Did anyone go to the Mission Admission

<p>I went to this in Swarthmore yesterday. It was pretty nice since the admission officers introduced to us interviews and essay tips. They also offered free lunch. How did you guys think of it? Because of all the visits to Swarthmore I'm kind of slanting toward Swarthmore ED instead of Columbia ED.</p>

<p>I did! Mucho fun. I hadn't felt the clicky-thing at any school I'd visited until yesterday at Swat. It's my first-choice, definitely, and I'm considering ED. Before I went, I was convinced I wouldn't do ED anywhere; now I don't know. I'm just worried about the money.
Did you go to the info session with Dave K? I was so impressed with him! Well-spoken and charismatic and had a lot to say. Eeee Swat '10??</p>

<p>hi, I am hoping to be accepted at Swat for '10 as well. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to visit yet. I'd really appreciate hearing about your impressions, etc. from your own visits. Why did it feel like such a good fit?</p>

<p>Is it just me or does '10 sound really awkward? Should we say Oh Ten, as if it were single digits? Hehe.
To answer your question, Jaimie, I felt good about it for a lot of reasons. Just keep in mind that my impressions of the atmosphere may not be the most accurate because there were only seniors left on campus at that point, finishing up their exams.
First of all, every person I met was interesting, kind, and well-spoken. The tour guide, workshop leaders (admissions people, some of which were also alumni), and info session leader ('03 graduate) were all extremely articulate. I didn't get the sense that they were trying to cover anything up or misrepresent the school in any way. I had to ask a few random students for directions and they all but led me across campus themselves. The guy at the info session (Dave) talked in detail about the honors program, which really appeals to me.
The campus itself is very pretty. Some places, like the Ampitheater, are gorgeous, but the whole place is just fabulously green and inviting (Barnard, one of the other schools I'm considering, has very limited lawn space).
Before visiting, I was a bit apprehensive about the famed Swattie workload. I want to be challenged, but I also like sleep, friends, and extracurriculars. The tour guide, however, told us she took 5 credits every semester (as opposed to the usual 4), which calmed me down.
Plus the food was good and not only did they have ice cream, they had pistachio ice cream!</p>

<p>Just out of curiosity, what other schools are you lguys ooking at?</p>

<p>Hey people. I'm an '09-er, but if you want to random shots of the campus:
<a href="http://www.arador.org/archives/2005/04/22/ride-the-tide/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.arador.org/archives/2005/04/22/ride-the-tide/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I took them at Ride-the-Tide, an accepted students thing. </p>

<p>Campus is beautiful, the school (imo) does not in any way conceal its character. It is what it is, and that really appeals to some people, and doesn't really appeal to others. </p>

<p>If you have any questions, I'm online quite a bit - AIM SN = rwarador, MSN = <a href="mailto:neproks@hotmail.com">neproks@hotmail.com</a> - and went Swat ED I.</p>

<p>Eclipse0 said:
"Just keep in mind that my impressions of the atmosphere may not be the most accurate because there were only seniors left on campus at that point, finishing up their exams."</p>

<p>That's not true. My son's a rising sophomore and he was there. Lots of people getting ready to leave - but my son and I ran into a tour there...the guide is his friend, so he greeted her in front of Wharton.</p>

<p>achat said: "That's not true. My son's a rising sophomore and he was there. Lots of people getting ready to leave - but my son and I ran into a tour there...the guide is his friend, so he greeted her in front of Wharton."</p>

<p>My bad. That's what they said in the intro. Either way, it wasn't quite the regular atmosphere of the middle of the year, I'd assume.
How has your son's experience been?</p>

<p>ahhhhhhh, i cant believe next years class has started the college process!!!!!! it feels like just yesterday...</p>

<p>Eclipse0, no hyperbole here, my son thinks Swarthmore is the best liberal arts college in the US. </p>

<p>We were having lunch at this Chinese place in the Ville while taking him back and he was telling us how Swarthmore's niche is to take the good students in the country and to turn them into fine, critical thinkers. His classes he thinks are way ahead of those at other colleges (which shall be unnamed).....they made him work hard but they do have the effect of turning students into independent researchers, people who can do a lot of advance work in their chosen fields. He is happy there.</p>

<p>eclipse, achat, thank you both so much for your responses! Everything I hear just cements Swarthmore's place as my number one choice. imiracle and elipse, would you mind sharing some of the essay tips, application tips, etc. that they talked about at the Mission Admission? And achat, what is your son's take on the famed Swat workload?</p>

<p>The workload is heavier than at other places but doable. This year, my son had a job that involved 7-8 hours a week of work, wrote for the Phoenix, belonged to DESHI, some other organization, went to Philly at least twice a month. And was able to keep up with the workload.</p>

<p>Like most colleges, the workload varies considerably depending on the professor, the course, and the student.</p>

<p>If you are so inclined, you can carve out a brutal workload -- double major, honors program, etc. Conversely, you can also carve out a workload that is pretty manageable.</p>

<p>The professors set a pretty high level of expectation, but generally bend over backwards to help students when necessary.</p>

<p>Thanks achat and interesteddad! I am glad to hear that the load is considered manageable by actual students and that there is still plenty of time for extracurriculars and work.<br>
Mission Admission attendees-Any valuable advice from the day that you would be willing to pass on to another hopeful for Swat '10?</p>

<p>I didn't get to go, unfortunately... but I did visit earlier this year. I'm hoping for Swat or Pomona ED come fall... my plan is to overnight at both and go ED to the one I like better. Thanks achat and interesteddad! I second Jaimie's question.</p>

<p>
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Any valuable advice from the day that you would be willing to pass on to another hopeful for Swat '10?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yes. My advice would be to learn as much as you can about the college over the summer. Understanding the college and what makes it tick will help you write an effective "Why Swarthmore?" essay, which increases your odds of admission greatly.</p>

<p>I would start with the wonderful new "History of Swarthmore" feature on the website. They've really done a good job hitting many of the high points. That history drives everything that makes the school unique.</p>

<p>I would also recommend the "Meaning of Swarthmore" alumni essays, also on the website. There are some incredible stories from some incredible people.</p>

<p>Read the FAQ on the admissions site. It really does a good job of capturing the school.</p>

<p>Do a web search for Eugene Lang's "I Have a Dream Foundation". He is Swarthmore's largest benefactor and his story, in many ways, is a quintessential Swarthmore story.</p>

<p>Finally, look up the departments or programs that interest you on the Swat website: you can find most under Academics. There is a lot of good information.</p>

<p>Thanks so much interesteddad, I have really learned a lot from you on this and other Swarthmore threads. I will definitely look into those different areas on the website as I am actually writing the "Why Swarthmore?" essay as a school assignment due tomorrow.</p>

<p>Does anyone else have any other advice for a Swarthmore applicant?</p>

<p>There is no one single answer as to why someone would be a great candidate for admission to Swat. But one thing is for sure: you have to appear genuinely interested in the college, they can smell a fake from a mile away..and the 'Why Swat' essay does not have to be a work of art. It can just be an honest opinion on why you would fit right in. They are looking for fit since every year has only about 350 students in each class....and if you don't fit it, you could be very unhappy there.</p>

<p>Thanks, achat. I am beginning to realize just how important this 'Why Swat' essay is going to be.</p>

<p>What do people think of the idea of basing your 'Why Swat' essay on traits of one of the founders and how they are appealing and still applicable at Swat? I realize this is a vague idea, but I am trying to be creative/avoid laundrylisting.</p>