Psychology, Dance, Theater, and The Growth and Structure of Cities.  The integrated nature of the two schools extends beyond academics with Haverford students having the ability to live in Bryn Mawr housing.

Although Haverford is academically rigorous, the culture is not competitive.  Students don’t know each others grades.  Instead they are simply passionate about learning.  Students tend to be intellectually curious and self-motivated.  They work hard but are also involved with a lot of different things, learning in and outside the classroom.  The have passionate interests and are engaged with their community locally and globally.

Temple University

Temple is an urban school integrated into the city of Philadelphia.  Like GW and Drexel, a person may be walking through part of the college campus and not even know it since it blends in so well with the surrounding city.  Temple is also a large university with over 24,000 students.  The university maintains 8 campuses worldwide including the main campus (on Broad St), Ambler (a more rural setting and shuttle bus ride away), the Health Sciences campus (5 minutes away from main campus), Temple University Center City, the Tyler School of Art (adjacent to the main campus) and lastly international locations in Tokyo and Rome.

Temple has the same strengths and challenges as many large universities.  The school offers a broad range of classes and majors with 12 schools offering different academic programs.  Temple is known for their theater and opera programs.  There is also a huge range in class size, 5 - over 200.  Because of this students can get lost in the shuffle.  This puts the responsibility on the student to work hard and be recognized.  

Since Temple is integrated into the city, it is not surprising that the city places a dominant role in student life.  There is also 34 Greek organizations and 35 club and intramural sports.  Like a city, the school is also very diverse along almost any continuum you can think of.  The one area it may not be diverse in is geographically. A huge portion of students hail from the Philadelphia area.  Lastly, important to note is that 1/2 the student body are commuters and 1/2 live in and around campus.  After sophomore year, you are not longer able to live in the dorms.    

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania’s mission stems back to its founding in in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin.  Prior to that time, only three universities existed in the US, Harvard, Yale and WIlliam and Mary and all three had the same purpose, to train you men for the seminary.  Franklin had a radical idea.  The purpose of UPenn would be to prepare men to be engaged citizens through practical and experiential learning so that they might enhance their community.  UPenn established the nations’ first medical school, business school, journalism curriculum and psychology clinic.  This impressive history has led to a very career oriented culture with the Wharton School of Business taking the charge in this area. Not surprisingly students from the nursing school are less aggressive.This focus on practicality does not however extend to the inclusion of co-operatives or full-time internships like its neighbor Drexel.  Rather, like it’s fellow Ivy League compatriots, UPenn believes the focus of education should be within the classroom.

Students apply directly to one of the four undergraduate schools, engineering, business, nursing and arts and science.  If you are torn between specializing or attending the college of arts and science, in general the advice is to start out by specializing.  It is often easier to transfer into arts and science than a specialty because of class requirements.  The most popular majors include finance , economics and bioengineering.  UPenn also has several nationally recognized program leaders including anthropology, , management, cognitive and computer science and the Biological Basis of Behavior.

The school is a mid-sized school with 10,000 undergraduates with 6,000 in the college of arts and science “The College”.   Half of all majors are inner disciplinary in nature  so there are not a lot of double majors but students can take classes in all schools, and use all libraries and research facilities.  Lots of flexibility.  Although UPenn does have a pre-professional side to it, at its heart it is a liberal arts university.  All students take classes in arts and sciences.  The undergraduate population is viewed as fluid, taking classes with one another.  The university has distribution requirements which bring students together. 

UPenn is known as the “Social Ivy. It’s for students who are not willing to give up their fun.”  THe school is 30% Greek.  There are over 500 clubs and if you don’t find what you like you can start your own.  The city is also a big part of the social scene providing great restaurants, bars, sporting events and more.  UPenn is very diverse with a 38% minority population. 

Drexel University

Drexel was founded during the industrial revolution and its educational philosophy stems from its beginnings.  Drexel believes an education should connect with the new world, incorporate the latest technology and be open to everyone.  To accomplish this, Drexel has developed the cooperative education system which alternates full-time study with full-time employment.  Students apply directly to their major because students need to take classes in their major in their freshman year and build that knowledge base before they start their first internship.  In addition, in preparation for internships, students take a pre-cooperative education course that addresses skills assessment, resume writing, interview preparation, networking and other information critical for entrance into the working world. Drexel doesn’t guarantee internships for each student but 96% of students have an internship prior to the commencement date of the internship period.  If a student is not able to get an internship in time, the career staff helps the student until they have one.  After two weeks into the quarter, all students have internships.  Internships last six months.  Some programs require one internship.  Others require three.    

This process can sound daunting but students say you don’t need to know exactly what you want to do.  However, you do need to have a confident attitude and belief that you'll figure it out.  Sometimes it can take a while and students have to try lots of different things but they figure it out.  Drexel does not provide a lot of hand holding but there are lots of opportunities.  Students need to take the initiative and figure out what they want to do.  Time management and organization are important skills for a Drexel student as well.

Academically, engineering dominates at Drexel. It is one of the strongest and largest programs.  Other popular majors include information science, nursing and biological sciences.  The school also offers some more unusual majors including media arts, fashion design, game art and production, video game track, custom design, product design, and a business engineering program which provides classes to give the student a foundation in engineering but does not extend into higher technical issues.  Instead the program evolves into a focus on business skills and management.

Drexel is in the heart of Philadelphia, integrated into the city and across the street form UPenn.  Not surprisingly, student life reflects this urban location.  Students take advantage of museums, concerts, local bars and restaurants.  On campus, there’s greek life, intramural sports and grassy areas for students to hang out and relax.

Villanova

Villanova is an Augustinian university nested in the Main Line outside of Philadelphia.  What does it mean to be Augustinian as opposed to a Jesuit institution.  The head of admissions at Villanova explained it this way.  If a Jesuit invites you over, he will probably entertain you in his library while an Augustinian will bring you right into the kitchen for something to warm your stomach and soul.  Another way to characterize this distinction is when students were told in a well known speech “ not to let books get in the way of their learning.”  Translation, at Villanova, there’s more to your education that what you learn in the classroom and community service is a big piece of the pie.  While Villanova is a highly respected and competitive Catholic University, their goal is to educate the whole person, mind, body and spirit.  As one student puts it, “You will work hard Monday through Wednesday, have fun Thursday through Saturday and on Sunday you will devote your time to a good cause.

With regard to its academics, Villanova’s undergraduate business school was recently ranked 7th in the country and serves nearly a quarter of the student body.  Employers love Nova grads because of the real world experience they receive through the internship program.  The engineering program is also highly regarded.  The most popular majors include nursing , biology, finance, marketing and mechanical engineering. The school maintains a rigorous core curriculum.  Different schools have different requirements but all students must take a core humanities seminar that includes theology, English, math, social sciences, philosophy and for most students , science and a foreign language. The course stress discussion, writing and reading from primary texts. 

The social life at Villanova centers around campus events and parties.  There’s “Late Night at Villanova” which hosts comedians, bands, dance parties and open mic night. Approximately 25% of the students are Greek but fraternity houses and team houses are not allowed on campus which means no parties on campus.  Instead students buy tickets up to a week in advance and pay up to $30 and take buses to the events. 

Saint Joseph's PA

St Joseph’s is a small liberal arts jesuit university on the outskirts of Philadelphia.  They may be known for their division I sports but there’s much more to this private catholic university.  First to note, may be the school’s saying, “Not For Spectators.”  This expression is indicative of the friendly outgoing and involved student body.  

Education is not limited to the classroom but should be experiential as well.   This plays out in the many programs that require internships for graduation including an optional 5 year b.s. degree from the business school which imbeds 4 internships within the degree requirements so that students have a well established resume upon graduation.  The business school is known for its accounting, marketing and management programs.  It is only one of five schools offering a degree in food marketing.  Five year b.s./m.s. programs are also offered in education, international marketing and psychology as is teacher certification at the elementary and secondary level.The university requires 2 classes in theology and philosophy and three in a foreign language.

Experiential enrichment also occurs outside the academic arena through the extensive community service opportunities offered to and pursued by the students.  Students at St Joe’s are very friendly and school spirited.  The are however, not very diverse ethnically,  geographically, religiously or economically.

Muhlenberg College

Muhlenberg is known is known for its nurturing and supportive culture which includes students, professors, administrators and staff.  Everyone helps one another, students, support each other, tutor each other, Professors doors are always open.  They become friends, mentors. role models and sometimes host parties in their own homes.  

At Muhlenberg everyone is accepted.  There is significant religious diversity and a sensitivity to gay and lesbian issues.  There is not significant ethnic diversity although there is a deeply embedded culture of respect and acceptance.

The school embraces the pre professional with strong pre-med and pre-law programs.  Education, political science and theater also get rave reviews.  Auditions are held for performances but not required for majorsBecause of the school’s small size, classes tend to be small and discussion based and there’s a lot of opportunity for research. 35% of the students double major and 30% graduate with a major and minor.

In line with the strong supportive environment, the school provides extensive services and guidance regarding life after college.  For example, there is a non-credit Dine for Success class advising students how to handle themselves in social settings through the job search process.  The school also provides mock interviews, classes on resume development and one-on-one reviews of the resume.  Over winter break, there are workshops on what to expect in a job Interview, how to network, and how to review a lease for a rental apartment.