<p>I am just about to send my ED application to Swarthmore.</p>
<p>I have already looked up all the information i can find-- official web, student conselor,etc</p>
<p>IT SOUNDS LIKE A PERFECT MATCH FOR ME</p>
<p>but i want to know first-hand information</p>
<p>like, what do you do in a typical school day/weekend?
what's your feeling of the close interaction between professors and students
how school can help u put your ideas into practise,etc</p>
<p>thanks a million!</p>
<p>OK...</p>
<p>someone who knows about swarth is also okay</p>
<p>My typical weekday involves eating 3 meals with different friends, going to class, nearly always going to group Board meetings or regular meetings, sometimes seeing a panel, movie, or a lecture, meeting with a professor, going to one of my several campus jobs, getting some reading done in between these activities, getting back to my off-campus dorm around 11 and working until I feel like going to sleep, maybe answering a few posts on CC, haha, and then getting 8 hours of sleep (no morning classes, yayyy). Everyone's different, though!</p>
<p>Typical weekend involves sleeping in, getting either ML breakfast or Sharples brunch with blockmates, working for a while/going to a retreat or a group event, then going out to a band or Philly or a party at night. :)</p>
<p>Professors and students get really close - students often "major/minor" in a professor (taking 4 or even up to 8 courses with them), profs always know your name, they're always at office hours and often have their doors open at other times, because there are no grad students profs often use us as research assistants (myself included, for one of my favorite profs), they're always willing to help you out, etc, etc. You really form close bonds and they're really supportive.</p>
<p>I'm not sure about what you mean about putting ideas in practice, but there are TONS of volunteer opportunities (we're near a major city after all, and many closer local communities), sources of funding from the Lang Center and departments and foundations to start projects, etc, etc. If you flesh out the question more maybe I can answer it!</p>
<p>I'm a current sophomore, so I'll try to tackle your questions--but keep in mind that people's experiences vary a lot, and I don't speak for everyone. </p>
<p>like, what do you do in a typical school day/weekend?
Today (school day) I had my work-study job for an hour, did a half-hour of studying, went to a language table for lunch, went to my three-hour afternoon class, chatted with a friend for an hour, had a meeting with a professor about my plan for my final paper (in which the prof also advised me about study abroad), had dinner with friends, worked on psychology research, went to Swing Dance club, and now I'm going to go hang out and do reading with friends.
Every day is different, and of course you make a lot of choices about how you want to spend your time, but most Swatties are extremely busy with classes, work, and just about every kind of extracurricular activity you could think of...and they wouldn't have it any other way. People still do find time for fun, though--it's just a balancing act. </p>
<p>what's your feeling of the close interaction between professors and students
There's a lot of it. You really couldn't ask for much more. You won't be close to every professor you have, but especially in small classes, in your major, and in classes where you seek out the professor for extra help or for further discussion/enrichment, there's a lot of interaction. </p>
<p>how school can help u put your ideas into practise,etc
There are lots of resources--from professors willing to help you with research projects, to the Student Budget Committee and Student Activities Fund which can help you charter a club and get funding, to the Fetter program that will help you start a chamber music group, to the Fun FUNd which pays for things like super-soakers and installing swings on campus, to the Lang Center which can help you set up community service and activism projects. You as a student need to take the initiative and do the work, but there's a lot in place to help you do it. </p>
<p>Best of luck with your application! Feel free to ask if you have any more questions.</p>