<p>Hi I just got an early write from Swarthmore. Originally, Swarthmore wasn't very high on my list, but seeing as this is my first official acceptance letter, I have been doing some significant research and now I am really starting to consider attending.</p>
<p>I just have a few issues. First off, I am planning on going to med school and grade deflaiton worries me. I know Swarthmore has a relatively high acceptance rate for med school and I've heard that med school adcoms are aware of Swats tough grading scale, but it still seems like top med schools really only value the numbers. I mean, would a 3.5 from Swarthmore really outweigh a 4.0 from another good college/university whose grading system is easier? (Provided they both include impressive MCAT scores) </p>
<p>Also, I know Swarthmore is only about 20 minutes from Philly and the city is pretty accesible, but honestly how is Swat socially? I'm not a huge partier, but I'd like to have the option. Does it get boring partying with the same people every week since Swat is so small? Does anyone ever venture to Penn, the party school, on the weekends? </p>
<p>Lastly, and I know its probably tough to generalize, but what would you say the dominant personality on campus is? </p>
<p>I just have a few issues. First off, I am planning on going to med school and grade deflaiton worries me. I know Swarthmore has a relatively high acceptance rate for med school and I’ve heard that med school adcoms are aware of Swats tough grading scale, but it still seems like top med schools really only value the numbers. I mean, would a 3.5 from Swarthmore really outweigh a 4.0 from another good college/university whose grading system is easier? (Provided they both include impressive MCAT scores) </p>
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<p>Also, I know Swarthmore is only about 20 minutes from Philly and the city is pretty accesible, but honestly how is Swat socially? I’m not a huge partier, but I’d like to have the option. Does it get boring partying with the same people every week since Swat is so small? Does anyone ever venture to Penn, the party school, on the weekends? </p>
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<p>Lastly, and I know its probably tough to generalize, but what would you say the dominant personality on campus is? </p>
<p>Duhvinci: Quite a few Swatties got 3.5 GPAs. I knew one with a 4.0 and a handful more with GPAs in the very high 3.9s in my class alone. And I certainly didn’t know the GPAs of most of my classmates, so there were probably quite a few more. A 3.5 is a bit higher than a B±-not an unreasonable average.</p>
<p>I guess this would vary based on major, however.</p>
<p>I won’t address the original question since it was addressed to students, but a 3.7 GPA did not make Phi Beta Kappa (top 15% of the class) in the Class of 2008, so at least 50 or so students had 3.7 or higher GPA.</p>
<p>I know what my daughter would say because I’ve heard her say it. If you are obsessed with GPA and don’t think that first-semester pass/fail will break you of that, then Swarthmore is probably not the right school for you. She says there are two kinds of students who shouldn’t go to Swarthmore: students who really don’t want to study hard and students who live and die by their GPA would fall apart at the seams if they ever got a B.</p>
<p>My child goes to Philadelphia often to see jazz or classical concerts, etc. with his friends. So it is easy to get back and forth for a change of scenery. Also, you can get away cheaply on the Bolt Bus to NYC, and you aren’t far from Baltimore or Washington, either, if you really want an adventure. Students also have their own parties aside from the school parties, and there are also events like plays and concerts on campus. That’s one good thing about Swat, you don’t have to spend much on your social life. </p>
<p>My kid says that the dominant personality type is “brilliant” and that he’s amazed at how many different kinds of intelligence people show. Also, that most people are passionate and intense learners, and full of quirky interests.</p>
<p>Speaking as a physician and parent of a Swat graduate, you should carefully consider your decision of attending Swat if you have your sights set firmly on medical school. Having known people who served on medical school admissions committees, there is no special adjustment given to students who graduate from “tough” undergraduate schools. This is an urban myth espoused by the uninformed. It is all about the numbers in order to get the invitation to an interview. Since medical school is in many ways a “trade” school, why not attend a well-respected state university and save your financial resources to try and defray the the 200k+ medical student loan debt that many face? If you decide to attend Swat and are still interested in medicine, you may want to be a “closet” pre-med and proclaim your interest in getting a phd instead of a md-more politically correct for the Swat community.</p>
<p>While Starch’s financial recommendation makes some sense to me, I really don’t get the PhD bit. I went into business of all things, and it wasn’t an issue at Swarthmore. There are more resources for people interested in non-profits or academia, for sure, but there isn’t anything that should make you lie about your interests.</p>
That’s ridiculous. Plenty of Swat students apply to medschools. There is premed advising, etc., and there is no reason at all to keep your plans secret.</p>
<p>My perspective is that of a family tha paid full retail for Swat. Swat may be a grat place if you really want to go into academia. Not such a good choice for medical school. So many other choices that would be easier on your gpa and budget.</p>
<p>A neighbor’s kid is woefully unhappy at Swarthmore (a parent got involved and pushed him to go), and he is a personable, outgoing kid. He thinks that the school is not very social (a comment echoed, identically, by a good friend’s cousin). He is trying desperately to transfer to his original first choice, which accepts no transfers until junior year. In the interim, he is muddling through and keeping his GPA as high as possible. To quote him: “a Saturday night social event is a study group, here.”</p>
<p>There are lots of parents on this board (and elsewhere, obviously) who could provide plenty of examples to the contrary: kids who get that there are numerous Saturday night social events that are emphatically not study groups, kids who are personable and outgoing and very happy there. </p>
<p>Swat is not for everybody, there’s no question about that. But it’s worth honing in on the fact that in the case you’re highlighting, SWHarborfan, the kid was pushed to enroll by his parents. That’s a recipe for unhappiness to begin with.</p>
<p>Just want to dd that my daughter goes to Swarthmore, is very outgoing (but not much of a “partier”), loves her friends and has a great time with them (on Sat nights and otherwise).</p>
that is an argument worth considering, unlike your statement that “If you decide to attend Swat and are still interested in medicine, you may want to be a “closet” pre-med and proclaim your interest in getting a phd instead of a md-more politically correct for the Swat community.”</p>
<p>While at Swat, S had a rule that he didn’t study from Fri afternoon until Sun. night (might have made exceptions when he had papers due). Did all of his classmates do the same? No, but he was quite successful academically doing so & if you’re not into weekend study groups, that’s not how you have to spend your time.<br>
He also made some very strong friendships at Swat that have lasted well past graduation.</p>
<p>Sounds like the SWHarborfan kid had to “settle for his safety” and, like many in his shoes, determined to be miserable about it. </p>
<p>I can say, quite confidently, that my daughter never spent a Saturday night at Swarthmore in a study group. She may have had some Thursday night study groups – before heading off to Pub Nite at 10 pm.</p>
<p>I feel that my daughter would strongly agree with Starch in one sense: Any high school senior who views his or her GPA four years down the road as the end all or be all of the college experience should NOT choose Swarthmore. Worrying about your GPA that far in advance is the antithesis of what Swarthmore is all about.</p>
<p>With all due respect, that is your opinion. I assume you speak from a background of having been a pre-med at a highly regarded LAC (perhaps similar to my experience)? I can personally recall many moments during my undergraduate experience when the pre-meds were only tolerated relative to the future PhD. Understandable given human nature. It wasn’t until my clinical years in medical school when medical students were finally able to escape the clutches of the PhDs that we were increasingly valued. IMHO. </p>