<p>I go to a public school that's consistently ranked in the top 100 in the nation (It usually falls between 25 and 75) and offers a ton of APs. But we haven't had a student get into Swarthmore for the last 15-20 years (since my counselor has been there). Now, I don't know who exactly has been applying but my counselor told me that some of the applicants have been the very best students. We've consistently gotten students into such schools as Harvard, Yale, Standford. UChicago accepts quite a few students from my school. There are fewer applicants to LACs, but being an Ohio school, we always have a couple get into Oberlin and last year at least I know two got into Smith.
Swarthmore was one of the few schools sending me mail that stood out to me, so I don't want to hear that it has something against me because of which school I attend. They visited my school this year and they usually do so in the fall, so I don't think they could hate my school, but it sort of seems like they must for them to so consistently reject applicants. Have you ever heard of anything like this? Is it just chance that such a pattern showed up?</p>
<p>I figure at the very least that if I get rejected, I can blame it on this so I won't be as sad, haha.</p>
<p>Yes, of course Swarthmore has taken its share of students from the roster of top high schools over the years. And still does.</p>
<p>In recent years, however, Swarthmore's aggressive efforts to diversify have probably reduced the number from feeder schools. Less than 50% of the acceptance letters now go to white US citizens. That obviously has cut into the percentage going to affluent white suburban high schools.</p>
<p>Honestly, though... I think it is difficult to make generalizations about Swarthmore admissions. The numbers are so small that you can get major year to year variation. For example, one year you might get three acceptances from Newton North, the next year you might get none, and the following year nobody makes a serious application and then the fourth year, back to three acceptances.</p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that large numbers of acceptances at hoity-toit colleges from hoity-toit high schools are recruited athletes (who are almost universally white at these colleges). Swarthmore probably takes fewer recruited athletes from this types of high schools if only because they don't have a football team or an ice hockey team.</p>
<p>I have noticed that Swarthmore tends to enroll a lot of students from high schools serving other top LACs and universities, like Greylock HS in Wiliamstown or the high school in Clarement CA. It appears to be a bit of a magnet for college professor kids.</p>
<p>Bottom line: I can't imagine your high school getting you into Swarthmore or keeping you out of Swarthmore.</p>
<p>I agree with interesteddad. Looking at the students and high schools (look through the sports rosters, as an example), and you see a wide range. My son came from a high school that had never sent a student to Swarthmore, was totally unknown to his interviewer, and which sends maybe one student to an Ivy or top tier school only every couple years. If there's alot of influence from the guidance office on activities or places to apply, that may be a factor (this is not a negative comment - I would have welcomed a more engaged guidance department in the college selection process for my children - they just aren't staffed to do so). For schools like Swarthmore who select a diverse student body, your application really has to be the ambassador for you, portraying why you are a good fit.</p>
<p>I find this thread kind of funny due to the "feeder school" phrase/question. S2 was accepted to Swarthmore and will start in the fall. He is from a very poor very small rural Upstate NY high school. Last year, this same high school also put a student into Swarthmore. So, I guess, this poor, rural, small high school can be considered a feeder school to Swarthmore. I am being more tongue in cheek in case you couldn't tell. I think that Swarthmore really prides itself on diversity and letting two country bumpkins in proves that (and I mean country bumpkin in a good way).</p>
<p>No - country bumpkin = small town, honest, caring, non-jaded, lover of the outdoors, fresh air smelling, hard working country person. You should try it sometime Duhvinci, a few days in the country tend to mellow a person. We must be doing something right since our high school classes are about 50 grads a year and we have now put two in Swarthmore the last two years. Maybe it is just the water. =)</p>
<p>I did end up getting into Swarthmore, even with an Early Write. But I also went to their diversity weekend, and, as I’ve learned from FB, a ton of us got EWs.</p>
<p>I only know two others who applied at my school. Both were waitlisted. I’m not surprised by one. He didn’t want to go, and applied (late) because his father encouraged him too. So, even though he’s a great writer, his essays likely lacked passion.
But the other one is a great writer, into the school, has a 2390 on the SAT, won Teen Jeopardy, has good longtime ECs, is ridiculously intelligent, is nice, is held in the highest regard by the one rec writer of hers of whom I know, and is a natural leader. Everyone at school was a little surprised.</p>
<p>Cool, Millencad! See, somebody from your high school did get into Swarthmore.</p>
<p>My daughter’s public high school was built in the 1950s. As far as we know, she was the first to ever get into Swarthmore from her school, maybe the first to ever apply. I think there’s now another at Swarthmore from her school.</p>
<p>My D attends a very large public high school in So. Cal and was accepted early write. I think maybe one other kid has even thought to apply to Swat from her school in the last five years.</p>
<p>My son was the last (and probably first) from his HS in the middle of NJ to go to Swarthmore. The HS is a little above average (the phrase reminds me of Prairie Home Companion :)) with kids who do get into Harvard and Princeton but not that many. We were very surprised at his getting in. We do have a good number of kids going to great colleges like JHU, Cornell, UPenn, CMU, UVa etc. from the HS but not a number that would jump out of the page. </p>
<p>I know of schools in Pakistan and India that are “feeder schools” for Swat. Meaning there is always one or two that get in and come to Swat every year from there. But they are in Pakistan and India and some of the kids are extremely extremely privileged. For example, my son had a friend whose family use to have lunch/dinner with Pervez Musharraf and his family. :)</p>
<p>I go to a small private school only about 40 min from Swarthmore. About 7 years back a girl from my school was the McCabe Scholar and eventually became a Rhode Scholar. Swat now usually admits at least one person from my school many of whom are unqualified.</p>
<p>My school, different from raiderade’s but the same geographical region (i.e. nearby), had its first McCabe scholar 4 years ago. They accepted four this year, which is unprecedented. So I guess we’re turning into a local feeder, like raiderade’s school and the local Friends school. We have long had a “feeder” relationship with Bryn Mawr and Penn, though not with Haverford.</p>
<p>Life is not fair…the whole “feeder school” concept sounds pretty phoney to me…If you want to do well in life, have a goal and work hard to define it.</p>