<p>I am really interested in studying economics, and I learned about Swarthmore and thought it looked like a pretty good school - it is very strongly academic and the close student/prof relationship seems really nice</p>
<p>However I'm not sure if my political views will make me feel comfortable going to Swarthmore since I know that Swarthmore is definitely a liberal school </p>
<p>I am pretty liberal when it comes to social issues such as abortion, LGBT, etc. But I do tend to think conservatively with strictly political and economic ideas, and I want to know if I will still be a good fit for the school because of this: should i pass it up and consider another college or stick it out?</p>
<p>Swarthmore is seen as a “pretty good school” by most people who are in-the-know when it comes to top-notch academics. Swarthmore is a very liberal school on the whole. If you’re not socially liberal at Swat then I would say that you probably should reconsider… but given that you are that’s fine. Being economically conservative will raise some eyebrows and people will be interested in hearing your opinion because on the whole people assume everyone around them is liberal and a faulty/lacking pro-conservatism argument will result in a lot of criticism and attack. A lot. It seems pretty contradictory that such liberal people can be so close-minded but that’s the way it goes. Anyway it’s not like you’re going to be talking politics at breakfast, lunch and dinner. As long as you can make reasonably well-founded arguments for your beliefs people won’t give you too much of the problem (as well they shouldn’t).
Slight political deviation from the norm shouldn’t be what deters you from Swat. I too identify as socially liberal and economically conservative and i find that when i can make a cogent argument for the latter ideology people are pretty open. </p>
<p>From what I’ve heard about the economics department it leaves a LOT to be desired in terms of being “real world” applicable, so keep that in mind. Most economics departments from what I hear are like that though (as opposed to Finance which is more ‘real world.’)</p>
<p>Swarthmore’s Economics department is **very **highly regarded. Swarthmore produces more Economics PhDs, per graguate, than every other colllege or university in the United States. I would say that it is one of Swarthmore’s signature departments.</p>
<p>true. but Ph.D. usually implies that you’re going to enter academia. so in terms of economics from an academic sense, as opposed to a business sense, swat rocks. it just depends on what kind of economics you’re looking into doing.</p>
<p>A Swattie is currently serving as President of the World Bank after having served in numerous capacites at the Treasury Department, State Department, and Fannie Mae under both Presidents Bush:</p>
<p>I would say that another Swattie, Jerome Kohlberg, has left a mark on the world of finanance. His firm, Kohlberg, Kravitz, Roberts is considered to be the pioneer of leveraged buyouts and private equity investing.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about your politics. Swatties can be a bit overbearing on social issues, but aren’t all that informed or politicized on economic issues.</p>
<p>First of all, Zoellick, the president of the World Bank, was a History, not an Econ, major.</p>
<p>Second, ID you’re mixing apples and oranges. I was talking about the efficacy of an economics major versus a focus in finance at say, a school like Wharton (also kind of well-regarded in the business sector…). It seems like you were passive aggressively trying to refute my post, which is why I’m responding here. I will once again repeat, Ph.D. typically implies that one is going to enter academia, not go work on Wall Street. </p>
<p>You can list all the alums you want but 2 successful alums tells us very little about the current economics department. If the student wants to find out about it they can talk to a student whose a mjor or go look at the department page online (<a href=“Economics :: Swarthmore College);%5B/url%5D”>Economics :: Swarthmore College);</a> giving bios of random alumni, one of whom wasn’t even an econ major, and using them to tell people about what makes the Swat econ department (in the 21st century) so great is really misleading and irrelevant.</p>
<p>I think it’s fairly self-evident that Swarthmore is different from the Wharton School of Business. Of course, they do share a common benefactor – Philadelphia industrialist Joseph Wharton, whose name is prominent at both schools.</p>
<p>If you want a degree in finance, then Swarthmore isn’t the place for that. They don’t offer a Finance major. If you want a liberal arts education with a major in Economics, then Swarthmore is one of the best programs in the United States. Social sciences in general and Economics in particular, are long-standing Swarthmore specialities. Swarthmore is the #1 per capita producer of Econ PhDs, political science PhDs, and social science PhDs. It’s social science departments are very highly regarded.</p>
quick anecdote - I know a swat senior in econ who was offered a good job after she graduates in June in washington dc before she even started her sr yr this yr doing something in the private sector with econ. she ahd good summer jobs, too, along the way.</p>
<p>Liminal, your major doesn’t have a lot of impact on whether you get a job on wall street. An economics major works just fine, as does a political science/art history major. Firms don’t really care because your job most likely won’t revolve around what you learned in a classroom.</p>
<p>Are we certain Jerome Kohlberg was an economics major? It’s a sensible guess, but is it a fact? Are there any resources out there that list the majors of alumni?</p>
<p>I’m a freshman this year at Swarthmore, and if you are coming here for economics you will definitely be more than satisfied. The department gets raving reviews, and from what I’ve heard you can opt for more or less difficult pathways through it, depending on how much work and stress you are willing to take on.</p>
<p>More interesting, though, is the question of whether you can feel comfortable as a non-liberal on this campus. I am a very, very strong liberal personally (and, ironically, first found out about the college through a very conservative friend who felt it would be a horrible fit for her for this reason, and likewise a great fit for me). However, politics are not overtly discussed all that often. It is true that most professors are liberal, and aren’t afraid to make this obvious in class. However, student newspapers like the Phoenix and the Gazette have conducted polls to demonstrate that the student body is not ENTIRELY liberal by any means.</p>
<p>Regarding political discussion, I would suggest researching what has been one of the biggest controversies this year so far, regarding one freshman student’s attempt to start a conservative group on campus under the name YAF. The controversy ultimately cooled down with an open circle forum on race, political openness and discrimination, and free speech which I myself attended. </p>
<p>Conservatives are outnumbered here. But if you are respectful, students will respect you. Personally, I came here looking for diversity, and that includes diversity of political beliefs.</p>