By Brette Stockmaster
I am student of Haverford College. I am a
full-time student. I take one class at Haverford this semester.
One of these statements must not be true?
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| Haverford College |
No, they are all true. I take one class at
Haverford. One at Bryn Mawr College. And two at the University of Pennsylvania.
Haverford is a member of the Quaker Consortium
which includes the three schools where I study in addition to Swarthmore
College. Students can take classes and receive certain minors and majors
throughout the four schools. When attending a small liberal arts school, this
can be particularly advantageous with flexibility in both academic and social
senses.
So what is it like to take classes at three
schools?
On the downside, it is a lot of train, bus, and
Uber rides. There can be hurdles to jump over when I am trying schedule
classes, and the academic years do not perfectly align.
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| Bryn Mawr College |
But there are many perks. I am exposed to three
distinct school cultures, which challenges me to be flexible and not fall into
too much of a bubble. For instance, all the instructors that I have experienced
at Haverford and Bryn Mawr expect a certain level of political correctness in
classroom speech. Bryn Mawr being a women’s college adds unique tradition to
its culture. In contrast, my business professor in a class at Penn’s The
Wharton School requested that we stay away from always being politically
correct in class discussion. The small liberal arts schools differ from Penn in
the emphasis on pre-professionality. With the courses at Penn that I have
taken, my peers have put a large emphasis on having a corporate summer
internship whereas Haverford and Bryn Mawr focus more on pathways to social
justice summer internships. I have applied to both types of internships -
something I do not think I would have done if I only took classes at one
institution. The size of classes also varies among the schools. At times, I
enjoy the small classrooms of Haverford and Bryn Mawr, and other times I prefer
the large lectures and small recitations of the classes I have taken at Penn.
So a sample of my Thursday during fall semester:
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| University of Pennsylvania |
9:30 am Walk to class
9:55 am Italian Class Bryn Mawr
11:15 am Take bus to Haverford
11:30 am Intro Economics Haverford
12:55 pm Take bus to Bryn Mawr
1:00 pm Italian Club Lunch
2:00 pm Take train to Penn
2:30 pm Walk to library
2:45 pm Study
4:10 pm Walk to bioethics class Penn
6:30 pm Day is done! (well in terms of class)
On Wednesdays, I work on group projects in a
business school. On Thursdays, I laugh with the three professors of the Italian
Department of Bryn Mawr over lunch. Wednesdays are unique to a university, and
Thursdays are unique to a small school. For me, one day is not better than the
other. l hope that with sharing my day I have conveyed the logistics of
attending three schools in one day. This college experience is not for
everyone; however, for those who are not sure of what type of school they would
benefit from the most, a consortium can be a great choice. I feel constantly
challenged in a way that I do not think would be possible without being in a
consortium. I am being challenged to explore different paths for my future
academically and professionally.
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