Anonymous
11/26/2025 16:20
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Current Swattie parent here. My kid had 4.0 uw GPA and 4.9 w GPA with a 35 ACT. Was deferred ED and accepted RD. Very happy with the diversity, academic rigor, studiousness, and friendliness of the school. It is small, though. I don't think the test scores matter because I think the admissions team is looking to build a diverse class. The FGLI students are a big part of the campus.
+1. Parent of a student another WASP LAC with TO policies. My kid was valedictorian, 35 ACT, 13 APs with strong scores, very strong ECs, admitted to multiple Ivies, etc., etc. The student body is damned impressive as is the community. No complaints about continuing TO policies. (BTW, Swat was my DC's second choice. It's a fantastic school.)
People put way too much emphasis on test scores, which are just one, small part of the criteria that makes an applicant a strong candidate. It just so happens to be a quantifiable one, and so the nuance-challenged among us overly fixate upon it.
I bet the kids who graduate from Swarthmore with physics degrees have really, really high SAT scores. Both math and verbal. It would be interesting to see the numbers. My guess is the test scores are a strong predictor, but okay let’s not put too much emphasis on that little inconvenience.
Perhaps. On the other hand, my DC is a studio art major and still had extremely high stats.
That’s great but does not address the fact that about half the students there are hiding behind TO.
I did not believe you and thought it was hyperbole, but I looked it up. More than half of freshman didn't submit an SAT or ACT score!!!
Believe or not, there are still a LOT of under resourced kids who cannot take tests or have other responsibilities (jobs, care for elderly) that preclude them from preparing for the tests.
The college board makes SAT free for low income students. Also, Khan Academy is completely free. It takes at most a few hours a week for a few weeks to prepare for the SAT. So now all of a sudden underresourced kids can't spare a few hours? This excuse making is nauseating.
The only reason not to submit an SAT score is because you bombed the SAT. Everyone knows this.
Anonymous
11/26/2025 16:14
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
I love it when people say test scores are “overrated.” Sure, they are overrated until you want to figure out who can get through an upper level physics class
These schools are generally being dishonest. Why don’t they take everyone scores, even the bad ones from the kids they want to admit and admit them anyway? Dartmouth has it right. These other schools like Swarthmore are just exploiting a system and sending a bad message that is full of inconsistency.
These schools are generally being dishonest. Why don’t they take everyone scores, even the bad ones from the kids they want to admit and admit them anyway? Dartmouth has it right. These other schools like Swarthmore are just exploiting a system and sending a bad message that is full of inconsistency.
Anonymous
11/26/2025 16:11
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Current Swattie parent here. My kid had 4.0 uw GPA and 4.9 w GPA with a 35 ACT. Was deferred ED and accepted RD. Very happy with the diversity, academic rigor, studiousness, and friendliness of the school. It is small, though. I don't think the test scores matter because I think the admissions team is looking to build a diverse class. The FGLI students are a big part of the campus.
+1. Parent of a student another WASP LAC with TO policies. My kid was valedictorian, 35 ACT, 13 APs with strong scores, very strong ECs, admitted to multiple Ivies, etc., etc. The student body is damned impressive as is the community. No complaints about continuing TO policies. (BTW, Swat was my DC's second choice. It's a fantastic school.)
People put way too much emphasis on test scores, which are just one, small part of the criteria that makes an applicant a strong candidate. It just so happens to be a quantifiable one, and so the nuance-challenged among us overly fixate upon it.
I bet the kids who graduate from Swarthmore with physics degrees have really, really high SAT scores. Both math and verbal. It would be interesting to see the numbers. My guess is the test scores are a strong predictor, but okay let’s not put too much emphasis on that little inconvenience.
Perhaps. On the other hand, my DC is a studio art major and still had extremely high stats.
That’s great but does not address the fact that about half the students there are hiding behind TO.
I did not believe you and thought it was hyperbole, but I looked it up. More than half of freshman didn't submit an SAT or ACT score!!!
Believe or not, there are still a LOT of under resourced kids who cannot take tests or have other responsibilities (jobs, care for elderly) that preclude them from preparing for the tests.
Anonymous
11/26/2025 16:03
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Current Swattie parent here. My kid had 4.0 uw GPA and 4.9 w GPA with a 35 ACT. Was deferred ED and accepted RD. Very happy with the diversity, academic rigor, studiousness, and friendliness of the school. It is small, though. I don't think the test scores matter because I think the admissions team is looking to build a diverse class. The FGLI students are a big part of the campus.
+1. Parent of a student another WASP LAC with TO policies. My kid was valedictorian, 35 ACT, 13 APs with strong scores, very strong ECs, admitted to multiple Ivies, etc., etc. The student body is damned impressive as is the community. No complaints about continuing TO policies. (BTW, Swat was my DC's second choice. It's a fantastic school.)
People put way too much emphasis on test scores, which are just one, small part of the criteria that makes an applicant a strong candidate. It just so happens to be a quantifiable one, and so the nuance-challenged among us overly fixate upon it.
I bet the kids who graduate from Swarthmore with physics degrees have really, really high SAT scores. Both math and verbal. It would be interesting to see the numbers. My guess is the test scores are a strong predictor, but okay let’s not put too much emphasis on that little inconvenience.
Perhaps. On the other hand, my DC is a studio art major and still had extremely high stats.
That’s great but does not address the fact that about half the students there are hiding behind TO.
I did not believe you and thought it was hyperbole, but I looked it up. More than half of freshman didn't submit an SAT or ACT score!!!
Anonymous
11/26/2025 15:55
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Current Swattie parent here. My kid had 4.0 uw GPA and 4.9 w GPA with a 35 ACT. Was deferred ED and accepted RD. Very happy with the diversity, academic rigor, studiousness, and friendliness of the school. It is small, though. I don't think the test scores matter because I think the admissions team is looking to build a diverse class. The FGLI students are a big part of the campus.
+1. Parent of a student another WASP LAC with TO policies. My kid was valedictorian, 35 ACT, 13 APs with strong scores, very strong ECs, admitted to multiple Ivies, etc., etc. The student body is damned impressive as is the community. No complaints about continuing TO policies. (BTW, Swat was my DC's second choice. It's a fantastic school.)
People put way too much emphasis on test scores, which are just one, small part of the criteria that makes an applicant a strong candidate. It just so happens to be a quantifiable one, and so the nuance-challenged among us overly fixate upon it.
I bet the kids who graduate from Swarthmore with physics degrees have really, really high SAT scores. Both math and verbal. It would be interesting to see the numbers. My guess is the test scores are a strong predictor, but okay let’s not put too much emphasis on that little inconvenience.
Perhaps. On the other hand, my DC is a studio art major and still had extremely high stats.
That’s great but does not address the fact that about half the students there are hiding behind TO.
Anonymous
11/26/2025 14:54
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Current Swattie parent here. My kid had 4.0 uw GPA and 4.9 w GPA with a 35 ACT. Was deferred ED and accepted RD. Very happy with the diversity, academic rigor, studiousness, and friendliness of the school. It is small, though. I don't think the test scores matter because I think the admissions team is looking to build a diverse class. The FGLI students are a big part of the campus.
+1. Parent of a student another WASP LAC with TO policies. My kid was valedictorian, 35 ACT, 13 APs with strong scores, very strong ECs, admitted to multiple Ivies, etc., etc. The student body is damned impressive as is the community. No complaints about continuing TO policies. (BTW, Swat was my DC's second choice. It's a fantastic school.)
People put way too much emphasis on test scores, which are just one, small part of the criteria that makes an applicant a strong candidate. It just so happens to be a quantifiable one, and so the nuance-challenged among us overly fixate upon it.
I bet the kids who graduate from Swarthmore with physics degrees have really, really high SAT scores. Both math and verbal. It would be interesting to see the numbers. My guess is the test scores are a strong predictor, but okay let’s not put too much emphasis on that little inconvenience.
Perhaps. On the other hand, my DC is a studio art major and still had extremely high stats.
Anonymous
11/26/2025 13:25
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Current Swattie parent here. My kid had 4.0 uw GPA and 4.9 w GPA with a 35 ACT. Was deferred ED and accepted RD. Very happy with the diversity, academic rigor, studiousness, and friendliness of the school. It is small, though. I don't think the test scores matter because I think the admissions team is looking to build a diverse class. The FGLI students are a big part of the campus.
+1. Parent of a student another WASP LAC with TO policies. My kid was valedictorian, 35 ACT, 13 APs with strong scores, very strong ECs, admitted to multiple Ivies, etc., etc. The student body is damned impressive as is the community. No complaints about continuing TO policies. (BTW, Swat was my DC's second choice. It's a fantastic school.)
People put way too much emphasis on test scores, which are just one, small part of the criteria that makes an applicant a strong candidate. It just so happens to be a quantifiable one, and so the nuance-challenged among us overly fixate upon it.
I bet the kids who graduate from Swarthmore with physics degrees have really, really high SAT scores. Both math and verbal. It would be interesting to see the numbers. My guess is the test scores are a strong predictor, but okay let’s not put too much emphasis on that little inconvenience.
Anonymous
11/26/2025 12:12
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Current Swattie parent here. My kid had 4.0 uw GPA and 4.9 w GPA with a 35 ACT. Was deferred ED and accepted RD. Very happy with the diversity, academic rigor, studiousness, and friendliness of the school. It is small, though. I don't think the test scores matter because I think the admissions team is looking to build a diverse class. The FGLI students are a big part of the campus.
The whole point of TO is to get disadvantaged kids into colleges.
If you are DMV MC UMC, you need to send your testing. They know you took it.
there’s plenty of poor smart rich kids. this sounds like desperation from swarthmore. cant imagine sending kids to a place where they tolerate sub 1300 scorers
It's amazing how you managed to cram so many grammatical errors into three short sentences--verb conjugation, capitalization, comma use, hyphen use, and apostrophe use. But tell us more about the importance of test scores.
Anonymous
11/26/2025 12:02
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Anonymous wrote:Current Swattie parent here. My kid had 4.0 uw GPA and 4.9 w GPA with a 35 ACT. Was deferred ED and accepted RD. Very happy with the diversity, academic rigor, studiousness, and friendliness of the school. It is small, though. I don't think the test scores matter because I think the admissions team is looking to build a diverse class. The FGLI students are a big part of the campus.
+1. Parent of a student another WASP LAC with TO policies. My kid was valedictorian, 35 ACT, 13 APs with strong scores, very strong ECs, admitted to multiple Ivies, etc., etc. The student body is damned impressive as is the community. No complaints about continuing TO policies. (BTW, Swat was my DC's second choice. It's a fantastic school.)
People put way too much emphasis on test scores, which are just one, small part of the criteria that makes an applicant a strong candidate. It just so happens to be a quantifiable one, and so the nuance-challenged among us overly fixate upon it.
Anonymous
11/26/2025 11:22
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Current Swattie parent here. My kid had 4.0 uw GPA and 4.9 w GPA with a 35 ACT. Was deferred ED and accepted RD. Very happy with the diversity, academic rigor, studiousness, and friendliness of the school. It is small, though. I don't think the test scores matter because I think the admissions team is looking to build a diverse class. The FGLI students are a big part of the campus.
The whole point of TO is to get disadvantaged kids into colleges.
If you are DMV MC UMC, you need to send your testing. They know you took it.
there’s plenty of poor smart rich kids. this sounds like desperation from swarthmore. cant imagine sending kids to a place where they tolerate sub 1300 scorers
Anonymous
11/26/2025 11:13
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Current Swattie parent here. My kid had 4.0 uw GPA and 4.9 w GPA with a 35 ACT. Was deferred ED and accepted RD. Very happy with the diversity, academic rigor, studiousness, and friendliness of the school. It is small, though. I don't think the test scores matter because I think the admissions team is looking to build a diverse class. The FGLI students are a big part of the campus.
The whole point of TO is to get disadvantaged kids into colleges.
If you are DMV MC UMC, you need to send your testing. They know you took it.
I don’t think this is necessarily the case anymore. A lot of LACs have less than 50% submitting scores nowadays and that can’t all be athletes, FGLI, and URM.
Anonymous
11/26/2025 11:01
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Anonymous wrote:Current Swattie parent here. My kid had 4.0 uw GPA and 4.9 w GPA with a 35 ACT. Was deferred ED and accepted RD. Very happy with the diversity, academic rigor, studiousness, and friendliness of the school. It is small, though. I don't think the test scores matter because I think the admissions team is looking to build a diverse class. The FGLI students are a big part of the campus.
The whole point of TO is to get disadvantaged kids into colleges.
If you are DMV MC UMC, you need to send your testing. They know you took it.
Anonymous
11/26/2025 10:38
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Test scores will continue to be important so they can be sure there are some smart kids on campus.
They need to keep a flow of some kids with high levels of intelligence to keep departments like physics alive and to maintain a semblance of credibility.
If you have a high test score you have a hook because so many applicants do not.
They need to keep a flow of some kids with high levels of intelligence to keep departments like physics alive and to maintain a semblance of credibility.
If you have a high test score you have a hook because so many applicants do not.
Anonymous
11/26/2025 10:30
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Current Swattie parent here. My kid had 4.0 uw GPA and 4.9 w GPA with a 35 ACT. Was deferred ED and accepted RD. Very happy with the diversity, academic rigor, studiousness, and friendliness of the school. It is small, though. I don't think the test scores matter because I think the admissions team is looking to build a diverse class. The FGLI students are a big part of the campus.
Anonymous
11/26/2025 10:21
Subject: Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The 1580+ SAT takers are still going to be in such demand.
With this test optional policy, those scores are the new hook.
My 1580 (one sitting) / 4.0 UW from a top private -- with good (but no big awards) ECs -- was rejected from Swarthmore. So top scores are not the hook you think they are.
Did your kid apply ED or RD?
RD. We were told ED was for athletes and institutional priorities. An athlete from DC's school was accepted ED.