Swarthmore College Top Questions

Somewhat

The school is very rigorous, more so then 98{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the schools where my friends go, but the students here definitely find time to socialize.

Most of us do study a lot, yes. Before you find out where your true interests lie that's mostly because the amount of readings and the length of papers you're assigned to write require you to. Later however, when you find your major and everything, you want to work that much and actually stay up because that book actually is really interesting.

Many swarthmore students don't have great social skills. However, for the most part people are nice. Swarthmore requires a lot of work.

People think that everyone who goes to Swarthmore is a total nerd-- which is probably true. I think everyone who goes here is a nerd at heart but there are a lot of cool and fun people too. If your conception of beauty is what you see in Glamour or GQ, then you're not going to like what you see at Swarthmore. That's not to say that we don't have good looking people here-- it's just that they're beautiful in a non-fake tanned kind of way. Oh, and the stereotype about everyone being incredibly intelligent? Definitely true.

I mean..we do work all the time. And we do talk about doing work all the time. But we still make time to have fun. It's more just hanging out with close friends though

There are a lot of ugly, awkward nerds on campus and a lot of loud superlefty liberals. But there are also a lot of socially apt nerds and less loud moderates. Beautiful people are few and far between, and everyone is a little bit awkward and nerdy, and most people are left of center, so I'd say the stereotypes are exaggerations based on truth.

They are true in different degrees and ways for different people. It is very easy to absorb these stereotypes too.

To the first - Swarthmore is in an interesting place. It is academically intense and students do spend a lot of time in the library, but that is sort of the person that is drawn to the place. For as much as we complain about our work, we really do love it and we enjoy doing it. So for those who don't like learning, yea, Swarthmore is way too intense. But if you can geek out over simple things or are just interesting in thinking and learning and answering questions, then Swarthmore is the place for you. And, while the stereotype may be based in reality, you have chosen it because you enjoy it (somewhere down there). As for fun, I spent much of my time at Sharples laughing hysterically with friends or getting involved in random scrapes. It's not the stereotypical "frat and going out to bars fun" (there are two frats if you want something like that), but it's a quirky sort of fun. You'll find it climbing roofs, skinny dipping in the crum, in late night conversations, in Sharples marathons, in the Parlors, or pulling campus wide social experiements.

I don't know what the workload is at other colleges, but I think most Swatties find their workload a little stressful, but definitely manageable. We've come to this school to be intellectually challenged, and the pressure we feel is usually self-imposed. As to being hippies, both our college as an institution and the individuals that comprise it really value social and ethical responsibility. There are students doing amazing things for people all over the world, from Sudan to Ecuador, with the support of the college and other students of course.

Yes.

Every stereotype is based in some accurate moment, however, with the changing demographic, the people are changing. I see a much more mainstream class arriving each year. Having been involved with some of my classmates romantically, I can't agree holistically with the statement on looks, although there are some here who seek opportunities to make fashion statements and there is a general lack of trying to look good. Cosmetics are not worn for the most part, and standard wear is sweat_____ (shirt, pants, etc.)

It is true that students are hard working, but we learn how to manage our time to have fun.

To a large extent, yes. I don't know any Swattie who regularly has free time or peace of mind. Conservatives are a definite minority

To some extent, but you have to choose what you like, the best part is that you are guaranteed that you will find community in what you do choose.

These stereotypes are only true to a certain extent. Because so many swarthmore students are so dedicated to and passionate one special thing, a lot of the students seem "nerdy." I think the standard for beauty is a little different here. Physically, people look the same as any students at any other school, but the difference is that people at Swarthmore are less concerned with superficial things like always being well-dressed or always wearing makeup. It's really nice to feel like you can go to dinner in your pjs and not worry about being judged.

Probably to some extent. But it's probably just as true as of other schools, and I think that most of the time the work is manageable (at least in my experience). Also, I really think that students are proud of the work that they do, and most of their complaining is just letting steam about things that they actually like, but can be very difficult. Either way, I'm having a lot of fun, and I'm learning much, much, much more (and in more meaningful ways) than I ever did in my high school classes. Doing lots of reading and writing hard papers is character-building, and can also be fun.

This really isn't the case. From other people I have met who attended similar colleges they seemed to be given just about as much work as I have over the last four years.

They're based on reality, but of course it's more complicated than that. We have a lot of work, but it varies depending on what classes you take, how many extracurriculars you have, and how good you are at managing your time. When it does get overwhelming, professors tend to be very understanding and good about giving extensions. We aren't really unattractive; we just don't put an awful lot of effort into our looks. We put our effort into our studies, into our extracurriculars, and into our friends instead. I think that makes Swatties MORE attractive, not less; they're too passionate about other things they want to do to take time to put on make-up.

To some degree. People here definitely are quirky and therefore their interactions with others can be considered awkward. Though people can be awkward, they are nice and their awkwardness is part of their charm.