I would definitely try to see both if you can. While I think that Swat’s a better choice overall, you need to see which resonates with more.
At this point it’s disappointing but it’d be icing on the cake with the acceptances you already have. 
Gah! I’m surprised and a little bummed that at least one of Pitzer/Scripps didn’t come through for you. Although I’ll admit that I was a little pessimistic that the aid would be competitive with Swat’s, even if you did get in. (Neither Scripps nor Pitzer is a no-loan school.) Welll… you can only go to one college, and I don’t think I would really have lobbied for either Scripps or Pitzer over Swarthmore for you (though I might have over Colby) , even if the costs were comparable.
Looks like Rice comes out on Friday, so I still have a horse in your race! 
@Kelvin82 remind us which schools you’re still waiting for? I believe a few ivies and some others?
You may need to save some time to visit some other schools …
@GnocchiB I am waiting for Carleton, Rice, Wellesley, Amherst, UC Berkeley, Dartmouth, Yale, UPenn, and Princeton.
Can you wait to hear from all of them before scheduling your Swat/Colby trips?
@GnocchiB - She won’t know about Yale, Dartmouth, UPenn, or Princeton until the end of March.
I think that she should just go ahead and make plans and change them accordingly if she needs to
@LoveTheBard @GnocchiB I asked Swarthmore and Colby’s admission offices, and they said that they would allow me to wait until all my decisions were in before making plans. I am grateful that they are so understanding.
For this week’s Four Days of College Decisions, I received my confirmation of my acceptance into UCSB and their College of Creative Studies, and was waitlisted at Wellesley. Starting to become a wee bit disheartened by the stream of waitlists.
@Kelvin82 That’s good to hear about Swat and Colby – I’d like to think that most schools will work with accepted students in terms of making it possible for them to visit.
There are a lot of results that are making me shake my head in disbelief – one student I’ve been working with just got into Pitzer but was waitlisted by Scripps and rejected by Occidental. You got into Swarthmore but were waitlisted by Grinnell and now Wellesley. Aside from yield protection, it makes no sense.
@Kelvin82 as much as it stinks to be WL’ed and rejected, the fact that you have some terrific acceptances along with those WLs and rejections means you made a great list. You chose safeties and matches and reaches, and i think you were very thoughtful about which ones you applied to. I know it’s hard but try to breathe and begin to think about which of the fabulous schools that have not only accepted you but made it financially possible for you to attend you will be able to visit, and have to choose between, over the coming 6 weeks or so.
Sometimes WLs and rejections help - how would you ever choose among so many schools if you got into all of them?
Well said, @OHMomof2 - there’s a reason why they call these “lottery schools.” (Your experience also highlights why it’s irresponsible for folks on CC and elsewhere to call any school that accepts ~30% or less a “safety.”) For an “unhooked” applicant, you are getting fantastic results - and all those waitlist offers validate how qualified you are.
Congrats on CCS - that’s such a cool program, and it’s too bad that it isn’t more financially competitive, but of course you already know that turning down a debt-free education from Swat/Colby in order to take on debt for any UC program makes little sense. Sorry about Wellesley - I know that’s one you were hoping to have as an option.
Still, I second the statement that while getting into all these schools would be exhilarating, then what?!? In Swarthmore, you have what amounts to a dream offer at a tippy-top tier school; whether you end up with Ivy options or not, none of them has an academic reputation that exceeds Swat’s. Your “worst case scenario” is already the proverbial brass ring. I hope you get some more exciting offers, but even if nothing else were to come through, you’d be golden… so hopefully you can savor the anticipation without fear.
So… Amherst, Carleton, USC and Rice by the end of the week, right? Fingers crossed!
and day three of college admissions continues with a waitlist from Carleton.
@OHMomof2 @aquapt I can’t express my gratitude enough. Thank you so much for helping me to keep things in perspective.
Ah, bummer. Welll… my Rice kid also got waitlisted by Carleton and rejected by Pomona before getting into Rice. Sending Owl vibes 
My D had, I think, 4 waitlists in her app year. And they weren’t the most selective schools she applied to - those were rejections and a couple were acceptances. She had great choices at the end, as you also already do.
But it still stung to hear no. So I am basically giving you the same pep talk I gave her because you remind me of her in some ways
Best wishes for today! When does this phase end for you so you can start “shopping” - when is the last school decision in? Ivy Day? When is that this year?
Received a white box from USC!!! @CADREAMIN but financial aid was not posted yet…
Waitlisted at Amherst
OMG! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! So happy! I knew you would get in!
C’mon USC! Financial aid posts on the 27th. You should post here and join in on the fun:
Isn’t it a beautiful package!!! Painful how they notify but so worth it if you get one.
What’s in the box? I think the swag changed a bit from year to year.
Yay! Congrats on USC!! It’s a great school that would be worth considering even if it weren’t nearby, but the fact that you may yet have a local option that’s financially competitive with your east coast offers is particularly excellent. It’s good to be able to weigh the pros and cons of being far from home, along with all of the other “fit” factors. Fingers crossed for a great FA package!
rejected from Rice
Thanks @aquapt @CADREAMIN @MYOS1634
The white box is indeed beautiful. Really pretty packaging. When you first open the white box, there is a red folder. Inside the folder is a certificate certifying and congratulating your admission to USC. There are three booklets. One of them is information about Explore USC, the second one is about residential life at USC, and the third one contains a low of information and a formal welcome to USC.
We have a few of those at our house and they are spectacular. Feels like you graduated before you start, lol. See what happens with aid and let me know if I can help in any way.