Reply to Swarthmore now?

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "Swarthmore now?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous](1) Contrary to online opinion, the majority of Swatties seem to really like their school. I think that the kids who really enjoy Swarthmore understand that it's rigorous and intellectual and that appeals to them. I suspect that the Swatties who don't enjoy Swarthmore are the ones who chose it because it was the best college to which they were admitted (even though they'd rather have gone to schools like Duke or Penn). I've seen a similar phenomenon with kids going to a school like Dartmouth even though they really wanted a bigger, more urban school. Anyhow, OP's DD sounds like she understands Swarthmore and would be a good fit.

(2) The workload is similar to Williams and Pomona and other top schools. I think Swat, Williams, Bowdoin, and Pomona are all extremely demanding in terms of workload. The difference, if any, seems to be cultural. Pomona and Swat have a domestic exchange, and participants seem to report that the workload is roughly the same at bother schools but that Pomona is more laidback about it. Whereas Swatties seem to embrace their intensity reputation more--e.g., the "Anywhere else it would have been an 'A'" t-shirts. That said, I think Swarthmore is backing off its reputation for intensity. At its best, Swat's intensity is simply a reflection of its students' organic passion for their studies, rather than pressure. At worst, it's the opposite.

(3) Swarthmore is very collaborative and not competitive. I think the internet echo chamber sometimes erroneously extrapolates that a school that is academically intense must also be competitive. But I've never heard a Swattie report any competition. Instead, in line with its Quaker ideals, Swat seems extremely collaborative. In short, Swatties work hard together, not against one another.

(4) IMO, Pomona and Swarthmore are pretty similar on a number of levels, notwithstanding their locations. Within WASP, both lean intellectual, progressive, and service-oriented whereas Williams and Amherst lean a little more toward preprofessional and institutionally conservative. DC's impressions of Williams students (and Dartmouth students) seemed to be that they were uniformly impressive and bright but a little more mainstream and buttoned up. Students at Pomona and Swat are equally impressive but a little more funky and individualistic. Pomona and Swat are also both roughly the same size and have a train station on campus that offers students access to a city. The biggest differences between Pomona and Swat are the obvious geographical location and Pomona's integration into the 5C Consortium. It doesn't seem like Swatties take advantage of the Quaker Consortium that often. Anyhow, if you like Swat, you might consider Pomona if you're okay with its west coast location.

Anyhow, I wouldn't worry too much about the interview for the moment. DC's interviewer really sold DC on Swat, telling DC about how she regularly made trips to Philly and other cities in the region while in school in the 90's. As others have recommended, I'd talk to current Swatties (https://www.swarthmore.edu/admissions-aid/ask-a-swattie) and, if admitted, attend SwatStruck.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics