<p>I am trying to decide between Swarthmore and Amherst, having very little context besides what could be gained by two short visits to each. People characterize Amherst as “preppie,” and Swarthmore as “nerdy” - both of which seem either outdated or inadequate as descriptors. Can anyone give me a little more well-thought-out characterization or context for either/both schools? Thanks.</p>
<p>Amherst was my first choice and Swarthmore my second so I think I have a pretty good knowledge of each school. While those stereotypes may have held true 30 years ago, both Amherst and Swarthmore have changed immensely since then. Amherst now is not "preppie" in the traditional sense as it has well over half of its students on financial aid and 49% of admitted students are "self reported students of color." That being said, Swatties are more scholarly and face (overall) a tougher work load. While Amherst is not a jock school, sports are definitely popular and a part of campus life while Swarthmore sports teams don't recruit (they don't even have football) and are generally not very competitive. Both schools have amazingly beautiful campuses and other colleges nearby, Swarthmore likes to boast of its proximity to Philadelphia while most Swatties hardly venture in. Overall I'd say that Amherst students (in general) are more well-rounded while Swarthmore students are quirky and more intellectual.</p>
<p>More specifically, I'm a preppie and I went to Amherst, and my friend who is a nerd went to Swarthmore.</p>
<p>Well, I'm actually not a preppie, but I could probably name a bunch of people who are, and the nerd population here seems relatively low.</p>
<p>"Amherst now is not "preppie" in the traditional sense as it has well over half of its students on financial aid...." </p>
<p>According to Amherst's own data, this is incorrect. The Amherst data set indicates they awarded $23,568,803 to 768 students, 46.4% of the student body, in need-based aid. (this is a significant increase over previous filings) Well over half received no aid, so the median income of Amherst families is somewhere north of $200k.</p>
<p>Statitistically, Swarthmore is not very different, with the school giving out $17,452,430 to 719 students (48.8%) of the student body. So the median student isn't quite a wealthy.</p>
<p>What is very different is that Amherst has many more very low-income students, with almost 17% on Pell grants. This is reflected in the average size of grant, over $31k at Amherst, compared with $26,411 at Swarthmore, and in need-based grant aid per student - $14,250 at Amherst, 20.2% higher than Swarthmore's $11,855.</p>
<p>What this boils down is that the biggest difference financially between the Amherst and Swarthmore student bodies is that Amherst has many more low-income students, and Swarthmore more middle income ones (of which they are a statistically startlingly low percentage at Amherst.)</p>
<p>I believe the percentage of over 50% come from the last 2 classes, ('09 and '10 - most particularly) not all four, which would bring the percentages down. There has been a huge move to bring in more diversity the last couple years, and word is getting out, with more diverse and /or poor students applying and being accepted.</p>
<p>Actually, that's been true for quite some time, but retention of very low-income students is lower (as it is at most schools), bringing down the overall percentage. (remember - we are dealing with very small numbers).</p>
<p>But the main picture is true - there are indeed more very low income students at Amherst (and rising), and very few middle income ones.</p>
<p>Why do you think there is a preference of very low income students over a middle class student?
Do low income students make the student body more diverse?
I would think good mix of both low income and middle class students would make it more diverse. Or is it a politically motivated preference?</p>
<p>Low-income students are less represented than middle class students in higher education, especially in elite private colleges. As a result, there is an emphasis on socioeconomic diversity to improve the learning environment, but also there is a social goal as well. President Marx believes that helping low income students receive an elite higher education will help to remedy the social inequalities that put them in a position of poverty in the first place.</p>
<p>Word, Lemonjello.</p>
<p>BTW, I am a middle income student accepted for class of '11...it's not like you're either rich or poor at Amherst.</p>
<p>D is middle class, and she's there. I think a lot of middle class kids don't apply because they have heard that their chances at the FA game will be very bad (everywhere), so they don't even try.</p>
<p>Amherst's Dr. Marx is leading the movement, along with the president of Harvard, to get ALL the elite LAC's and Ivies to work harder to increase % of middle-income students on their campuses. So the concern is there.
Look up previous CC threads on "Middle Class," amply discussed.</p>
<p>Thank you, Mini, for hard data that means something.</p>
<p>As far as sports, Amherst definitely places a relatively high emphasis on athletic recruitment. In my experience, though, sports are only popular with older alumni, trustees, and of course athletes themselves. The Homecoming football game is a glaring exception, and our men's basketball team for that matter, but generally we lack a sense of school spirit around sports. Many academic admits resent elements of the culture around athletics--including hazing, binge drinking, the "hook-up scene", and anti-intellectualism--even though most individual athletes are fine people. </p>
<p>The one thing I can say to compare it with Swarthmore is that the absence of a football team makes a big difference. There's about 80 guys on a squad, in a school of about 800 guys... that is a big proportion, considering the fb guys tend to be some of the most anti-intellectual (up there with lax, of course). If it would really bother you to see the back row of chairs filled with hulking jocks either asleep or cracking jokes under their breath in most big history, poli sci and econ classes, don't go to Amherst.</p>