Diversity at Swarthmore?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
1

<p>So, it seems Swarthmore is a pretty racially diverse school... </p>

<p>How much does having a diverse background help in applying to Swarthmore? I understand that it's a pretty self-selecting school, and they really do have the freedom to pick and choose who they want to accept, but how far would the AdCom go to achieve affirmative action? Do they accept students with lower standardized tests/GPA just because of their ethnicity/background?</p>

<p>I know most liberal arts colleges do lack the diversity that Swarthmore has, so I'm just wondering if Swarthmore is unlike other LACs in the sense that they don't lower there standards for URMs or if they do?</p>

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<p>Your post is a bit unclear as if you are a URM yourself and asking. Don’t assume that URM’s at LAC’s get in just because. My daughter, who is a URM got into her school at the 75%. Most selective LAC’s have an abundance of high stat/achieving kids and I’m sure Swathmore is no different. That being said, being a URM would garner a second look at a suburban LAC.</p>

<p>Diversity is sought after at schools such as Swathmore, but you need to have the app to be competetive.</p>

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<p>URMs definitely do have an advantage at top LAC’s such as Swarthmore because not only is there a small amount of URM applicants, but also the yield rate is so low that these schools have to accept a higher number in hopes of creating a diverse student body.</p>

<p>Just take a look at the following numbers for African American acceptance rates:
<a href=“http://www.jbhe.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/enrollments-lib-arts.png[/url]”>http://www.jbhe.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/enrollments-lib-arts.png&lt;/a&gt;
Only but so many apply and to top it off only 23% even decided to accept their acceptance.</p>

<p>Now to ask do they lower their standards? No I don’t necessarily think so, because as you pointed out, it is definitely a self-selecting pool. Not everyone is aware of Swarthmore and just won’t apply on a whim like they would for HYP. </p>

<p>So to put it briefly, yes, there is a small advantage being a URM but don’t count on crappy grades to get you in.</p>