<p>I was absolutely shocked when I got my letter! I thought it was some sort of notification for an incomplete application. Swarthmore is definitely my first choice but I really didn't think they would take me, so I was absolutely floored.</p>
<p>Are internationals notified online or do we have to wait for the letter to come through mail?</p>
<p>are early write acceptances reserved for the top of the applicant pool?</p>
<p>t-rex,</p>
<p>Early acceptances are usually sent out to students that the colleges want to attract because they fill some sort of niche (athletics, special talent, underrepresented group, etc.). Typically they are students that the colleges believe are desirable and who will be accepted at other schools as well. By sending an "early" letter it sends the student a strong message that they are welcome and wanted at the institution. </p>
<p>At the time of deciding who to admit, the schools are on the driver's seat. Then the tables get turned and students with multiple acceptances are in control. Since the schools want to maximize their "yield" they use various tools to ensure that they will have a balanced group of freshmen who will come in the Fall.</p>
<p>Do not despair if you did not receive one of the letters. They DO NOT go out to the majority of admitted students. In fact, Swarthmore makes it a point of asking students who receive these letters to please refrain from sharing the news so as not to make everyone else feel badly.</p>
<p>I second Dramatica's post. I suppose I got an "early write" back in March, 1976.... I was actually being recruited for the football team! We didn't have that phrase back then, to the best of my knowledge.</p>
<p>I also second Dramatica's post about not telling others. That is very much Swarthmore.... you never knew how anyone did on a test, or paper or final grade.... unless you were a very good friend and discussed that information. I believe this aspect of the culture remains to this day and mitigates against the type of competition you might find at some other schools. At Swat, you simply assume everyone is smart and talented and grades are actually a bit beside the point. Not that getting an "A" was easy.... though when I applied to law school, I found out that most top law schools added .3 to a Swat GPA to level the playing field with the likes of Harvard, Yale and Princeton where grade inflation was then rampant.</p>
<p>Since my D is applying this year, I have been in touch to some extent with admissions (a privilege they extend to alums) and have learned the majority of RD acceptances will be going out "the last week of March." They won't give me anything further, even though I asked!!</p>
<p>"In fact, Swarthmore makes it a point of asking students who receive these letters to please refrain from sharing the news so as not to make everyone else feel badly."</p>
<p>Dramatica, thanks for posting this. There is something about these early writes that has bothered me, although I honestly could not say before reading your post that it was anything more than anxiety that one of these letters has not shown up in our mail box. But as you and SwatGrad point out, Swarthmore is supposed to be a pretty egalitarian place (I know someone who graduated in the early 1990s, and the student dorms then did not have telephones--just one or two phones shared on each dorm floor--which the administration apparently explained as being part of the Quaker egalitarian tradition.). Are there students who are really so special that they should be admitted early?</p>
<p>Edited to say that my annoyance might still be nothing more than sour grapes, but I think it is still an interesting question whether this practice fits with the general Swarthmore culture.</p>
<p>Bragging about accomplishments, posting grades, SATs etc, saying I wrote great essays or have great recs or ECs would be seriously uncool at Swarthmore and anyone with such predilections would learn quickly to refrain from such impulses. Truthfully, I am shocked so much of that goes on at CC.... all it really accomplishes is to make people nervous and feel bad and what's the point, the whole process is already way out of control.</p>
<p>Swarthmore really stands above the norm in so many ways. Anyone lucky enough to be admitted and choosing to attend is in store for an awesomely life-changing experience. Of this there is can be no doubt.</p>
<p>ETA: if you're the type of person that feels the need to brag, or to be constantly comparing yourself to others, maybe take Swat off your list. You won't fit in.</p>
<p>I can understand the excitement of posting your stats on CC upon receiving an early acceptance to a school like Swat, though! </p>
<p>I mean, come on, these kids just got accepted into one of the most prestigious schools in America! I would expect most people to cut them some slack because, after all, all things are good in moderation, and gloating is no exception :]</p>
<p>Dear Deferred: Please reread. Got to be cool, man.</p>
<p>I'm not sure I follow your remark..</p>
<p>You'll figure it out one day.</p>
<p>MathildaMae,</p>
<p>Swarthmore IS very egalitarian and the students tend to be very down to earth, caring and humble. Talking about SAT scores, grades and accomplishments is very UnSwarthmorean as SwatGrad has pointed out. </p>
<p>I agree with SwatGrad that there is way too much bragging on cc and frankly it sickens me when some posters put others down. Thankfully, Swarthmore is pretty good about selecting students and since the school does not share the same level of name recognition as Ivies, the students tend to self-select, so hopefully the bragging types will not end up there. It amuses me when people ask about my kids. My oldest graduated from Brown undergraduate and Columbia graduate; my d is a freshman at Swarthmore. I get OOHS and AAHS on my son and blank stares on my D followed by where is that. I sincerely hope that it stays that way so that Swarthmore can keep the culture that it has had and not get overrun by name dropper, designer label conscious wannabes. </p>
<p>I understand your frustration in learning that others are receiving letters already. It is not that these students are more special. It is simply that Swarthmore, like all the other schools, is trying to recruit a well rounded class and certain types of students or talents are more scarce than others. On a given year the orchestra may need a tuba player so it could be a tuba player receiving an early letter. As Swatgrad has shared with us, he was a football player and he received one. However, I would bet that not all the football players received one. He probably brought something to the team that made him desirable that year. </p>
<p>Hopefully, your mailbox will contain an offer of admission and I will keep my fingers crossed for you.</p>
<p>Dear Swatgrad,</p>
<p>When I made this thread, I did not have the intensions of trying to brag to people over the internet who don't even know me. At least for me, when I was applying, I found it helpful when people who were either accepted or rejected to post their stats because I at least knew how my chances were, even though the stats that people post are very crude compared to what the admission officers consider in their decisions as you pointed out when students say their essays were "awesome" or "great". When I posted my stats, which are nothing to even brag about compared to some of the incredible students on CC, I was just trying to return the favor to students in the past who were considerate enough to share their own academic accomplishments with me and anyone else who looked on these threads as a reference point on what helps them get into Swarthmore, seeing as this is one of the best liberal arts schools in the world. I apologize if I came across as an arrogant pompous person who felt the need to get approval from people on CC. I had no intension of that whatsoever. Students such as myself who were accepted were just very excited about the news and wanted to share it with other people who I would hope to assume would be also be excited for us. It can come across as immature but I sincerely felt that, although posting stats can make other students stress out, it is more helpful to set a reference point for other students who will be applying in the future.</p>
<p>PKWsurf21</p>
<p>PKWsurf21,</p>
<p>If you are sincere when you state that your stats "are nothing to even brag about," (and I believe that you are) then your statement is a perfect example of the absurdity of the practice of posting scores. So if you are not being disingenuous when you state that 800, 710 SAT's, 7 IB and 5 and 4 AP scores and Intel Siemmens semi-finalist, among others, "are nothing to even brag about," it sadly shows a total disconnect with reality and the reason so many young adults are stressed to the point of making themselves sick and burning out before they even get into college.... </p>
<p>Oh how I wish that we could return to a time before senseless college rankings and odious standardization.....</p>
<p>Anyway congratulations on being admitted into Swarthmore and for offering an explanation showing that you did not intend to brag.</p>
<p>To the rest of you reading these boards and hoping to attend college, do not allow yourselves to become intimidated by all the high scores posted on these boards, some are authentic, many are not. (CAVEAT: I am most definitely not saying that PKW's are not) - - Most importantly, remember that many colleges, Swarthmore included, do look beyond the numbers....</p>
<p>What Dramatica said.</p>
<p>What Dramatica said, and SwatGrad seconded.</p>
<p>Dramatica and SwatGrad,</p>
<p>I understand your argument and I guess I have to agree with you. I am sorry if I have caused any undue stress on applicants who have seen my stats and I will refrain from posting them on other threads from now on. I was trying to be humble with my words but apparently I came across as pompous and arrogant. I am sorry. The only reason I did that was because I have seen on numerous threads people asking accepted students to post their stats as a reference point for the future. But although some may want to see the stats, I'm sure not everyone does so that was not considerate to those prospective students. Having gone through the application process myself, I see how that can make people fret for no real reason. And as you stated, Swarthmore does look past the numbers and looks at the overall image of the applicant. That is one of the many qualities that makes Swarthmore so great. So from now on, on this thread, lets all just try not to post those stats to make stress where it is not needed. and Good Luck to all the other applicants!!!</p>
<p>Sincerest apologies,</p>
<p>PKWsurf21</p>
<p>PK:</p>
<p>There's no need to apologize or feel bad. College Confidential is not Swarthmore. Posting "stats" is certainly an accepted practice at CC. You'll have plenty of time to figure out Swarthmore's culture.</p>
<p>Swarthmore admissions certainly looks at stats. Especially class rank and overall high school transcript, which IMO is the single most important consideration in Swarthmore admissions.</p>
<p>I don't think SATs count for much, if only because most the applicants have test scores that won't keep them out if the admissions office finds something else intriguing about the student.</p>
<p>I have followed the "stats parade" of Swarthmore applicants here for several years now. I don't find them to be very predictive of who gets accepted or not, unless the stats are extreme outliers in either direction. I find that it is more informative to go straight to the ECs and try to see if there is something particularly interesting or that would push a hot button at Swarthmore. I don't mean to suggest that stats don't matter, but rather that most of the applicants to Swarthmore have stats that are "good enough", so they don't tend to be determinative.</p>
<p>BTW, I would have pegged you as a very sollid Swarthmore applicant. Your class rank in a large high school is very strong, especially for a guy. You are an Asian American student who might play a varsity sport. You've got the Intel science thing. And without knowing the details, it appears that you are actively involved in community service. Those would all be positives in a Swarthmore application.</p>
<p>I think that if you want to post your stats you should go right on ahead and post them! </p>
<p>One person's condemnation of what you do doesn't make it wrong.</p>
<p>I received an early write acceptance letter from Swarthmore por political science/pre-law and was also granted admission to Cornell's ILR program. Obviously this thread may be a little biased ;) but what are your thoughts on which program I should choose? Thanks.</p>