W&M vs UVA vs Swarthmore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore if your child is considering getting a PhD:
https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-phd-programs

There's just no comparison.

Is that a factor of the school or a factor of a higher percentage of students wanting to get PhDs?

Probably a combination of both. You can have a lot of students enter into college hoping to get a PhD, but unless the college has the faculty and resources to get undergraduates into PhD programs, those hopes will go unfulfilled. Getting into a PhD program is not like getting into law school, where you just take the LSAT and collect a couple of recommendations. In order to get into a PhD program, you need to demonstrate a research agenda, completed independent research, and have close ties with a faculty mentor. Most PhD programs accept only a handful of students per year, so it's extremely competitive. Unless you have an undergraduate faculty mentor willing to go to bat for you, it's exceedingly difficult to land a spot in a top doctoral program. The fact that such a high percentage of Swatties obtain PhDs tells you a lot about the quality of undergraduate teaching and the mentorship of the faculty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore if your child is considering getting a PhD:
https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-phd-programs

There's just no comparison.

And since the academic job market is in the toilet and circling fast, this means DON'T go to Swarthmore.

The majority of STEM PhDs work outside of academia.

Party of picking a good major is picking one where you don't need an advanced degree to be employable - e.g. not the life sciences.

Not everyone is content to go into sales.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore if your child is considering getting a PhD:
https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-phd-programs

There's just no comparison.

And since the academic job market is in the toilet and circling fast, this means DON'T go to Swarthmore.

The majority of STEM PhDs work outside of academia.

Party of picking a good major is picking one where you don't need an advanced degree to be employable - e.g. not the life sciences.

Not everyone is content to go into sales.

I know plenty of physics bachelor holders who do quant work, software engineering, actuarial, etc. Not sales. Can't say that about bio. Chem I'm not as sure about.

[Anonymous]

OP ran away, lol.

[Anonymous]

If costs are equal, Swarthmore.

If they're not (say, in-state vs full pay) either UVA or W&M. Swat is not worth 120K+ over those two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If costs are equal, Swarthmore.

If they're not (say, in-state vs full pay) either UVA or W&M. Swat is not worth 120K+ over those two.

All are good, but I would agree with this.

[Anonymous]

Swarthmore for sure. I'd pay at least double versus those other two anyway.

If it was Pomona, Bowdoin, or Midd I'd be less sure but I'd really try to make Swarthmore happen!

[Anonymous]

Having worked at a highly ranked grad school and for a top company, both places view Swarthmore as the best of this group. UVA would be the next best choice if you are too concerned about $$. W&M is one of the few schools actually overrated rather underrated on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore for sure. I'd pay at least double versus those other two anyway.

If it was Pomona, Bowdoin, or Midd I'd be less sure but I'd really try to make Swarthmore happen!

Or, instead, you could send one kid to UVA and one to W&M for the price of one to Swarthmore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore is $82K a year. UVA instate is $37K. Small versus mid-sized public. UVA is more prestigious. Few know or care about SWAT.

Nope.
Can’t extrapolate when you are your only data point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore for sure. I'd pay at least double versus those other two anyway.

If it was Pomona, Bowdoin, or Midd I'd be less sure but I'd really try to make Swarthmore happen!

Or, instead, you could send one kid to UVA and one to W&M for the price of one to Swarthmore.

Swarthmore is pretty clearly the "best" choice here but you do have to decide what you can afford. Congrats to your kid on the options.
Were you expecting need based aid? It is a little surprising to have money come in as a big factor at the very end of the process. Parents should discuss college finances in some depth before applying.
Swarthmore is a good enough school that I would pay if I could.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore for sure. I'd pay at least double versus those other two anyway.

If it was Pomona, Bowdoin, or Midd I'd be less sure but I'd really try to make Swarthmore happen!

Or, instead, you could send one kid to UVA and one to W&M for the price of one to Swarthmore.

Swarthmore is pretty clearly the "best" choice here but you do have to decide what you can afford. Congrats to your kid on the options.
Were you expecting need based aid? It is a little surprising to have money come in as a big factor at the very end of the process. Parents should discuss college finances in some depth before applying.
Swarthmore is a good enough school that I would pay if I could.

The "best" would be what fits the OP the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore for sure. I'd pay at least double versus those other two anyway.

If it was Pomona, Bowdoin, or Midd I'd be less sure but I'd really try to make Swarthmore happen!

Thank you for your opinion on schools that no one mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore for sure. I'd pay at least double versus those other two anyway.

If it was Pomona, Bowdoin, or Midd I'd be less sure but I'd really try to make Swarthmore happen!

What about Williams or Amherst?

[Anonymous]

So different schools