At this point in my college search process, Amherst and Swarthmore come out as my top 2 choices. I’ve visited each (Swarthmore 3 times actually) and have researched them thoroughly. I’ve also gathered a lot of anecdotal information from this site, and various other sources, but I want to ask someone who’s actually gone to either–what is it REALLY like at either of these places? I think academically, they are at the same level, so I guess this question is more about the social scene.
Here’s what I’ve gathered so far (remember that I am just a lowly high school kid trying to make sense of everything, and I’m sure some of my info is exaggerated, under-developed, and maybe just wrong):
AMHERST
-more preppy
-bigger party scene
-Val is only ok–not great, not terrible
-some dorms are reaaaaallly nice
-athletics are big; there’s a separation between athletes and non-athletes
-all freshmen live right next to each other–some people like it, some people don’t
-has the five college consortium, but people at other schools think Amherst kids are kind of snobby
-people are lonely a lot? Not too sure about this one. On my visit, I picked up the April Fools day school newspaper, and they were making fun of this stereotype, so I’m guessing it does exist, but to what extent is it actually true?
SWARTHMORE
-more ‘nerdy,’ has a reputation for being quite intense
-VERY political and activist–hard to get away from all of it if you don’t want to be involved
-dining hall is also fine
-no football team, less varsity athletes/school sporty spirit stuff
-less of a party school, but also more drinking than you’d expect
-“spring of our discontent”?? still not exactly sure what that was
-three college consortium, but I feel like Swarthmore is a bit separated from Haverford and Bryn Mawr
I honestly think I would be very happy at either college, but I would really appreciate any real information from someone who goes there/who recently graduated. Thanks so much in advance!!
When I visited Swarthmore, I felt like the kids were VERY quirky and nerdy, and that wasn’t a good fit for me. Also, the dining hall quality of food was not good at all… But academics are great!
Yeah, I’m just trying to get a feel for exactly how quirky/nerdy they are, because I kind of am, but also not? But I don’t know if I’m as preppy/athletic as Amherst kids? If that’s even a thing that’s true? As for food, I feel like it’s mostly the same everywhere, but yeah, I feel that. Thanks for replying!
We live close to Swarthmore and my son was invited to a coaches meeting. It is not as well balanced as the NESCAC schools. No NESCAC school is extreme in any way.
The word dour comes to mind for Swarthmore. For some that is a positive.
Ummm, a word on food, there are very big difference from school to school. Not only quality, but choice and availability and the actual dining hall. The ratings on Niche are very accurate. I was very surprised how good some of it was.
There are differences obviously, but I think of their academic/intellectual/psychological environments this way:
Amherst = Duke
Swat = UChicago
If you are very serious about – and maybe even competitive with – academics, go to Swat. If you want more of a social life and a bigger sports scene, but still a great education, go to Amherst.
That makes sense; thanks! Is Swarthmore really that competitive? All admissions officers always love to assure prospective students that it’s not competitive at all, just “intense” but actually really “collaborative”–does anyone have any insight into how competitive either of the schools are?
I didn’t attend, but had some friends who did. They complained about working really, really hard for a B.
Social: I’ve attended two parties on the church’s top floor (yep, I don’t know what this is called - shows you how much attention I pay to religious customs). Can’t remember which church - this was 2010 - but I do recall it was near the campus center. Lots of liquor, and the good-looking people seemed to congregate there. So this might be a viable strategy for hanging with the less unsightly crowd.
I know kids at both schools and Amherst is definitely preppier/sports oriented and Swarthmore is more intellectual/quirky. Another big difference is location. Amherst is in a small town in the middle of western Massachusetts and you do have the other colleges in the 5 college consortium but they are also in small towns if not in the middle of corn fields. Swarthmore has a train station at the foot of campus and Philadelphia is a short train ride away plus you can take classes at Haverford, Bryn Mawr and Penn.
Swarthmore is not competitive. Like at all. There are plenty of people who are not the quirky/intellectual type; it’d also be unfair to pigeonhole all Amherst students as preppy (I was admitted to both). It’s not that much of an effort to steer clear of unwanted politics actually. If you want to party etc, you can always go to consortium or Upenn/Drexel/Temple. message me if you have other questions
Both schools are truly exceptional. We visited those two along with Williams, Middlebury, Pomona, Washington & Lee, Bowdoin, Haverford, and others. My sense at this stage is that, very simply, they’re all first-rate schools; so it’s hard to go wrong. That leaves you to go with your heart. But I know that doesn’t help much.
My own sense is that there are a few things that set Swarthmore and Amherst apart. I really like the college community around Amherst, and, for what it’s worth, Amherst is probably slightly better known that the other top liberal arts colleges mentioned above. Amherst is also known as one of the most diverse of these mostly not very diverse schools. But, outside of the pretty cool town itself, Amherst is relatively isolated (though not so isolated as Williams or Middlebury). Swarthmore has a very pretty campus, and I count its proximity to Philly as a positive. But there is not much within walking distance. Also, as another positive, the winter weather is not so brutal in Philadelphia as you’d find at Amherst where you might expect a full six months of snow. As for athletics, I would give Amherst and the NESCAC a measurable advantage over the Centennial Conference. And as someone already mentioned, Swarthmore killed its football team many years ago.
But, again, we’re splitting hairs here. Once you commit, you’ll love either school.
