Swarthmore/Wes VS Williams/Bowdoin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The rankings can change quite a bit over time. As I said, Vassar dropped 9 or 19 spots in one year. Do you really think the school changed that much? Reed refused to play along from the beginning and is commonly believed to be a much stronger school than the ranking would reveal.

You've just named two outliers. This isn't common at all.

I named them because I specifically suggested Vassar if the OP’s child is interested in a school like Wes and, when I came up with a list along those lines of possible schools, someone responded with a ranking list. I’m not writing the long anti-ranking posts but I do think they have to be taken with a grain of salt. The OP listed four rather different schools and I asked what they liked about them because perhaps we can help with similar schools to consider and/or visit.

This is OP. I appreciate a lot of the responses but y’all lost me somewhere along the way . DC is just starting his search and he is our oldest so lots of new info for us in here.

But I can answer this question, what appeals to DC. He says: small size as is looking for close knit peer community, and ability to connect with professors (DC has always enjoyed a good relationship with teachers/coaches), friendly and welcoming student body (he is a very strong student but is laid back, and his current peer group is a mix of more intense and ones more like him - he loves doing group projects and class discussions, and I know he won’t want an environment where his more laid back attitude is in the overwhelmed minority, so maybe Swarthmore will be out fast, who knows), pretty campus/settings (“these look like what I always pictured college looking like”), access to outdoor activities like hiking and skiing, strong academics in particular in subjects like econ, history and political science. I realize these descriptors can apply to many colleges and maybe don’t apply to all the ones I listed- we are just excitedly starting this journey!

He should consider Hamilton.

[Anonymous]

If you like Wesleyan, I think you’d like Grinnell. (I went to one and my DC is going to the other).

Could also look at Carleton, Macalester, Vassar, Oberlin.

Carleton has the most rigid curriculum of the ones I’ve listed and is on a quarter system. For those reasons, it wasn’t as good a fit for my kid but it seems like a great school and we loved the campus and town.

[Anonymous]

My kid considered all of the colleges mentioned by OP. My kid would have been a viable candidate for any of them (which of course was no guarantee of admission.) In the end, my kid decided not to apply to any of them other than Wesleyan and ended up there. The others lacked really strong student run arts/music/theater scenes, and there didn't seem to be as many people at the others who were marching (or playing or singing or dancing) to the beats of their own drummers. My kid also preferred the size of Wesleyan. It has something like a thousand more students on campus than Amherst or Williams, which makes it feel a lot more diverse in terms to student interests. This also makes it a little less selective.

Most Wesleyan students probably experience Wesleyan pretty much the way most NESCAC students experience their colleges. Wesleyan has a lot of athletes and a lot of serious students who could have ended up at pretty much any of the other selective small colleges in the Northeast. The main difference is that Wesleyan also attracts quite a few who would not have ended up on a NESCAC campus if Wesleyan had denied them admission. Wesleyan has a different vibe as a result.

Another difference is Middletown. It's big enough to feel like a very small city. There are dozens of ethnic restaurants, breakfast spots, and other places for students to go, and it is very pleasant, but it isn't postcard beautiful at the level of Amherst or Williamstown. It's more like Northampton but not quite as pretty and not quite as interesting.

Williams can confuse people who are into arts/music/theater because of its professional summer theater series. It's a wonderful professional theater series but it doesn't affect students much. Williams does produce some incredibly successful alumni in artistic fields, but the scene on campus seems sleepy and Williamstown is a gorgeous but tiny town.

If you like Wesleyan because of its quirkiness or its arts scene, you also might do well to consider Vassar, Macalester, Oberlin, Carleton, Grinnell, Lawrence, Beloit, Kalamazoo, Whitman, Puget Sound, Lewis & Clark, Reed, the Claremont Colleges (especially Pomona, Pitzer and Scripps), and maybe even Amherst/Smith/Mt. Holyoke/Hampshire (if you don't mind cross registering at nearby colleges). Some of the colleges on that list are more artsy. Some are more academically intense. Some are even more selective than Wesleyan. Some are a lot less selective than Wesleyan.

By the way, quite a few people who like Wesleyan and like New England also consider Bates, Connecticut College, and Tufts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid considered all of the colleges mentioned by OP. My kid would have been a viable candidate for any of them (which of course was no guarantee of admission.) In the end, my kid decided not to apply to any of them other than Wesleyan and ended up there. The others lacked really strong student run arts/music/theater scenes, and there didn't seem to be as many people at the others who were marching (or playing or singing or dancing) to the beats of their own drummers. My kid also preferred the size of Wesleyan. It has something like a thousand more students on campus than Amherst or Williams, which makes it feel a lot more diverse in terms to student interests. This also makes it a little less selective.

Most Wesleyan students probably experience Wesleyan pretty much the way most NESCAC students experience their colleges. Wesleyan has a lot of athletes and a lot of serious students who could have ended up at pretty much any of the other selective small colleges in the Northeast. The main difference is that Wesleyan also attracts quite a few who would not have ended up on a NESCAC campus if Wesleyan had denied them admission. Wesleyan has a different vibe as a result.

Another difference is Middletown. It's big enough to feel like a very small city. There are dozens of ethnic restaurants, breakfast spots, and other places for students to go, and it is very pleasant, but it isn't postcard beautiful at the level of Amherst or Williamstown. It's more like Northampton but not quite as pretty and not quite as interesting.

Williams can confuse people who are into arts/music/theater because of its professional summer theater series. It's a wonderful professional theater series but it doesn't affect students much. Williams does produce some incredibly successful alumni in artistic fields, but the scene on campus seems sleepy and Williamstown is a gorgeous but tiny town.

If you like Wesleyan because of its quirkiness or its arts scene, you also might do well to consider Vassar, Macalester, Oberlin, Carleton, Grinnell, Lawrence, Beloit, Kalamazoo, Whitman, Puget Sound, Lewis & Clark, Reed, the Claremont Colleges (especially Pomona, Pitzer and Scripps), and maybe even Amherst/Smith/Mt. Holyoke/Hampshire (if you don't mind cross registering at nearby colleges). Some of the colleges on that list are more artsy. Some are more academically intense. Some are even more selective than Wesleyan. Some are a lot less selective than Wesleyan.

By the way, quite a few people who like Wesleyan and like New England also consider Bates, Connecticut College, and Tufts.

+1 This account of Wes and other schools--and the recommendations--make sense to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The rankings can change quite a bit over time. As I said, Vassar dropped 9 or 19 spots in one year. Do you really think the school changed that much? Reed refused to play along from the beginning and is commonly believed to be a much stronger school than the ranking would reveal.

You've just named two outliers. This isn't common at all.

I named them because I specifically suggested Vassar if the OP’s child is interested in a school like Wes and, when I came up with a list along those lines of possible schools, someone responded with a ranking list. I’m not writing the long anti-ranking posts but I do think they have to be taken with a grain of salt. The OP listed four rather different schools and I asked what they liked about them because perhaps we can help with similar schools to consider and/or visit.

This is OP. I appreciate a lot of the responses but y’all lost me somewhere along the way . DC is just starting his search and he is our oldest so lots of new info for us in here.

But I can answer this question, what appeals to DC. He says: small size as is looking for close knit peer community, and ability to connect with professors (DC has always enjoyed a good relationship with teachers/coaches), friendly and welcoming student body (he is a very strong student but is laid back, and his current peer group is a mix of more intense and ones more like him - he loves doing group projects and class discussions, and I know he won’t want an environment where his more laid back attitude is in the overwhelmed minority, so maybe Swarthmore will be out fast, who knows), pretty campus/settings (“these look like what I always pictured college looking like”), access to outdoor activities like hiking and skiing, strong academics in particular in subjects like econ, history and political science. I realize these descriptors can apply to many colleges and maybe don’t apply to all the ones I listed- we are just excitedly starting this journey!

Hi. I asked the question. Based on that description, I would absolutely keep Williams, Bowdoin and Wesleyan on the list.

I think Hamilton, Middlebury and, if you're willing to go out West, Claremont McKenna (maybe even Pomona) fit the list.

Amherst is very strong in those curricular fields but we didn't get a friendly vibe at all (almost the opposite).

My kid attended Bowdoin and took quite a few courses in those areas and I do think Bowdoin checks off every box. The students are very friendly and the professors work closely with the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid considered all of the colleges mentioned by OP. My kid would have been a viable candidate for any of them (which of course was no guarantee of admission.) In the end, my kid decided not to apply to any of them other than Wesleyan and ended up there. The others lacked really strong student run arts/music/theater scenes, and there didn't seem to be as many people at the others who were marching (or playing or singing or dancing) to the beats of their own drummers. My kid also preferred the size of Wesleyan. It has something like a thousand more students on campus than Amherst or Williams, which makes it feel a lot more diverse in terms to student interests. This also makes it a little less selective.

Most Wesleyan students probably experience Wesleyan pretty much the way most NESCAC students experience their colleges. Wesleyan has a lot of athletes and a lot of serious students who could have ended up at pretty much any of the other selective small colleges in the Northeast. The main difference is that Wesleyan also attracts quite a few who would not have ended up on a NESCAC campus if Wesleyan had denied them admission. Wesleyan has a different vibe as a result.

Another difference is Middletown. It's big enough to feel like a very small city. There are dozens of ethnic restaurants, breakfast spots, and other places for students to go, and it is very pleasant, but it isn't postcard beautiful at the level of Amherst or Williamstown. It's more like Northampton but not quite as pretty and not quite as interesting.

Williams can confuse people who are into arts/music/theater because of its professional summer theater series. It's a wonderful professional theater series but it doesn't affect students much. Williams does produce some incredibly successful alumni in artistic fields, but the scene on campus seems sleepy and Williamstown is a gorgeous but tiny town.

If you like Wesleyan because of its quirkiness or its arts scene, you also might do well to consider Vassar, Macalester, Oberlin, Carleton, Grinnell, Lawrence, Beloit, Kalamazoo, Whitman, Puget Sound, Lewis & Clark, Reed, the Claremont Colleges (especially Pomona, Pitzer and Scripps), and maybe even Amherst/Smith/Mt. Holyoke/Hampshire (if you don't mind cross registering at nearby colleges). Some of the colleges on that list are more artsy. Some are more academically intense. Some are even more selective than Wesleyan. Some are a lot less selective than Wesleyan.

By the way, quite a few people who like Wesleyan and like New England also consider Bates, Connecticut College, and Tufts.

I hear what you're saying, but a student (and parent) with their heart set on the schools that OP listed just isn't going to be happy settling for at least half the schools you just listed. They just don't compare academically or prestige-wise, and let's be honest: the schools on OP's list make clear that they care about both.

[Anonymous]

I'm 1248.

Government and Economics are, I believe, the two most popular majors at Bowdoin. They are very, very strong. The area (Maine's midcoast) is beautiful. There's plenty of hiking and outdoor sports. The town of Brunswick is walking distance from the school and the school has a free shuttle to Freeport, Maine that has a ton of shopping. Portland, Maine is only half an hour away and kids drive there all the time. The area is gorgeous and very, very safe.

The kids are friendly and cooperative and the community is very close knit. The dorms and food (I know you didn't ask but they bear mentioning) are amazing. And the alumni stay connected years later. Many pursue graduate studies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid considered all of the colleges mentioned by OP. My kid would have been a viable candidate for any of them (which of course was no guarantee of admission.) In the end, my kid decided not to apply to any of them other than Wesleyan and ended up there. The others lacked really strong student run arts/music/theater scenes, and there didn't seem to be as many people at the others who were marching (or playing or singing or dancing) to the beats of their own drummers. My kid also preferred the size of Wesleyan. It has something like a thousand more students on campus than Amherst or Williams, which makes it feel a lot more diverse in terms to student interests. This also makes it a little less selective.

Most Wesleyan students probably experience Wesleyan pretty much the way most NESCAC students experience their colleges. Wesleyan has a lot of athletes and a lot of serious students who could have ended up at pretty much any of the other selective small colleges in the Northeast. The main difference is that Wesleyan also attracts quite a few who would not have ended up on a NESCAC campus if Wesleyan had denied them admission. Wesleyan has a different vibe as a result.

Another difference is Middletown. It's big enough to feel like a very small city. There are dozens of ethnic restaurants, breakfast spots, and other places for students to go, and it is very pleasant, but it isn't postcard beautiful at the level of Amherst or Williamstown. It's more like Northampton but not quite as pretty and not quite as interesting.

Williams can confuse people who are into arts/music/theater because of its professional summer theater series. It's a wonderful professional theater series but it doesn't affect students much. Williams does produce some incredibly successful alumni in artistic fields, but the scene on campus seems sleepy and Williamstown is a gorgeous but tiny town.

If you like Wesleyan because of its quirkiness or its arts scene, you also might do well to consider Vassar, Macalester, Oberlin, Carleton, Grinnell, Lawrence, Beloit, Kalamazoo, Whitman, Puget Sound, Lewis & Clark, Reed, the Claremont Colleges (especially Pomona, Pitzer and Scripps), and maybe even Amherst/Smith/Mt. Holyoke/Hampshire (if you don't mind cross registering at nearby colleges). Some of the colleges on that list are more artsy. Some are more academically intense. Some are even more selective than Wesleyan. Some are a lot less selective than Wesleyan.

By the way, quite a few people who like Wesleyan and like New England also consider Bates, Connecticut College, and Tufts.

I hear what you're saying, but a student (and parent) with their heart set on the schools that OP listed just isn't going to be happy settling for at least half the schools you just listed. They just don't compare academically or prestige-wise, and let's be honest: the schools on OP's list make clear that they care about both.

I agree. I'll also note that the parent didn't mention the quirkiness or arts scene. I think a friendly vibe at a close-knit, academically rigorous school with strong Poly Sci/ Econ and History is Williams/ Bowdoin/ Hamilton more than Beloit/ Lewis & Clark/ Connecticut College.

As a matter of fact, the student might be interested in William & Mary, Davidson, Haverford. I can't speak to how close-knit the student body is (perhaps someone can chime in), but they excel in those academic areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid considered all of the colleges mentioned by OP. My kid would have been a viable candidate for any of them (which of course was no guarantee of admission.) In the end, my kid decided not to apply to any of them other than Wesleyan and ended up there. The others lacked really strong student run arts/music/theater scenes, and there didn't seem to be as many people at the others who were marching (or playing or singing or dancing) to the beats of their own drummers. My kid also preferred the size of Wesleyan. It has something like a thousand more students on campus than Amherst or Williams, which makes it feel a lot more diverse in terms to student interests. This also makes it a little less selective.

Most Wesleyan students probably experience Wesleyan pretty much the way most NESCAC students experience their colleges. Wesleyan has a lot of athletes and a lot of serious students who could have ended up at pretty much any of the other selective small colleges in the Northeast. The main difference is that Wesleyan also attracts quite a few who would not have ended up on a NESCAC campus if Wesleyan had denied them admission. Wesleyan has a different vibe as a result.

Another difference is Middletown. It's big enough to feel like a very small city. There are dozens of ethnic restaurants, breakfast spots, and other places for students to go, and it is very pleasant, but it isn't postcard beautiful at the level of Amherst or Williamstown. It's more like Northampton but not quite as pretty and not quite as interesting.

Williams can confuse people who are into arts/music/theater because of its professional summer theater series. It's a wonderful professional theater series but it doesn't affect students much. Williams does produce some incredibly successful alumni in artistic fields, but the scene on campus seems sleepy and Williamstown is a gorgeous but tiny town.

If you like Wesleyan because of its quirkiness or its arts scene, you also might do well to consider Vassar, Macalester, Oberlin, Carleton, Grinnell, Lawrence, Beloit, Kalamazoo, Whitman, Puget Sound, Lewis & Clark, Reed, the Claremont Colleges (especially Pomona, Pitzer and Scripps), and maybe even Amherst/Smith/Mt. Holyoke/Hampshire (if you don't mind cross registering at nearby colleges). Some of the colleges on that list are more artsy. Some are more academically intense. Some are even more selective than Wesleyan. Some are a lot less selective than Wesleyan.

By the way, quite a few people who like Wesleyan and like New England also consider Bates, Connecticut College, and Tufts.

I hear what you're saying, but a student (and parent) with their heart set on the schools that OP listed just isn't going to be happy settling for at least half the schools you just listed. They just don't compare academically or prestige-wise, and let's be honest: the schools on OP's list make clear that they care about both.

But the reality is that every kid who is applying to T20 LACS should also have low matches and safeties. Advice that helps you see which are potentially good fits is really important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid considered all of the colleges mentioned by OP. My kid would have been a viable candidate for any of them (which of course was no guarantee of admission.) In the end, my kid decided not to apply to any of them other than Wesleyan and ended up there. The others lacked really strong student run arts/music/theater scenes, and there didn't seem to be as many people at the others who were marching (or playing or singing or dancing) to the beats of their own drummers. My kid also preferred the size of Wesleyan. It has something like a thousand more students on campus than Amherst or Williams, which makes it feel a lot more diverse in terms to student interests. This also makes it a little less selective.

Most Wesleyan students probably experience Wesleyan pretty much the way most NESCAC students experience their colleges. Wesleyan has a lot of athletes and a lot of serious students who could have ended up at pretty much any of the other selective small colleges in the Northeast. The main difference is that Wesleyan also attracts quite a few who would not have ended up on a NESCAC campus if Wesleyan had denied them admission. Wesleyan has a different vibe as a result.

Another difference is Middletown. It's big enough to feel like a very small city. There are dozens of ethnic restaurants, breakfast spots, and other places for students to go, and it is very pleasant, but it isn't postcard beautiful at the level of Amherst or Williamstown. It's more like Northampton but not quite as pretty and not quite as interesting.

Williams can confuse people who are into arts/music/theater because of its professional summer theater series. It's a wonderful professional theater series but it doesn't affect students much. Williams does produce some incredibly successful alumni in artistic fields, but the scene on campus seems sleepy and Williamstown is a gorgeous but tiny town.

If you like Wesleyan because of its quirkiness or its arts scene, you also might do well to consider Vassar, Macalester, Oberlin, Carleton, Grinnell, Lawrence, Beloit, Kalamazoo, Whitman, Puget Sound, Lewis & Clark, Reed, the Claremont Colleges (especially Pomona, Pitzer and Scripps), and maybe even Amherst/Smith/Mt. Holyoke/Hampshire (if you don't mind cross registering at nearby colleges). Some of the colleges on that list are more artsy. Some are more academically intense. Some are even more selective than Wesleyan. Some are a lot less selective than Wesleyan.

By the way, quite a few people who like Wesleyan and like New England also consider Bates, Connecticut College, and Tufts.

I hear what you're saying, but a student (and parent) with their heart set on the schools that OP listed just isn't going to be happy settling for at least half the schools you just listed. They just don't compare academically or prestige-wise, and let's be honest: the schools on OP's list make clear that they care about both.

But the reality is that every kid who is applying to T20 LACS should also have low matches and safeties. Advice that helps you see which are potentially good fits is really important.

+1 One would think that was obvious, but.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid considered all of the colleges mentioned by OP. My kid would have been a viable candidate for any of them (which of course was no guarantee of admission.) In the end, my kid decided not to apply to any of them other than Wesleyan and ended up there. The others lacked really strong student run arts/music/theater scenes, and there didn't seem to be as many people at the others who were marching (or playing or singing or dancing) to the beats of their own drummers. My kid also preferred the size of Wesleyan. It has something like a thousand more students on campus than Amherst or Williams, which makes it feel a lot more diverse in terms to student interests. This also makes it a little less selective.

Most Wesleyan students probably experience Wesleyan pretty much the way most NESCAC students experience their colleges. Wesleyan has a lot of athletes and a lot of serious students who could have ended up at pretty much any of the other selective small colleges in the Northeast. The main difference is that Wesleyan also attracts quite a few who would not have ended up on a NESCAC campus if Wesleyan had denied them admission. Wesleyan has a different vibe as a result.

Another difference is Middletown. It's big enough to feel like a very small city. There are dozens of ethnic restaurants, breakfast spots, and other places for students to go, and it is very pleasant, but it isn't postcard beautiful at the level of Amherst or Williamstown. It's more like Northampton but not quite as pretty and not quite as interesting.

Williams can confuse people who are into arts/music/theater because of its professional summer theater series. It's a wonderful professional theater series but it doesn't affect students much. Williams does produce some incredibly successful alumni in artistic fields, but the scene on campus seems sleepy and Williamstown is a gorgeous but tiny town.

If you like Wesleyan because of its quirkiness or its arts scene, you also might do well to consider Vassar, Macalester, Oberlin, Carleton, Grinnell, Lawrence, Beloit, Kalamazoo, Whitman, Puget Sound, Lewis & Clark, Reed, the Claremont Colleges (especially Pomona, Pitzer and Scripps), and maybe even Amherst/Smith/Mt. Holyoke/Hampshire (if you don't mind cross registering at nearby colleges). Some of the colleges on that list are more artsy. Some are more academically intense. Some are even more selective than Wesleyan. Some are a lot less selective than Wesleyan.

By the way, quite a few people who like Wesleyan and like New England also consider Bates, Connecticut College, and Tufts.

Agree that the consortiums in Claremont and in central MA (Amherst, Smith, etc.) are great options. Tons of classes available but you still get the small college experience.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s great that a school like Wes can have all the quirky artsy types and also win the D3 lacrosse national championship. Lots of diverse tribes makes it easier to find your people at a LAC. And the fact that they all integrate and get along speaks volumes to the culture. I found schools like Williams, Midd, Colby, Bowdoin and Hamilton to be more homogeneous not in terms of identity groups but in terms of personality. Bates seemed to have a great history and culture but didn’t love lewisboro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid considered all of the colleges mentioned by OP. My kid would have been a viable candidate for any of them (which of course was no guarantee of admission.) In the end, my kid decided not to apply to any of them other than Wesleyan and ended up there. The others lacked really strong student run arts/music/theater scenes, and there didn't seem to be as many people at the others who were marching (or playing or singing or dancing) to the beats of their own drummers. My kid also preferred the size of Wesleyan. It has something like a thousand more students on campus than Amherst or Williams, which makes it feel a lot more diverse in terms to student interests. This also makes it a little less selective.

Most Wesleyan students probably experience Wesleyan pretty much the way most NESCAC students experience their colleges. Wesleyan has a lot of athletes and a lot of serious students who could have ended up at pretty much any of the other selective small colleges in the Northeast. The main difference is that Wesleyan also attracts quite a few who would not have ended up on a NESCAC campus if Wesleyan had denied them admission. Wesleyan has a different vibe as a result.

Another difference is Middletown. It's big enough to feel like a very small city. There are dozens of ethnic restaurants, breakfast spots, and other places for students to go, and it is very pleasant, but it isn't postcard beautiful at the level of Amherst or Williamstown. It's more like Northampton but not quite as pretty and not quite as interesting.

Williams can confuse people who are into arts/music/theater because of its professional summer theater series. It's a wonderful professional theater series but it doesn't affect students much. Williams does produce some incredibly successful alumni in artistic fields, but the scene on campus seems sleepy and Williamstown is a gorgeous but tiny town.

If you like Wesleyan because of its quirkiness or its arts scene, you also might do well to consider Vassar, Macalester, Oberlin, Carleton, Grinnell, Lawrence, Beloit, Kalamazoo, Whitman, Puget Sound, Lewis & Clark, Reed, the Claremont Colleges (especially Pomona, Pitzer and Scripps), and maybe even Amherst/Smith/Mt. Holyoke/Hampshire (if you don't mind cross registering at nearby colleges). Some of the colleges on that list are more artsy. Some are more academically intense. Some are even more selective than Wesleyan. Some are a lot less selective than Wesleyan.

By the way, quite a few people who like Wesleyan and like New England also consider Bates, Connecticut College, and Tufts.

Agree that the consortiums in Claremont and in central MA (Amherst, Smith, etc.) are great options. Tons of classes available but you still get the small college experience.

What’s Pomona’s culture like? Most like Wes, Williams, Swarthmore, or…?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see the Swarth/Wes analogy at all…..

Really? I'm a Swattie, and I can see why the connection between the two schools is often made. They are both politically liberal, socially engaged, selective SLACs for students who appreciate an intellectual environment. I do think that Wes is slightly more artistic, and Swarthmore slightly more politically engaged; but, again, this is on a continuum where both schools likely rank closely to one another.
The academically intense environment of Swarthmore does not mean that it is competitive. Rather, students genuinely seem to be energized by intellectual life. It is no wonder that virtually all of my friends from Swarthmore ended up getting PhDs and are now professors. Many of my classmates also became physicians or attorneys, but most are tenured faculty. A huge number of us went onto Chicago, Harvard, or Berkeley for grad school. This is pretty distinctive, IMO, and says a lot about the personalities that thrive at Swarthmore.
I should also add that a lot of my former classmates also played sports or were engaged in some kind of extra-curricular activity, oftentimes politically-oriented. Also, all of my close friends and I studied abroad for a semester during our sophomore or junior year.
FWIW, I loved my time there, and nowadays when I run into a Swattie I feel an immediate bond with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s great that a school like Wes can have all the quirky artsy types and also win the D3 lacrosse national championship. Lots of diverse tribes makes it easier to find your people at a LAC. And the fact that they all integrate and get along speaks volumes to the culture. I found schools like Williams, Midd, Colby, Bowdoin and Hamilton to be more homogeneous not in terms of identity groups but in terms of personality. Bates seemed to have a great history and culture but didn’t love lewisboro.

I think if those are your impression, you didn't spend much time on those campuses. I know there are a lot of Wes boosters and, honestly, my kid really liked Wesleyan - but the stereotypes are just that.

My kid attended public school, is an underrepresented minority and comes from a single-parent family.

Pre-pandemic, we visited Colby - a school that everyone will say is white and preppy - one evening. It was a last-minute trip and we had no time for a tour. We went through the library and met a student, a young Black student, who dropped everything, gave us a tour and invited my kid to come back and stay in their room. (By the way, years later, when my kid played sports for Bowdoin, my kid said the Colby team was the nicest of any they played against.)

We had almost the same thing happen at Bowdoin. My kid connected with a student who invited them to spend a weekend in their room. My kid took them up on their invitation and they tagged along classes and the student introduced them to all their friends. Again, this wasn't arranged by the admissions office. This was just a conversation on a campus visit! And the admissions officer was great.

Oh wait - Hamilton! Hamilton connected my kid with an alumni from our area who offered to drive my kid up with his family for a weekend.

Fwiw, my kid visited Wesleyan three times, including a weekend with a friend who was attending. Wes is an excellent school and it gave my kid an early write but eventually, my kid chose Bowdoin. Don't be fooled: Wes is bigger so there will be more parents with kids who attended there but there is a lot of overlap in the students among these schools and they all get an excellent education.