Discovery Weekend and more..

<p>Hi everyone!</p>

<p>I have some questions for you all.</p>

<li><p>I was recently accepted to the Discovery Weekend Program. I was wondering: would going to the weekend program and having an on-campus interview increase my chances of being accepted to the school? I am genuinely positive that Swarthmore is the school for me and am beginning to lose sleep over it…</p></li>
<li><p>I know someone from my school who is also going to the Discovery Weekend and plans to apply at Swarthmore. Would the fact that a student from my school is also applying lessen my chances of being accepted to Swarthmore? This is where the bouts of insomnia really kick in!</p></li>
</ol>

<p>PS- If anybody is also going to the Discovery Weekend, I’d love to chat with you! I am Rafael, a 17 y/o from Miami, Florida. Catch me on AIM at commongi. Later!</p>

<p>Commongi-
I think it may increase your chances of acceptance in that you're showing an interest in the school early on- this may become a bigger boost if you're applying ED, which I recommend for someone genuinely positive about Swarthmore.
There's a lot of argument as to whether 'competition' from the same school lessens one's chances of acceptance. They supposedly look at every application individually, but since applicants from the same school are judged by the same person and share a standard of comparison, it's a little naive of me to say they don't compare. But there are no such thing as quotas- many high schools send multiple students to Swarthmore the same year. So, if I were you, I wouldn't worry about other people applying to Swat, but about my own application. At this point, you can't do much about grades, so do your best with the essays. The 'Why Swarthmore?' essay is very important.
Good luck and hope to see you at Swat next year!</p>

<p>I applied to the Discovery Weekend, but I haven't received any notification. I gave my info to the guidance office to have my officer sign it, and I have them the self addressed stamped envelope to send it. I just wonder why I haven't received a spot telling me "You're in" or "Sorry, can't take you". I really wanted to see Swarthmore. I guess I can because I'm in PA, but I turned down other things so that I could go to this. Sorry, this doesn't answer your question.</p>

<p>itsrainingpants: Thank you very much for your prompt reply. You've alleviated some of my fears. I will definitely apply ED. I have another question, though.. does the ED decision deadline (Nov. 15) regard the date that they receive it or the date that it is postmarked? This is important to me because I return from the Discovery Weekend on that very day.</p>

<p>Why don't you give them a call? Or send Suzi Nam and email.. she's pretty good about replying, even if late.</p>

<p>I think it is the postmark deadline, commongi. But I would turn it in earlier if I were you.</p>

<p>Commongi, it is the postmark deadline. I called the admissions office.</p>

<p>Wow! Thanks for your help, achat. Everyone on this forums is so friendly!</p>

<p>Why would you turn it in earlier?</p>

<p>Well, I am one of those parents....like things done before deadline. I go to the airport 3 hours in advance of an international flight. So just do whatever you want to - ignore me. I have the blessing of having a laid-back son too! :)</p>

<p>Commongi, I just thought I'd mention that the Swarthmore Supplement (with or without the Why Swarthmore essay) has a "preferred" deadline of November lst, just to help the office get started with paperwork. And, FYI (,sorry if you've read this before),
the Admissions office told us to add a line with a parent's signature if applying early decision. There's no such line on the form but they suggested to do it yourself "just in case."</p>

<p>Hey! I'm going to Discovery Weekend!</p>

<p>For those of you attending Discovery weekend-
Are you staying over saturday and sunday night? or just saturday night?
I signed up to host two specs and they're arriving on Saturday...I thought people are coming friday. Can anyone clear this up for me?</p>

<p>Hey...</p>

<p>Most of us are arriving on Saturday afternoon and leaving on Monday afternoon. I have heard of some with special arrangements that are arriving today, though.</p>

<p>agree with commongi...do you guys know where we're sleeping? in our host's room?</p>

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<p>Yes, that would be the normal way. I know my daughter and her roommate have two "specs" arriving on Saturday. One is arriving at 8:00 in the morning after a red-eye from California. My daughter said she's going to go meet her in her pajamas and head back to the dorm for a nap.</p>

<p>hmmm...i think my host is a guy...could be a problem</p>

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<p>I wouldn't worry about it. There are so many "specs" descending on Swat tomorrow that hosting is essentially a campus-wide affair. Most likely, there will be many "specs" hosted by many students in your dorm. They can mix 'n match to get you an appropriate room to sleep in. My daughter's floor has 8 freshmen guys and 8 freshmen girls who all run in a pack, so handing you off to a girl host would be no big deal.</p>

<p>I don't think that they would intentionally match up a girl spec with a guy host. So, if you don't want to work it out informally in the dorm, just speak up when you arrive. They are using the "Sushi Bar" in the New Science Center as a meeting spot and people from the Admissions Office will surely be there. Trust me, the host matching will be a very loose affair with plenty of opportunities to work things out!</p>

<p>Daughter came home from the weekend last night. She had a great time and is very excited about the school. She likes the intellectual environment and says the students are intellectual without being excessively introverted or odd. Said all the students were very warm and would sit down with her uninvited as soon as they spotted her maps and other indications of spec-hood. She enjoyed the luncheon where the faculty served the students and the other functions. She met the boy who sued Diebold and spoke to many students who worked hard to get out the vote in Philly and at the neighboring colleges. She really liked the fact that many students are activists and do more than moan about social ills. Her only regret was that she only had time to sit in on half a class due to the need to leave for the airport. So far, her favorite schools are two that don't give merit scholarships--guess we have some serious soul-searching to do about the value of this type of education vs. the debt. Increasingly feeling that the experience might be worth the cost. She still has a visit to Chicago and to Kenyon to go. I am so glad she is getting the opportunity to give each school a good look.</p>

<p>Hi all!
Well apparently I'm writing a year after you guys but since you partook in Discovery Weekend I'm seeking your assistance. I emailed the office of admissions about receiving an application for the October 22nd, 2005 Discovery Weekend. She asked for my name, ethnicity, school, etc. in order to put me on the mailing list for the app. I provided her with the information, however I just received the Swarthmore college bulletin for the 2004-2005 school year, which has information regarding classes but nothing whatsoever regarding the Discovery Weekend. Did you receive the bulletin first last year or should I assume that I was sent the wrong thing and contact the admissions board again?</p>

<p>Hey mama...</p>

<p>I think you got the wrong one.</p>