What is the deal with Swathmore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:sibling goes there (last year for her) and they publish the campus 'crimes' on something called th 'swatter' (swarthmore crime blotter)....

I peruse it time to time and there seems to be a hell of a lot of reported assaults and public drunkeness issues.

Swarthmore actually report the crimes. The vast majority of assaults at college campuses do not get reported on. At least they're trying to protect students by keeping them aware.

[Anonymous]

I don't have any connection to Swarthmore, but I have to say that much of what's being posted here is pretty wacky -- even by DCUM standards. The school is ranked #1 among liberal arts colleges by US News and is quite selective. Sure, not every kid wants to go to a SLAC, but there are many top students who prefer these schools to Ivies and other major research universities.

Similarly, not every kid wants a school with Swarthmore's culture of academic intensity and political liberalism, but Swarthmore is well-known for this and it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone smart enough to get in there. That said, an 18 y.o. certainly has the prerogative to change his/her mind, and there will be students who enroll at Swarthmore and then decide to transfer. There's not a school in the country where this doesn't happen.

Are the students nerdy and bookish? I know 4 kids there -- all are very bright and love to read, so I guess they'd cop to bookish. Are they nerdy? I don't know -- depends on your definition, I guess. Three are varsity athletes (1 was recruited for 2 sports by D1 and D3 schools) and the fourth plays a club sport. All are poised and good conversationalists. The two alums I know well are similarly sociable, with a broad range of interests. They're both quite successful professionally.

Are there incidents where kids get drunk and do stupid things? Uhm, yeah. We're talking about people in their late teens and early 20s. If you, dear reader, did not do something stupid and regrettable when you were under the influence at that age, then by all means, find yourself a pile of stones. I, for one, will not be at pitching practice.

More seriously, allegations of "date rape" at Swarthmore and the school's response are being investigated by DOJ and DOE as part of a broader investigation into this problem at a number of campuses, including, I believe Yale, Occidental, UNC, the University of Montana and other schools. This is certainly an issue that any prospective student and his/her parent would want to consider, but so should all of us with children applying to or currently in college.

[Anonymous]

Regardless of what anyone thinks about the posts on this thread, the fact is that the school continues to have "issues" that reflect badly. Sure it is the case that kids go to school and get drunk etc. and unfortunatey, some instances of date rape do occur not just at this school but others as well. But the amount of "ho hum" and "well, what do you expect...that's the way it goes at SLACs" etc. on this thread is really quite astonishing. Sorry but most of us don't believe "well...that's the way it is today" etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Regardless of what anyone thinks about the posts on this thread, the fact is that the school continues to have "issues" that reflect badly. Sure it is the case that kids go to school and get drunk etc. and unfortunatey, some instances of date rape do occur not just at this school but others as well. But the amount of "ho hum" and "well, what do you expect...that's the way it goes at SLACs" etc. on this thread is really quite astonishing. Sorry but most of us don't believe "well...that's the way it is today" etc.

I certainly didn't mean to suggest that the status quo is acceptable in any way, but it's fair to point out that this is not just a problem at Swarthmore -- or at SLACs in general, as you seem to suggest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Regardless of what anyone thinks about the posts on this thread, the fact is that the school continues to have "issues" that reflect badly. Sure it is the case that kids go to school and get drunk etc. and unfortunatey, some instances of date rape do occur not just at this school but others as well. But the amount of "ho hum" and "well, what do you expect...that's the way it goes at SLACs" etc. on this thread is really quite astonishing. Sorry but most of us don't believe "well...that's the way it is today" etc.

I certainly didn't mean to suggest that the status quo is acceptable in any way, but it's fair to point out that this is not just a problem at Swarthmore -- or at SLACs in general, as you seem to suggest.

+1. What we don't get, PP, is why you're beating up on Swarthmore in particular. Nobody here has condoned drinking to excess and certainly not sexual assault. It's the fact that you're singling out Swarthmore for offenses that occur to a much greater extent at other colleges that make us think this is motivated by your politics.

In other words, where's your outrage about butt-chugging at U Tennessee? And why didn't you start a thread on the federal investigations into the handling of rape cases at USC, Montana, Dartmouth, Yale and many more? Why not start a generic "youths today!" thread instead of concentrating your anger on this one small school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Regardless of what anyone thinks about the posts on this thread, the fact is that the school continues to have "issues" that reflect badly. Sure it is the case that kids go to school and get drunk etc. and unfortunatey, some instances of date rape do occur not just at this school but others as well. But the amount of "ho hum" and "well, what do you expect...that's the way it goes at SLACs" etc. on this thread is really quite astonishing. Sorry but most of us don't believe "well...that's the way it is today" etc.

I certainly didn't mean to suggest that the status quo is acceptable in any way, but it's fair to point out that this is not just a problem at Swarthmore -- or at SLACs in general, as you seem to suggest.

+1. What we don't get, PP, is why you're beating up on Swarthmore in particular. Nobody here has condoned drinking to excess and certainly not sexual assault. It's the fact that you're singling out Swarthmore for offenses that occur to a much greater extent at other colleges that make us think this is motivated by your politics.

In other words, where's your outrage about butt-chugging at U Tennessee? And why didn't you start a thread on the federal investigations into the handling of rape cases at USC, Montana, Dartmouth, Yale and many more? Why not start a generic "youths today!" thread instead of concentrating your anger on this one small school?

All is not lost PP, check out the altest Forbe's ranking...SWathmore is # 6! I guess that's not bad.

[Anonymous]

I'm interested in hearing from folks with direct connection with Swarthmore, not those opining from afar. I keep hearing thats while its an excellent school, that many students are unhappy there, that it has an unfriendly, competitive climate. So, is that true? Anyone know of students who are happy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Regardless of what anyone thinks about the posts on this thread, the fact is that the school continues to have "issues" that reflect badly. Sure it is the case that kids go to school and get drunk etc. and unfortunatey, some instances of date rape do occur not just at this school but others as well. But the amount of "ho hum" and "well, what do you expect...that's the way it goes at SLACs" etc. on this thread is really quite astonishing. Sorry but most of us don't believe "well...that's the way it is today" etc.

I certainly didn't mean to suggest that the status quo is acceptable in any way, but it's fair to point out that this is not just a problem at Swarthmore -- or at SLACs in general, as you seem to suggest.

+1. What we don't get, PP, is why you're beating up on Swarthmore in particular. Nobody here has condoned drinking to excess and certainly not sexual assault. It's the fact that you're singling out Swarthmore for offenses that occur to a much greater extent at other colleges that make us think this is motivated by your politics.

In other words, where's your outrage about butt-chugging at U Tennessee? And why didn't you start a thread on the federal investigations into the handling of rape cases at USC, Montana, Dartmouth, Yale and many more? Why not start a generic "youths today!" thread instead of concentrating your anger on this one small school?

All is not lost PP, check out the altest Forbe's ranking...SWathmore is # 6! I guess that's not bad.

That was my post, and I guess I don't care where it stands in any of the rankings. I was responding to the weird hit job that's going on just because some students have different politics from OP. That's all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm interested in hearing from folks with direct connection with Swarthmore, not those opining from afar. I keep hearing thats while its an excellent school, that many students are unhappy there, that it has an unfriendly, competitive climate. So, is that true? Anyone know of students who are happy?

OP, through a close fried with DD currently attending, report is directly on point with your comments. Very unhappy.

[Anonymous]

In the interest of fairness, attached is the latest list of the "Colleges Making Rapes Worse List" Named school herein is included but as not in pps, other schools share the dubious honor as well.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2013/07/26/add-usc-to-growing-colleges-making-rapes-worse-list/

[Anonymous]

Swarthmore is #6 on Forbes' 2013 all-schools ranking, above Harvard and MIT. I'm in the camp that thinks all rankings should be taken with a grain of salt, but there must be something there to boost Swarthmore so high.

Www.forbes.com/top-colleges/list/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm interested in hearing from folks with direct connection with Swarthmore, not those opining from afar. I keep hearing thats while its an excellent school, that many students are unhappy there, that it has an unfriendly, competitive climate. So, is that true? Anyone know of students who are happy?

OP, through a close fried with DD currently attending, report is directly on point with your comments. Very unhappy.

I know 4 current Swarthmore students who are very happy. So there! Come on, this is silly -- there are unhappy and happy students at every college. The question is what do current students like and not like about the school, and how is that relevant to a prospective applicant's interests and goals. An applicant with conservative political views who feels threatened by the generally liberal climate at Swarthmore will be unhappy. Not much that's new there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm interested in hearing from folks with direct connection with Swarthmore, not those opining from afar. I keep hearing thats while its an excellent school, that many students are unhappy there, that it has an unfriendly, competitive climate. So, is that true? Anyone know of students who are happy?

OP, through a close fried with DD currently attending, report is directly on point with your comments. Very unhappy.

I know 4 current Swarthmore students who are very happy. So there! Come on, this is silly -- there are unhappy and happy students at every college. The question is what do current students like and not like about the school, and how is that relevant to a prospective applicant's interests and goals. An applicant with conservative political views who feels threatened by the generally liberal climate at Swarthmore will be unhappy. Not much that's new there.

I posted the question and I don't think its silly at all. Of course there are happy and unhappy students everywhere, but not in the same concentrations. I have heard from quite a few people that it is an unhappy place. these are students who are very liberal. Since my DC is looking at schools, generalities like "there are unhappy and happy students at every college," are not helpful. I would like to hear specifics about Swarthmore, given this reputation. I am glad you know 4 students there who are happy (how well do you know them?). Thats helpful.

You can find many places for your "interests and goals," but how many of those are places where you would enjoy spending 4 years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm interested in hearing from folks with direct connection with Swarthmore, not those opining from afar. I keep hearing thats while its an excellent school, that many students are unhappy there, that it has an unfriendly, competitive climate. So, is that true? Anyone know of students who are happy?

OP, through a close fried with DD currently attending, report is directly on point with your comments. Very unhappy.

I know 4 current Swarthmore students who are very happy. So there! Come on, this is silly -- there are unhappy and happy students at every college. The question is what do current students like and not like about the school, and how is that relevant to a prospective applicant's interests and goals. An applicant with conservative political views who feels threatened by the generally liberal climate at Swarthmore will be unhappy. Not much that's new there.

I posted the question and I don't think its silly at all. Of course there are happy and unhappy students everywhere, but not in the same concentrations. I have heard from quite a few people that it is an unhappy place. these are students who are very liberal. Since my DC is looking at schools, generalities like "there are unhappy and happy students at every college," are not helpful. I would like to hear specifics about Swarthmore, given this reputation. I am glad you know 4 students there who are happy (how well do you know them?). Thats helpful.

You can find many places for your "interests and goals," but how many of those are places where you would enjoy spending 4 years?

What do you mean by "quite a few"? Is this 2-3, or a dozen unhappy kids? Also, WHY your friends' kids were unhappy is key.

Is this 3-4 of your conservative friends who are unhappy with the liberal bent? Or 2-3 of your kid's friends from the math and science magnet who are unhappy with the course offerings? Before you diss PP's 4 happy Swarthmore acquaintances, I think you need to check your "survey group" and ask whether it's representative of your kid's interests and goals. If your kid is a conservative robotics geek, then you might be right and Swarthmore (despite the strong engineering program) might be a bad fit.

[Anonymous]

PP I would agree. ONe thought that the purpose of these boards is to obtain information and express views etc. about the topci. Some of this thread are inredibly defensive. Good Luck!