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Amazingly well! Be sure to check out the “problem-solving group” if you come to Haverford.</p>
<p>I think that Haverford has a great math department as far as liberal arts colleges are concerned. Haverford math majors are sincerely enthusiastic about their major and the professors are happy to discuss random problems outside of class. I didn’t realize how special this atmosphere was until I spent time at other colleges. I never found another college where professors would hang out in the lounge thinking about math puzzles with students, or where math was a normal topic for a dinner conversation. </p>
<p>The academic curriculum is fantastic for a liberal arts college. The core math classes are taught at the same level you’d get at Penn. (Many liberal arts colleges, including some of the most selective ones, water their math major down to make it accessible to a wider audience. Haverford doesn’t.) The one big disadvantage of studying math at any liberal arts college is that there are no graduate courses. Motivated students sometimes finish the core math curriculum after their 2nd or 3rd year. At a research university, they could proceed to take graduate courses. At a liberal arts college, you are “stuck” with random electives. (Don’t get me wrong, there are enough electives to keep even the most motivated student busy, but they are all taught at an undergraduate level.)</p>