Hello! I’m a rising senior applying for the Discover Swarthmore program for 2016. I just made this thread for others who are applying and stuff. Anyone else applying? Also for those applying, how are you tackling the essay? I have a set idea in mind, but I’m not exactly sure if I’m approaching it the right way. I just want to hear the different points of view y’all have on it. Thanks!
I’m applying and the essay is very different to other essays I have written for programs. I have a draft and like any other college or university they are looking for someone different and original with their writing, so I hope I am doing that well. I’m still nervous though
Finished the app about 2 weeks ago. The essay allowed for some interesting replys, I presume.
I hope my essay is interesting and different than the others, because i really wanna go 
Anyone know if Swarthmore still has a fee waiver for the actual admissions if one applies to Discover Swarthmore?
They still do it
Just finalized the last of my application! In the nick of time too ehehe…
I took the ACT multiple times so I was wondering if I could just put my best scores in? I’m not sure if any of y’all did that. 
@hirraine as in self-reported superscoring? I’m sure that’s fine.
Do you think I’ll be at a disadvantage if I didn’t report my SAT scores? I received a 1450 and left it blank but I included my PSAT which (unfortunately) is higher than my SAT score…
@intheairtonight Ahh I turned it in already, so it doesn’t really matter anymore. Would’ve been better, but oh well.
@noobforce I did the same thing because I didn’t take the SAT. I don’t really see why it would be a disadvantage unless you only put your PSAT scores.
Do you guys know when we’ll all be contacted? As in specific dates?
Specific date, no. I believe it is mid-August.
If you guys don’t mind sharing, what did you write your essays on? I’m just curious to see all the different responses the prompt had led people to take
@Exwire I took the “what keeps you up at night” prompt rather literally and talked about my thoughts coming in like a dripping faucet, at first single-filed, but eventually bursting through a door built-for-one five at a time, and how I eventually manage to beat them at their own game, just to have the cycle repeat the next night. I thought it was an interesting essay, but I’m slightly worried that they were looking for something more along the lines of /what makes your wheels turn/ and less so the literal interpretation of how I don’t get enough sleep…Ah well, I was proud of what I wrote nonetheless. 
Ohhh that’s a really cool topic @berkdork ! I was considering that kinda topic but felt like I wouldn’t be able to pull it off, so kudos to you haha (:. I wrote about the culture of racial prejudice among gay men, but I didn’t really write “This keeps me up at night” or something similar into my essay, which makes me wonder if it could be seen as not answering the question since I basically outlined something that does keep me up at night without mentioning that aspect of the topic directly, if that makes any sense. I pretty much had the opposite of your problem XD. Good luck to you though, as well as to everyone else who applied!
Hey @berkdork yeah I was going to do something similar but like @Exwire I wasn’t completely sure how I’d pull it off. And yeah you should be proud of what you wrote. I think that sounds super interesting and they’ll appreciate the uniqueness. Gluck!!!
Anyways I wrote about the subtle prejudice that people of color (esp. Middle Eastern and Indian) are facing due to global events of terrorism. I basically wrote about how the prejudice and discrimination that society directs towards certain people can actually exacerbate the issue of terrorism by making them feel marginalized. As a POC, I hope it answers the prompt well enough. It’s something that I’m genuinely concerned about but I’m just hoping that the admissions ppl see that it actually does keep me up at night…
Also I’ve been hearing rumors but I’m not really sure: does getting into the program actually increase your chances of getting admitted to the freshmen class or is it just a super loose correlation?
And good luck to everyone who applied!!!
@pandey2017 I believe it does increase your chances in that getting accepted shows that Swarthmore has interest in you, meaning that they’re more likely to admit you to the school come application time
I wrote my essay about my fear of financial inadequacy in college since we can’t really afford to put me in college (i am relying 100% on scholarship money and financial aid). My parents never went to college and they are always encouraging and reminding me how important college is. They don’t want me to limit myself to just a job, they want me to have a career I love. So I wrote my essay based on a Disney’s Ratatouille quote lol. The quote was “You must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul.” So i talked about how my family’s financial obstacles won’t define me or my education and I am my own limit, not my family’s bank account. Hopefully it was original and creative enough!
What state are those of you applying from? If any of you are near campus or have already visited campus, what can you tell us about campus?