No experience about Swarthmore but my kid is studying at Pomona now minoring in Math. She said she had fantastic Math professors and she’s glad she can take graduate level math classes at the graduate school of the consortium. She doesn’t hike much but she runs a lot and SoCal weather is great for outdoor running most of the year. Hope this helps a bit.

Thanks for the responses everyone! DS was already leaning Pomona, so this only solidifies in my mind that it's a good option!

Anonymous wrote:I love Swat but I think it would be a very odd choice for someone interested in backpacking. And only "seniors and other students who demonstrate an extenuating need" are allowed to keep cars on campus. I would not go to Swat and count on being able to get out into the countryside.

That seems awfully limiting.

Anonymous wrote:I love Swat but I think it would be a very odd choice for someone interested in backpacking. And only "seniors and other students who demonstrate an extenuating need" are allowed to keep cars on campus. I would not go to Swat and count on being able to get out into the countryside.

Seriously? Why would they have a rule like this? It’s not an urban campus with limited space like UPenn - which, ironically, doesn’t even restrict student parking.

Love, love, love Pomona.

The area is 1000x better than the Philly area.

Swarthmore is an indoctrination hell hole. The students and faculty are literally nut jobs. First hand experience.

I love Swat but I think it would be a very odd choice for someone interested in backpacking. And only "seniors and other students who demonstrate an extenuating need" are allowed to keep cars on campus. I would not go to Swat and count on being able to get out into the countryside.

Anonymous wrote:Go to Swarthmore it is much better for East coast jobs and for ivy grad school chances

Ivy grad school? Very unlikely a grad from either school is going to Princeton, and after that…an Ivy for math grad? Sure Harvard, but not any better than going to UCLA, Stanford, MIT (better than Harvard), or CMU. You seem a bit naive about the best math grad programs

Is Swarthmore out?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go to Swarthmore it is much better for East coast jobs and for ivy grad school chances

More math phds coming from Pomona and Harvey Mudd than Swarthmore.

Swarthmore night product more math PhD's, but Bucknell has a much stronger pipeline to The Street where graduates can make huge salaries with just a bachelor's degree. By the time a Swarthmore grad spends an additional 4-5 years pursuing a doctorate (and making paltry assistantship pay) the Bucknell grad will likely be in the high six if not seven figures.

Anonymous wrote:Go to Swarthmore it is much better for East coast jobs and for ivy grad school chances

More math phds coming from Pomona and Harvey Mudd than Swarthmore.

Neither suburban Philly nor suburban L.A. is a good location for a kid who likes backpacking. Bucknell is in a more rural part of PA with abundant opportunities to explore the outdoors without driving several hours. The math department is top notch, with most graduate getting jobs on The Street at high salaries. It should be on your DS's short list.

Anonymous wrote:Go to Swarthmore it is much better for East coast jobs and for ivy grad school chances

Trying to find where op said there child wants to be on the east coast. Also the grad school placement is identical. You people really just say whatever you want, huh?

Go to Swarthmore it is much better for East coast jobs and for ivy grad school chances

Anonymous wrote:Williams! Check out the Williams Outing Club. I think they have hiking/outdoor trips most weekends.

They already expressed they didn’t want to go and have family at the school who don’t like it. You have more hiking/backpacking opportunities in California than anywhere in New England. It makes more sense to go to Pomona.