Swarthmore College Top Questions

People joke about "Swat goggles" because Swarthmore students generally don't make a conscious effort to look good. It's a very laid-back and down-to-earth atmosphere when it comes to appearance.

Diverse and PC. There is definitely a leftwards lean in political opinions but it's nothing out of the ordinary for any college campus. Some people would point out distinct cliques of students but the fact of the matter is that each class is so small that all kinds of students interact with each other. I've never heard a complaint about Swarthmore's student body, so there really isn't too much to say. It seems that students are generally pretty satisfied with the way the demographics turned out. (I personally am, at least.)

Swarthmore has an idyllic campus and a somewhat scruffy looking student body. Fashion is not an imperative and sometimes it seems like more layers is always better. That haphazard charm means that there isn't a focus on brand names and designer goods. So, while a lot of students at Swarthmore come from families that can afford $40,000 in tuition annually (is it more now?) and not have to put their kids into debt, most students have the sense not to talk about it in a cavalier or bragging way. I would have like for there to be more transparency regarding socioeconomic status - it really seems like the last identity issue that is difficult for people to talk about because it's still quite sensitive and students want to be sensitive to that fact. Nobody talks about how much they'll earn one day except to complain that between grad school and the nonprofit sector, they'll never pay their debts. The less-than-ideal Swarthmore student would be: racist, homophobic, classist, politically conservative, unabashedly capitalist, and unaware of major domestic and international news.

The students are what really make this place stand out. We're an eclectic bunch and really diverse too, which makes it so much more interesting. I'd say that it's impossible for a college to not have any cliques but while Swat can be divided into a few types of people (if we generalize), there is usually no tension between cliques. Spontaneous conversations with strangers is highly common and people are normally extremely friendly and willing to help. The student body is predominantly democratic and many students are politically active.

everyone's welcome, except people who get in each other's faces too much. it seems this is the kind of place where "live and let live" reigns supreme. one table of students would be athletes, probably the guy's soccer team and a couple of their friends. one would be a table that is almost entirely black, and the other two would be "regular" swarthmore students, a mix of ethnicities, with most of them being pretty nerdy. swarthmore students are from all over, and surprisingly (to me), most of them aren't that well-off. they're mostly liberal, and in general pretty politically aware, unless they get swamped by schoolwork, which happens pretty often.

The only student that would feel a little out of place in Swarthmore would be an upper class conservative athlete. However, even they have their own small social niche. But even though most students develop bonds with a close group of friends, different social circles constantly interact with each other. Most students wear random clothes to class and don't care much about how they're dressed.

if you try, you can interact with everyone,..well, actually, correction: yes, everyone interacts because swat is so small! even if you dont know a person directly, there are about 2 degrees of separation here so chances are that one of your friends knows the person. swat is diverse in all areas except for political (leftist) perspective, i think. but thats even in the make of change right now!

Swat is diverse in many, many ways. I can't imagine anyone feeling out of place. Everyone has their own sense of style and some people wear sweat pants to class while others wear a suit. And all these different types of people get along amazingly well. Students tend to be politically aware and left. Not many care too much about how much money they will make in their future.

The students here are famous for being activist and tolerant. This isn't really true. Many students here are nominally activist but never do any actual activist work, only a small handful of the students take on that role. The students are politically tolerant if you agree with them- which defeats the purpose of being tolerant. in the classroom, discussions are very tolerant but when it comes to conservatives and religious people, students feel they have the freedom to bash them to their hearts content because they do not see a lot of opposition. The gay community is small but vocal and greatly supported as are different races. Students wear anything from designer wear to old pajamas to class. Nobody really notices, especially on days papers are due. Most people here come from very wealthy families who don't understand what it's like to come from anyplace else. I know a few people whose goals are to make as much money as they can but that's not prevalent at all. Most of the people I know are involved in art, philosophy, and socio-anthropology and have no idea what they would like to do when they graduate or would like to focus on volunteering or working for a non-profit.

All groups on campus respect one another and have joint activities commonly. No one would ever feel out of place here. It is really an accepting place for all people. Most students wear whatever they want (high fashion to pajamas). Most students are Swat are from the north east but there are certainly many from all over the world. The financial backgrounds definitely have a wide range. We are EXTREMELY socially active on campus and we definitely talk about professions and pay for the future.