Swarthmore/Wes VS Williams/Bowdoin

[Anonymous]

The academically intense environment of Swarthmore does not mean that it is competitive. ...FWIW, I loved my time there, and nowadays when I run into a Swattie I feel an immediate bond with them.

Another Swattie here and I was going to say this. Intellectual intensity + a collaborative spirit characterizes the academic life there. The work is extremely challenging, and professors and students are challenging to one another, but nothing about it is set up to pit students against each other. It's not competitive like sink-or-swim CS or pre-med programs at larger universities. The kids who end up at Swat tend to be nerds in high school who get to college and find their people, to their delight.

It has a very close-knit alumni community and I have Swarthmore friends across the generations because of it.

I have relatives who did a lot of sports there and had a great time; my friends and I were mostly into theater and dance and loved it just as much. Friends who did not go into academe are in various public service positions, medicine, public health, counseling, ministry, secondary school teaching, plus quite a few professional theater people.

[Anonymous]

Our Swarthmore guide spent most of the tour talking about how Swarthmore was super intense, to get really familiar with the library because that was where people spent the most time, and talked at the end about how Williams was his first choice but didn't get in so that is why he was at swarthmore. probably should have not been a tour guide!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our Swarthmore guide spent most of the tour talking about how Swarthmore was super intense, to get really familiar with the library because that was where people spent the most time, and talked at the end about how Williams was his first choice but didn't get in so that is why he was at swarthmore. probably should have not been a tour guide!

I call BS. This didn't happen.

[Anonymous]

Most of the non-NESCAC colleges discussed above are actually very good academically. Most don't have the same "wow" factor at social gatherings in the DMV. But for financial, social or other reasons, some of those other colleges might be worth considering.

This is more obvious to people outside the East Coast. If you spend more time in Midwestern or Western cities, you get a different reaction.

[Anonymous]

My son was accepted at Bowdoin, Weslyan and Williams. It was a tie between Williams and Bowdoin and he chose Bowdoin. His younger sister went to Williams and I have to say, in retrospect he should have gone to Williams. For some reason, although Bowdoin tries to be less homogenous-it. just is not. My son felt he was back in his wealthy, all-white, insulated prep school. My daughter blossomed and met all kinds of diverse students- both politically, socio-economically and racially. Would never do Bowdoin if had the chance again. Brunswick is a cute town but no way.
imho.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: My son was accepted at Bowdoin, Weslyan and Williams. It was a tie between Williams and Bowdoin and he chose Bowdoin. His younger sister went to Williams and I have to say, in retrospect he should have gone to Williams. For some reason, although Bowdoin tries to be less homogenous-it. just is not. My son felt he was back in his wealthy, all-white, insulated prep school. My daughter blossomed and met all kinds of diverse students- both politically, socio-economically and racially. Would never do Bowdoin if had the chance again. Brunswick is a cute town but no way.
imho.

Why did you send him to such a school in the first place???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our Swarthmore guide spent most of the tour talking about how Swarthmore was super intense, to get really familiar with the library because that was where people spent the most time, and talked at the end about how Williams was his first choice but didn't get in so that is why he was at swarthmore. probably should have not been a tour guide!

I call BS. This didn't happen.

I believe it. At BC, a student on the panel during the info session went on and on about rarely attending an 8am class and failing it, which made him decide to change majors. Say what now? I've heard other horror stories about bad guides. I don't think admissions vet their student work study employees well enough in some cases!

[Anonymous]

We had a couple of really bad guides also. When they say they really wish they were elsewhere I think they shouldn’t be guided obviously. But they are. Or they say “you wouldn’t fit here because I didn’t …” OOOKKK.

[Anonymous]

You can tell the schools where your guide is just a work study job from those where it is a competitive slot

[Anonymous]

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

Not really like any of them. Maybe Swarthmore if you had to pick one, but still quite different. Students there are noticeably more laid-back and unassuming, yet deeply motivated and inquisitive behind the surface. There's kind of a pretense there where students appear to be in a summer camp resort setting, but the academics are rigorous and there is a prominent intellectual undercurrent. It's a school where the students gradually learn of how impressive their peers really are, whereas you notice that more outright at East Coast SLACs and Ivies.

One unique feature of Pomona is that the consortium it is in are schools one next to the other. They interact quite heavily and also influence the overall atmosphere at Pomona. Those have widely different student bodies and academic emphases, so it's a diverse setting that opens all the students up to a variety of perspectives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

Not really like any of them. Maybe Swarthmore if you had to pick one, but still quite different. Students there are noticeably more laid-back and unassuming, yet deeply motivated and inquisitive behind the surface. There's kind of a pretense there where students appear to be in a summer camp resort setting, but the academics are rigorous and there is a prominent intellectual undercurrent. It's a school where the students gradually learn of how impressive their peers really are, whereas you notice that more outright at East Coast SLACs and Ivies.

One unique feature of Pomona is that the consortium it is in are schools one next to the other. They interact quite heavily and also influence the overall atmosphere at Pomona. Those have widely different student bodies and academic emphases, so it's a diverse setting that opens all the students up to a variety of perspectives.

Funny story about Pomona and swat —

When my sister was there (and later others in our extended family), swat had a semester exchange program with Pomona, middlebury (maybe Williams but I forget…it was a few slacs tho), the way it worked was it had to be a 1 for 1 exchange.

But the # of kids who wanted to do a semester in Pomona wildly outstripped the number of kids who wanted to come from Pomona to do a semester at swat.

My sister tried a couple of times but it didn’t work out but even swat kids were super into trying to go to Pomona while no Pomona kids wanted to ever come to swat



That said, swat is still cool. Pomona is awesome tho. I’m sure their yield is like double swat’s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

Not really like any of them. Maybe Swarthmore if you had to pick one, but still quite different. Students there are noticeably more laid-back and unassuming, yet deeply motivated and inquisitive behind the surface. There's kind of a pretense there where students appear to be in a summer camp resort setting, but the academics are rigorous and there is a prominent intellectual undercurrent. It's a school where the students gradually learn of how impressive their peers really are, whereas you notice that more outright at East Coast SLACs and Ivies.

One unique feature of Pomona is that the consortium it is in are schools one next to the other. They interact quite heavily and also influence the overall atmosphere at Pomona. Those have widely different student bodies and academic emphases, so it's a diverse setting that opens all the students up to a variety of perspectives.

Funny story about Pomona and swat —

When my sister was there (and later others in our extended family), swat had a semester exchange program with Pomona, middlebury (maybe Williams but I forget…it was a few slacs tho), the way it worked was it had to be a 1 for 1 exchange.

But the # of kids who wanted to do a semester in Pomona wildly outstripped the number of kids who wanted to come from Pomona to do a semester at swat.

My sister tried a couple of times but it didn’t work out but even swat kids were super into trying to go to Pomona while no Pomona kids wanted to ever come to swat



That said, swat is still cool. Pomona is awesome tho. I’m sure their yield is like double swat’s

Your story isn't funny or even surprising. As for the yield comparison, yes, Pomona's is higher -- but Pomona isn't within driving distance of a dozen other top 20 liberal arts colleges or every Ivy League school either. Lots more competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: My son was accepted at Bowdoin, Weslyan and Williams. It was a tie between Williams and Bowdoin and he chose Bowdoin. His younger sister went to Williams and I have to say, in retrospect he should have gone to Williams. For some reason, although Bowdoin tries to be less homogenous-it. just is not. My son felt he was back in his wealthy, all-white, insulated prep school. My daughter blossomed and met all kinds of diverse students- both politically, socio-economically and racially. Would never do Bowdoin if had the chance again. Brunswick is a cute town but no way.
imho.

Why did you send him to such a school in the first place???

Because Bowdoin promoted itself as having a diverse student body and it does not have that. Williams is much better on the diversity front than Bowdoin. Just sharing in hopes of helping other families to make the distinctions between the schools- as the poster requested. Just my family's experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: My son was accepted at Bowdoin, Weslyan and Williams. It was a tie between Williams and Bowdoin and he chose Bowdoin. His younger sister went to Williams and I have to say, in retrospect he should have gone to Williams. For some reason, although Bowdoin tries to be less homogenous-it. just is not. My son felt he was back in his wealthy, all-white, insulated prep school. My daughter blossomed and met all kinds of diverse students- both politically, socio-economically and racially. Would never do Bowdoin if had the chance again. Brunswick is a cute town but no way.
imho.

Why did you send him to such a school in the first place???

Because Bowdoin promoted itself as having a diverse student body and it does not have that. Williams is much better on the diversity front than Bowdoin. Just sharing in hopes of helping other families to make the distinctions between the schools- as the poster requested. Just my family's experience.

Sorry. I meant why did you send him to such a prep school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

Not really like any of them. Maybe Swarthmore if you had to pick one, but still quite different. Students there are noticeably more laid-back and unassuming, yet deeply motivated and inquisitive behind the surface. There's kind of a pretense there where students appear to be in a summer camp resort setting, but the academics are rigorous and there is a prominent intellectual undercurrent. It's a school where the students gradually learn of how impressive their peers really are, whereas you notice that more outright at East Coast SLACs and Ivies.

One unique feature of Pomona is that the consortium it is in are schools one next to the other. They interact quite heavily and also influence the overall atmosphere at Pomona. Those have widely different student bodies and academic emphases, so it's a diverse setting that opens all the students up to a variety of perspectives.

I think Swarthmore still has a consortium with Haverford, Bryn Mawr and Penn.