What is the deal with Swathmore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Apparently this school now wides with the anit-Jewish group the American Studies Association and its boycott of Israel.

What/who is the American Studies Assocition anyway and what is it with this school?


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/29/us/members-of-jewish-student-group-test-permissible-discussion-on-israel.html?ref=education&_r=0

As a proud Jew with deep religious faith, I resent your lies about this article. There is nothing anti-Jewish about what was done here. The Swarthmore Hillel (Jews, by the way. Students who actively seek to identify as Jewish) has chosen to respect the diversity of opinion within the Jewish community -- a Jewish value, by the way. I don't agree with the boycott but I do have a problem with this idea that the American Jewish community has to be monolithic in its beliefs.

I wholeheartedly agree; and yet this type of generalization often appears in DCUM threads regarding various groups of people--solely based on their geographic location, political persuasion, and/or religious beliefs. Very offensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Apparently this school now wides with the anit-Jewish group the American Studies Association and its boycott of Israel.

What/who is the American Studies Assocition anyway and what is it with this school?


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/29/us/members-of-jewish-student-group-test-permissible-discussion-on-israel.html?ref=education&_r=0

First, this article doesn't report on any actions or positions taken by Swarthmore, rather it reports on the Hillel group at Swarthmore, which has challenged Hillel's policy of prohibiting its campus groups from participating in or offering any programs that Hillel deems to be "unsupportive" of Israel. The Swarthmore Hillel is not boycotting Israel; it simply wants to be inclusive of broader viewpoints than those santionced by Hillel.

Second, as the article states, the American Studies Association is a group of 5,000 professors at American colleges and universities. It is not boycotting Israel, but boycotting academic institutions in Israel over their treatment of Palestinians.

For the record, I have no personal connection with Swarthmore, but I do know several current students and alumni. I don't know what their views are on this issue, but I will say that they have excellent reading comprehension. Perhaps you could find a Swarthnmore student or alum willing to tutor you in this area.

Not the pp or op on this one but I took the post to suggest that the real issue here is with the ASA supporting a boycott on Israel and that Swathmore the school has not taken any action to condemn it...as have several other schools. This boycott issue is not a "new" issue per se but seems to be festering quite a bit amongst the SLACs. Possibly becuase of the leftward tint in those schools? Seems like this school should make a public statement about its view on the boycott if they have professors who participate in the ASA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from Swarthmore quite a while ago, but I have to say these news items don't surprise me. I thought I was liberal as a teenager, and in fact have been a lifelong Democrat, but I was considered right of center at Swarthmore. For instance, in the '90s there was an angry debate on campus about whether or not there should be an American flag on top of the main campus building. A number of students felt that they could not support what an American flag represented.

It was not a good fit for me in the end, because of its *truly* excessive academic intensity and its failure to direct students to anything other than academia/med school after graduation. It had small classes and I made some good friends, but I can't say I would recommend it for my kids.

AFter one gets through all of the prior "useless" posts (several of which were mean spirited) this post has the informtion that the original post had intended to solicit.....thanks for this constructive information

Well, sort of. I was there in the 90s, and it should be noted that despite the protests, the flag stayed, and vast majority of students thought that was right. The point on academic intensity is absolutely correct, and i loved it. It was an inspiring, challenging place. (FWIW, i'm a moderate dem.). Everyone i know loved it there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At my DD"s private school -- a girl went to Swarthmore even though she was accepted at Yale. We couldn't figure that one out because generally folks at Swarthmore were just below being "Ivy material". I have a bunch of neighbor girls from Swarthmore. They all seem like nice, normal, kind of nerdy/bookish girls to me.

I did that! And it was absolutely the right choice for me. I had far more faculty interaction than friends who went to Yale. And got into Harvard for grad school, so it worked out well. Not a rare story, very typical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP makes a point about "inclusion". Hard to disagree with that. But, it does seem as if the group boycotting Israel...hard to see what good that accomplishes?

Well, actually the boycotting and divestiture campaign against South Africa helped end apartheid.

On please! Only Jimmy Carter compares Israel to apartheid South Africa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP makes a point about "inclusion". Hard to disagree with that. But, it does seem as if the group boycotting Israel...hard to see what good that accomplishes?

Well, actually the boycotting and divestiture campaign against South Africa helped end apartheid.

On please! Only Jimmy Carter compares Israel to apartheid South Africa.

Carter and the 1.6 million Arabs who living under Israeli oppression.

[Anonymous]

Looks like more university presidents comming out condeming the boycott....



http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/university-leaders-denounce-academic-boycott-of-israel/2014/01/06/3c7015c0-7488-11e3-9389-09ef9944065e_story.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I went to top Ivies. Honestly, we always thought of Swarthmore as a junior women's college -- like a Pine Manor for Quakers.

I doubt very much you went to Ivies or you'd know Swarthmore is one of the top schools in the US. Please.

[Anonymous]

President Chop was well liked when she was at Colgate. I don't know what you wanted her to do.
I'm not sure I agree with the way the students protested but let's not make too much of it. We want our kids to try to make a difference and the cause they were fighting for was a good one.

OP has spelled the name of the school incorrectly and is unaware that "alot" should be a lot.

Swarthmore is a very highly regarded liberal arts school. If you don't want to send your child, you shouldn't. My child is too young right now but I would be thrilled if he got into Swarthmore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP makes a point about "inclusion". Hard to disagree with that. But, it does seem as if the group boycotting Israel...hard to see what good that accomplishes?

Well, actually the boycotting and divestiture campaign against South Africa helped end apartheid.

On please! Only Jimmy Carter compares Israel to apartheid South Africa.

No, I think the similarity between South Africa and Israel is quite striking. Of course AIPAC does everything it can to convince the American populace otherwise. Israelis Jews are quite divided on this issue however. Your position pp would be that of Israeli right wingers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like the school has morfed from what was a very respective SLACs to more a liberal bastion for the far left.

That's "ok" if that's what you are looking for.

Many people who post here are simply looking for direction/feedback on schools etc. Apparently the information circulating about Swat (of which, it is all 100% true) along with resulting views of parents has touched the nerves of a few die hard lefties......

How does it compare to Oberlin?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like the school has morfed from what was a very respective SLACs to more a liberal bastion for the far left.

That's "ok" if that's what you are looking for.

Many people who post here are simply looking for direction/feedback on schools etc. Apparently the information circulating about Swat (of which, it is all 100% true) along with resulting views of parents has touched the nerves of a few die hard lefties......

How does it compare to Oberlin?

Similar culture, but workload is much more intense at Swat. (basis for my comment: I know current students and alums at both, including several family members.)

[Anonymous]

Top LACs are slowly dying. They are finding it very hard to compete with ivies as shown by their very low yields and every year there are tens and tens of top LAC students transferring into the ivies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Top LACs are slowly dying. They are finding it very hard to compete with ivies as shown by their very low yields and every year there are tens and tens of top LAC students transferring into the ivies.

No they aren't, but nice try. My kid turned down some of your beloved Ivies for a top SLAC and couldn't be happier. His friend at Princeton visited and is thinking about transferring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Top LACs are slowly dying. They are finding it very hard to compete with ivies as shown by their very low yields and every year there are tens and tens of top LAC students transferring into the ivies.

A bold statement, but not quite correct.

Retention Rates: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2017-11-14/colleges-where-freshmen-are-most-likely-to-return

LACs which show up- Amherst, Harvey Mudd, Harvey Mudd, Pomona, Williams.

Very low yields? Not exactly. I mean, relative to the Ivies, sure. But they're in the high end among most private colleges. Amherst, Middlebury, and Swarthmore have 40% yields. Williams has a 45% yield. Wellesley has a 48% yield. Bowdoin has a 50% yield. Pomona and Claremont have yields around 55%. On average, the top 10 LACs have an acceptance rate of 16%, whereas the Ivies/Stanford/MIT have an acceptance rate of 8%. So students are more likely to get into multiple LACs, pushing yields down at the ones they decide not to attend. How many students get into multiple Ivies? Of course their yields keep increasing- fewer and fewer students are getting into multiple.