<p>Interesting article in the Daily Gazette today describing a fireside chat Dean Bock held with students on the recent review of Early Decision at Swarthmore:</p>
<p>As usual, these articles often provide bits and pieces of information about the admissions process. Some new information that caught my eye:</p>
<p>a) The percentage of students qualifying for financial aid and the average size of the aid package awarded is "similar" between students admitted ED and RD.</p>
<p>b) The percentage of private versus public school students is even between ED and RD.</p>
<p>c) The acceptance rates this year were 37% in ED and 17% in the RD round. </p>
<p>d) Swarthmore limits ED to 20% of the total acceptances. This year, 17% of acceptance letters went to ED applicants.</p>
<p>e) The acceptance rate for legacies is typically 36% - 37%. More legacies apply RD than ED.</p>
<p>f) About 100 recruited athletes were accepted (about 11% of total acceptances). This from a final pool on the recruiting list of 250 applicants. That's a 40% acceptance rate, but Bock pointed out that the final list of 250 has already been whittled down by athletic department and admissions office.</p>
<p>g) Swarthmore sends summer "better watch it" letters to accepted students with senioritis causing their grades to drop senior year. The school sends more of these letters to RD acceptees than ED acceptees.</p>
<p>h) Swarthmore typically releases one or two ED acceptees per year due to financial reasons after they see their aid offer. Bock says that most of these have been middle to upper class students who end up accepting a large merit aid package from a merit aid school.</p>