I recently visited Haverford College in Haverford, PA, where I toured campus and learned about the latest trends in admissions. Here are some takeaways from my visit:

· Haverford is a small, tight-knit, academically rigorous liberal arts college. Whereas most liberal arts colleges sit removed from large cities, Haverford is right on the outskirts of one of America’s largest cities, Philadelphia. Three train stations within walking distance of campus can shuttle students in under 30 minutes to downtown, where internship and service opportunities await.

· While Haverford has only around 1,500 students, its partnership with Bryn Mawr College just down the street helps it feel larger. Students can take classes and major at either college, and a seven-minute bus shuttle runs regularly between the two campuses. Slightly further afield, Swarthmore and UPenn also offer curricular opportunities for Haverford students, although UPenn courses are only offered in instances in which the same course isn’t offered by one of the other three colleges (Wharton courses are popular for this reason).

· Haverford students are given a great deal of agency over their education. The school runs on an Honor Code, exams are self-proctored, and at Plenary each semester students convene to discuss and shape various campus governance policies. All students must complete a senior thesis.

· Unlike most colleges, Haverford offers a large number of singles, which make up 68% of all campus housing. Every dorm also has AC. Nearly everyone lives on campus all four years, and freshmen are assigned to a “Customs Group”–a starter orientation and dorm friend groups that come with three upperclassmen mentors.

· 30% of faculty also live on campus, contributing to a strong culture of mentorship. Collaboration is also a notable feature of academic life here: STEM homework assignments, for instance, ask students to list their name and who they worked with, as collaborative work is simply expected. Classes are small, with the largest intro lectures being capped at 25-30 students.

· Although students work hard, campus life is robust with over 145 student clubs and organizations, numerous campus events and various student recreation spaces.