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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

There are many of us looking at SLACs.  Can you be a bit more descriptive when you say e.g., that Williams and Middlebury are "very different" from Swat and/or the others?  In what ways do you distinguish?  Is it because e.g., they are part of the New England conference?  Location driven?  Liberal v. Conservative? [/quote]

Attributes which differentiate Williams/Middlebury from Swat:

1. Swat has a lot more minorities on campus. This is visible when you visit and empirically backed up by the Common Data Sets all the schools release regarding their student bodies. Middlebury is like 65% white, Williams is around 60%, whereas Swat is minority-majority (the class of 2015 was definitely minority-majority and the whole student body right now at best is 50% white if not less). This makes Swat pretty unique because SLAC's (especially in the NE) attract a whiter/prep-school crowd more-so compared to better known ivies, privates, and large publics.

2. Swat is really tiny. SLAC's are small, but Swat is extremely small. Williams has almost a 50% larger student body and Middlebury is about 30% bigger. This definitely has fit implications as Swat can be more suffocating even though it is not in an ultra-rural environment like Williams. The SEPTA allows you to get out to Philly if you really want to but from what I hear from my younger sibling (a junior at Swat) kids don't get out to Philly all that much.

3. Williams and Middlebury are a more relaxed academically. Swat grades notoriously hard and Swat students in general are more nerdy/socially-awkward compared to Williams and Middlebury kids. Williams and Middlebury (in my opinion) are like mini-Dartmouths. Swat is much more geeky. My sibling says there isn't a 'gunner' culture at Swat but there definitely is massive academic pressure, moreso than what his friends at Williams and Pomona/CMC face.

4. Williams has a much bigger drinking culture than Swat. However Swat's administration treats under 21 students like responsible adults compared to Middlebury. A Middlebury student who spent a semester a Swat wrote an op-ed on how Middlebury administrators should copy Swat's when it comes to on-campus drinking by u21's. At swat, as long as you aren't a loutish drunk, drinking on-campus is given the blind-eye.

5. Swat is really committed to its social justice mission and wants students passionate about social justice, etc. Unlike Williams, Swat's interviews are highly recommended and not just 'informational'. Swat definitely uses the interview to screen if kids are a good fit and really understand what Swat is about. Historically Swat has been way more liberal than other SLAC's.

6. Sports are a lot bigger deal at Williams and Middlebury. While my sibling was an athletic recruit at Swat (and swat is increasing some focus in terms of athletic recruiting), Williams/Middlebury/NESCAC schools all have a much larger sports/athletic culture than swat.

7. Swat has an engineering school, which is pretty unique for a SLAC. So if your kid wants the SLAC feel but wants to do engineering, Swat is one of the very few that is an option.

8. My sibling informs me that Williams and Middlebury have much bigger "bro" cultures than swat does.

9. On-Campus Recruiting is much better at Williams compared to swat. If your kid is sort of 'pre-professional' and wants to go to Investment Banking or Trading or Strategy Consulting, Williams is a much bigger target school than Swat. This is one of the major complaints that some of my sibling's friends have at Swat and the incoming freshman at Swat which my sibling mentors have raised their concerns about internship/on-campus recruiting at swat. Swat's network is strong but you have to be way more proactive and hunt down your own opportunities if you don't want to directly go to grad school. Swat really is a training ground for going directly to grad school/med/law/masters. My younger sibling has landed great internships after freshman and sophomore years did all the work in landing them and got nothing out of OCI/career services. It is a source of frustration for my sibling in comparison to his friends at Williams from what I have heard.

My younger sibling was recruited both at Williams and Swat. Swat was chosen because it was closer to home, Williams was too rural, the culture at Williams was too 'bro' compared to swat, and williams was much more white (we are asian/indian). If my younger sibling was recruited at Pomona (Claremont Colleges), they would've gone there over swat. My sibling's dream school was Stanford or Princeton but couldn't get recruited at either one. 
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