<p>I plan to fly into Philly next Saturday to tour UPenn, which sent me a likely letter last month. But I've also applied to Swarthmore and am excited about it still. I would like to stop by while I'm there, and I was wondering what the mode of transportation would be best. Train? Taxi? Bus? Or do all three modes have unique advantages and disadvantages (e.g., cost vs. time).</p>
<p>Thanks,
Denlah</p>
<p>I believe there is a train directly to SWARTHMORE. I’d call the school and find out which train to take. ask them how long it takes. The train is what many take to get into Philly from Swarthmore…so it may be a good way to learn about that aspect of the school?</p>
<p>^ Valid point. Swarthmore’s website also notes that a taxi ride to the school costs just $20, but then going back would cost, $40, no? For the taxi must travel from Philly to Swarthmore to get my parent and me, then travel back to Philly.</p>
<p>Media/Elwyn Line from 30th St Station to Swarthmore station - 25 minutes. You can walk to 30th Street Station from the Penn campus or take the subway/surface line. One train per hour one the weekends. Also note there is a train from the airport to 30th St. Station and Center City. If you’re going for the day or an overnight, I wouldn’t bother with taxis at all.</p>
<p>Take the trains–simple, cheap, and fast. Both schools have train stops right on their campuses.</p>
<p>Train from airport can take you to the University City stop–Penn-- then you can take the train from Penn to Swarthmore.<br>
Here is the schedule for the train from the airport to the University City stop: <a href=“Routes – Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority”>Routes – Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority;
Here is the schedule for the train from the University City stop to the Swarthmore stop: <a href=“Routes – Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority”>Routes – Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority;
<p>Enjoy your visits!</p>
<p>This is all great advice–take public transportation when you can! I recently took the train from NYC to Swarthmore for my tour and it was super easy. I took Amtrak from Penn Station to 30th Street Station and then SEPTA from there to Swarthmore. It took about 2 and a half hours, so not much more than driving!</p>
<p>Thanks all. I appreciate you. 
The links were especially helpful.</p>
<p>So I visited Swarthmore today thanks to the awesome advice you guys provided. I made my train with three minutes to spare, so thanks so much knowsafewthings for your train schedule–it let me know I needed to high-tail it.</p>
<p>Swarthmore was beautiful, so much prettier than Penn. But Penn had its owns claims to wonder, and I have no idea how I will choose between the two if I am fortunate enough to be presented with that dilemma. I will let you guys know what happens!</p>
<p>Hugs.</p>
<p>I have yet to commit to a school officially, but I am almost certain now where I will spend the next four years. After my Swarthmore visit I agonized over which path was better: the concrete jungle of a university with unbounded opportunity or the excellent professors and gorgeous campus at a small college in a quiet town.</p>
<p>My next stop on my college tour was Princeton, where it became clear that I could have both. Despite its size, it captured everything I loved about Swarthmore: the campus, the town, the teachers. Princeton is so focused on its undergrads that it actually gives them library preferences over its graduate students. But with the University comes many of the benefits that made me salivate at Penn.</p>
<p>I learned Thursday that Princeton has accepted me into its Class of 2018, and I am ecstatic. That I have to turn down excellent schools like Swarthmore in order to attend pains me, but I know that it is the right choice for me. My thanks go out to all the wonderful people in this forum who helped me discover Swarthmore and who, through their unwavering kindness and assistance, have shown me that they genuinely care both about the school and about me.</p>