Swarthmore/Wes VS Williams/Bowdoin

[Anonymous]

Parent of a junior who seems to like the small, cold liberal arts colleges. We have not visited any yet but are planning to hit all of these over spring break. Our reading of Fiske, Princeton Review, etc seems to make a distinction between the vibe at Swarthmore/Wes (those being most similar to one another) on the one hand versus Williams/Bowdoin (those being most similar) on the other. However, we can’t figure out what the distinction is! We would have guessed a lot of similarities exist between Swarthmore and Williams. Can someone shed some light as to what these references might mean about culture, type of student, etc. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

From my reading, the first two attract a more competitive (not in a good way) student body. My kid LOVED Bowdoin.

You need not sweat the distinction too much though because it is unlikely that your child would get into more than one of these schools, since they are reaches for all.

[Anonymous]

The former have historically been considered more “intellectual” liberal/crunchy. And the latter more traditional, athletic and preppy

[Anonymous]

I went to Williams and the atmosphere was similar to Amherst, Bowdoin and middlebury. I never heard any comparisons to swarthmore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From my reading, the first two attract a more competitive (not in a good way) student body. My kid LOVED Bowdoin.

You need not sweat the distinction too much though because it is unlikely that your child would get into more than one of these schools, since they are reaches for all.

I’m guessing OP is thinking of ED.

[Anonymous]

Wesleyan's admit rate is higher, although all of these schools are reaches by definition since they admit less than 20% of applicants. I think Wes also has more of an artsy scene.

Make sure you read this thread for ideas of safeties and matches: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1027917.page

And consider looking at some LACs outside the Northeast where your kid might have some geographic advantage (or at least not a geographic disadvantage!)

[Anonymous]

I think your assumption isn't correct. The students I know at Swarthmore are quite different than the students I know at Wesleyan. I don't think any of them cross-applied to the other school. Swarthmore has a reputation for being academically intense/difficult and serious, with very driven kids; the kids I know at Wesleyan, while maybe not a perfect sample, are smart but more laid-back and artsy/musical. I think Wesleyan would have more crossover with Vassar and some of the artsier LAC, but also Bowdoin and Williams.

Bowdoin and Williams are not dissimilar but they aren't identical either. Both are pretty sporty and have a high percentage of athletes. Bowdoin is further away, but Brunswick is s a pretty good town. Williams feels much more remote to me because there's so little in Williamstown and the surrounding area.

[Anonymous]

My kid is very interested in Wesleyan, and we’ve visited/researched (and also know people who have attended). Based on what I’ve heard about Swarthmore, I don’t see them as analogous; Wesleyan does not seem intense, which is the word I’ve always heard used to describe Swarthmore.

Wesleyan also has open curriculum, so I’ve seen it compared more often to other open-curriculum schools like Vassar and Brown. Lots of creative types. It’s also very LGBTQ+-friendly. Finally, it’s bigger than most SLACs (more than 3,000 students) and a university rather than a college (meaning it has a small number of grad students). It’s also pretty diverse compared to other SLACs.

The others you mentioned do not appeal to my kid, FWIW, mostly because too small or too preppy or too intense.

Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The former have historically been considered more “intellectual” liberal/crunchy. And the latter more traditional, athletic and preppy

I posted about the assumption being incorrect but I think this sums it up decently. Under that intellectual/crunchy umbrella, though, Swarthmore and Wesleyan seem pretty different.

[Anonymous]

I have visited all four campuses with my kids. The vibe at Wesleyan is nothing like the vibe at Swarthmore. Swarthmore felt more intellectually and academically intense, and the student we met seemed weary with the intensity of the campus. (This is a sample of one, so obviously not very useful.) Wesleyan felt like a happier and more joyful place, with artsy and creative students who are also intellectually driven. Swarthmore is a much prettier campus with a nicer location near Philadelphia. My friends who have attended Swarthmore have loved it and are scholarly and academic and are now professors.

I think you really have to visit both of the schools to get a sense of how they feel.

[Anonymous]

My DS was accepted to Williams, Bowdoin and Swarthmore a few years ago. He chose Swarthmore and it was the right decision for him. Swarthmore may be more intellectual, but not cut throat. According to him,nobody talked about grades.

[Anonymous]

I'm very familiar with them and will pass along my kid's impressions from their visit.

Swarthmore - More along the line of a small, liberal arts version of UChicago.

Wesleyan - A bit larger, more conveniently located but in a pit of a town. Has a Masters in Chem which attracted us but the labs were in the dark basement. Has more artsy offerings, student body more liberal, very lgbtqi friendly.

Williams / Bowdoin - Similar but Bowdoin has a better town and better transport options. Williams has a 4-1-4 calendar. Bowdoin has distribution requirements but it is not onerous.

Of the four schools, Swarthmore is probably the most diverse and Bowdoin the least.

Fwiw, my kid considered all four, visited three (Swarthmore, Bowdoin and Wesleyan), applied to two (Bowdoin and Wesleyan), was accepted at both and chose Bowdoin, but at times wished they had attended Wes. I think most of my kid's regrets with Bowdoin is that kid is an underrepresented minority and that's hard in Maine but, at the time they made the decision, preferred Bowdoin's safer walkable town to that of Wes which seemed less safe. Note that the on campus security and safety report for Wes also indicates more violations.

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine is on staff at Swarthmore, in a student-facing/advising role (not faculty, though). She describes Swarthmore students as driven, stressed and often unhappy. She may have a biased sample, so FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm very familiar with them and will pass along my kid's impressions from their visit.

Swarthmore - More along the line of a small, liberal arts version of UChicago.

Wesleyan - A bit larger, more conveniently located but in a pit of a town. Has a Masters in Chem which attracted us but the labs were in the dark basement. Has more artsy offerings, student body more liberal, very lgbtqi friendly.

Williams / Bowdoin - Similar but Bowdoin has a better town and better transport options. Williams has a 4-1-4 calendar. Bowdoin has distribution requirements but it is not onerous.

Of the four schools, Swarthmore is probably the most diverse and Bowdoin the least.

Fwiw, my kid considered all four, visited three (Swarthmore, Bowdoin and Wesleyan), applied to two (Bowdoin and Wesleyan), was accepted at both and chose Bowdoin, but at times wished they had attended Wes. I think most of my kid's regrets with Bowdoin is that kid is an underrepresented minority and that's hard in Maine but, at the time they made the decision, preferred Bowdoin's safer walkable town to that of Wes which seemed less safe. Note that the on campus security and safety report for Wes also indicates more violations.

Very good summary, IMO. Swarthmore, while an excellent school, is not one I’d want my smart, very laid back kid to consider. The people I know who have loved are very intense and thrive on pressure, and I know several who found their experience there rather miserable.

[Anonymous]

i don't think I've ever heard any knowledgeable person describe the vibe at Swarthmore and Wesleyan as similar. Previous posters have outlined the differences pretty well.

When my kid was applying to SLACs, they applied to Wesleyan, Carleton, and Grinnell. The dream school was Brown, which didn't happen. Wesleyan is closer in vibe to these schools than it is to Swarthmore.