Swarthmore College Top Questions

I have a love-hate relationship at Swarthmore- most of the time that I'm here I can't wait to leave, but I always hate leaving. Even though life here falls into a pretty repetitive cycle, you grow to expect it and enjoy it and understand it. The ville is extremely lame, and Philadelphia is a city friendlier to those with cars since the public transport system sucks...so I could imagine a better setting for Swat. I love the small school feel though- I've always gone to small schools and even though the enviroment can get a little claustrophobic, if you stay out of trouble then its not a bad thing.

Swarthmore is a personality school. Some people (a lot of people) love it here, and plenty don't. Swat is one of those places where, if you don't feel like you fit in, you're unlikely to find a niche. It really is a small school, and socially speaking there's very little breathing room. This creates all of the boasted-upon pluses that liberal arts colleges love, like close professor-student relationships, a feeling of intimacy, and an inability to 'fall through the cracks'. It also means that any awkwardness you may have with another person on campus is completely unavoidable. You >will< see this person in Sharples on a regular basis, have them in one of your classes and/or end up working with them on an extracurricular project (I use the plural to avoid the gendered pronouns that Swat has taught me to scorn). Swarthmore is the only place where I can imagine meeting more than one champion mountain unicyclist, where a huge banner would greet prospective students on our accepted students weekend with the words "Welcome Queer Specs!", or where students lapse into discussions about Foucault when inebriated. Swarthmore is quirky in the extreme, and I love the mix of people here. While the small size of the student body means that some interests and even ethnicities go somewhat unrepresented, the diversity of interests and experiences that Swatties bring to the table never ceases to amaze me.

It really is a community---you learn too much about the personal lives of people you don't actually know that well in real life. However, it's also fairly easy to make friends. There are plenty of events that are inclusive and interesting. And if not, you can make your own fun. Academics are challenging, but there's a ton of support---tutors, clinics, etc. There isn't much of what one typically associates with "school spirit" in terms of athletics, but most Swatties are proud of their school in other ways.

Swarthmore has a very small student population. At times it can make the campus feel small and suffocating. But I wouldn't say this happens too often. I like the people I am around so I don't feel confined to have to spend my time with them. I love walking down the path and running into a ton of people that I know as opposed to passing mobs of strangers. It makes the social scene nice because most people know each other and there isn't very much exclusivity in student events. I would say that there really isn't a college town around. I don't usually find it necessary to leave campus because there is a lot going on. But the Tri-Co arrangement makes it easy to go to other campuses for events. Philadelphia is close and some upperclassmen enjoy going into the city. When I tell people I am going to Swarthmore, I am usually answered with an out that's nice. Where is it? or just a general response of confusion. In short, not the average man on the streeet will recognize it as an elite institution like a Princeton or Harvard, even though it is. But the people who you want to know (like future employers) hold the institution in the highest regard.

Swarthmore isn't in a college town, which sucks, but you don't really need anything that doesn't exist on campus or the college doesn't provide access too. There are weekend shuttles to Philly and Target and the local movie theater, so transportation is sometimes free here! That relates to Swarthmore's Quaker roots - Quakers are said to really highly value community, so everything on campus is free!

The best thing about swarthmore is that its small and that you can get help when you need to in your classes. There are a lot of diverse group on campus that are welcoming to all different kinds of people. The most frequent student complaints are that the parties are always in the same two places every weekend...oh well.

I just happened to have had a conversation during lunch about the intellectual disparities between Swarthmore and other schools. It seems that students at Swarthmore are constantly talking about thought-provoking ideas and theoretical situations during most of their time. My friend's sister from a different college once suitably stated as she was walking to our dining hall, "do you guys ever speak English?" Her sister was refering to the fact during her entire walk to the campus dining hall, she didn't hear a single conversation about normal, everyday topics like the sale at GAP.

Because the school is so small, the administration treats students like adults. The attitude toward drinking and parties is, in my experience, very mature - that is, if you're 18, you can make your own decisions, as long as you're responsible and not bothering anyone. However, if it weren't for this openness, the social life on campus could be considered absolutely dismal. After about one semester, there is almost nothing new to do on weekends in the village of Swarthmore. That's why the train into Philly is so important: I'd say, take advantage of it as often as possible.

Swarthmore is a great school. The greatest thing about it is the availability of its professors. I would change the food in Sharples. The school is usually just right, but can sometimes feel too small. People have no idea what Swarthmore is- they think it's an all-girl's school. I spend most of my time in SciCenter and Martin. There is no "college town." The administration wholly supports the students. The biggest recent controversy was the drug scandal with the freshman selling acid. There is a sense of school pride, but in a different degree than other universities. Everything is unusual about Swarthmore.

the best things: small class sizes (i.e. the classroom), relationships on a very personal level with professors and administration, mind-expanding things i'd change: dining hall - it closes too early!, and we need a 24 hour snack bar or more vending machines, and all the delivery places close by 1.... The 4 typical reactions when people learn that i go to swarthmore: 1. Hm, i see......(end of conversation 2. Isn't that an all-girls school? 3. Oh yeah, great school! it's in New York right? 4. Oh yeah, great school, Swarthmore has a lot to offer, good for you! College town? ha. the ville hardly counts as a college town. the ville is a micro-town that feels like it is perpetually stuck in the 60's.