<p>I'm trying to decide between the two, and really can't. I'm a URM male whose taking a year off to teach next year, interested in education, medicine,and engineering, but leaning medicine. I'm afraid that I could never get the chance to go to Harvard again, if I don't go now, and I've hear iffy things about Harvard's undergraduate experience. help please?</p>
<p>If you haven’t already, visit both and see which is a better fit. Swarthmore would probably be more undergraduate focused (since it’s a liberal arts college), but that’s not to say that Harvard’s undergraduate studies aren’t very good as well. I’ve heard the same “iffy” things, and really I think the only way you can find out if those things are true or not is to visit.</p>
<p>I agree that you should visit both, making sure to talk to students at both, and then decide based on which experience you’d prefer. Both offer wonderful, but very different, undergrad experiences that would appeal to different types of students.</p>
<p>I’m at Davidson and I really love the liberal arts experience. Everything is close and personal. The emphasis is on learning, and not on getting a name-brand degree.</p>
<p>Swarthmore actually has a really cool pass/fail system. All first semester freshmen year classes are pass/fail, so there’s less pressure in the adjustment period.</p>
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<li><p>Harvard and Swarthmore are both great, in somewhat different (and somewhat the same) ways. If you really have the ability to choose between them, by all means visit and pick the one where you feel most comfortable. You can’t actually go wrong with either, so there’s really no pressure on your choice. And they are different enough physically that you should be able to tell instinctively which fits you best. With Swarthmore vs. Harvard, some of the biggest, most important differences are right there on the surface.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t believe the hype about the “iffy undergraduate experience” at Harvard. The vast, vast majority of Harvard students think that their undergraduate experience is the best around, and wonder how anyone with a choice could possibly pass it up. Even if you are really more of a Swarthmore kind of guy, but you wind up at Harvard – by mistake, or because you couldn’t let go of the prestige, or whatever – you would probably love Harvard. That doesn’t mean you have to go there, though.</p></li>
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<p>If you want to hobnob with snob kids, choose Harvard. However, Swarthmore is respectable in that respect as well.</p>
<p>Harvard engineering may not be a choice you might be happy with.
For medicine Harvard has an abundance of support mechanisms for
all levels of aptitudes. Some of the new concentrations should
have you practically salivating- HDRB, HEB & OEB.</p>
<p>Recently, I was talking to someone and came away with the impression
the Swarthmore setting was a happier one than Harvard from a grade
pursuit perspective. Every course in science seems to be curved and
there are a number of students who will skew the curve and make the
grade relatively harder to achieve at Harvard.</p>
<p>…and collegealum, I have given up on finding those snob kids after a year
…now I am going to have to look elsewhere to pick up an attitude ;)</p>
<p>Think about the opportunities available to a freshly-minted Harvard grad. Swarthmore is an amazing school, but Harvard has the best grad school placement and job opportunities on the face of the Earth. </p>
<p>Think about Harvard’s alumni, then think about the claim that it’s undergrad education isn’t amazing.</p>
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<p>This is generally true, but I think it’s important to point out that most classes are curved such that the average grade is a B or B+. And curving is never strictly set to a bell curve or anything like that - if the prof feels like students are really nailing the material, she’ll likely give out more As at the end.</p>
<p>I’ll sum it up: Today I walked in for a job interview. Resume reads “Harvard University”. Boom. Hired.</p>
<p>^ That reflects nothing about undergraduate experience. I think both schools try to build intellect in their students, and liberal education isn’t about getting a job.</p>
<p>I really like Swarthmore. The class sizes are usually small. The professors, for the most part, are good, but there are some horror stories. And some students are really obnoxious. But you can find a niche of students you’ll like. The food is average; sometimes it’s good, sometimes you feel like you’re either in the army or in prison. It’s mostly too greasy. There are pretty good reviews on u nigo .com. Swarthmore’s really liberal. One of the bad things about that is that there’s not enough diversity of viewpoints. If I really want to Harvard, I’ll probably apply there for grad school, but I’m sure you can get a great undergrad experience at either school.</p>
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<p>That’s because the alumni themselves were amazing and socially promiscuous when they were enrolled as undergrads.</p>
<p>People who want the best education don’t go to Harvard.</p>
<p>However, going there makes your life a lot easier in many respects (has utility besides impressing simpleminded people). And, a more comfortable and more worry-free life is highly desirable.</p>
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<p>Disagree, sort of. I think most Harvard students don’t get the “best education.” But it’s certainly possible to get a near-unparalleled education at Harvard if you choose the right concentration, choose classes wisely, and make an effort to get to know your professors.</p>
<p>That said, a very large portion of Harvard students take the path kwu alludes to, and concentrate in one of the less personal, less demanding concentrations to minimize the time they spend on classwork.</p>
<p>Do you think you’re someone who would carve out time for office hours, invite professors to dinner, and take harder, more interesting classes (even when your friends are enrolling in “guts”)? If you think you’d take these steps (and be honest!), the resources and opportunities Harvard offers (i.e. research, “brand name” professors, summer opportunities, grants, etc) are something that most LACs can’t provide.</p>
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<p>Sorry to say that this is not the case. My brother had a really hard time finding a job. You’ve got to get a good GPA as well.</p>
<p>If you want prestige (and a very good education), choose Harvard. If you want a great education and don’t need to have “Harvard” on your resume, choose Swarthmore.</p>
<p>Swarthmore is pretty darn prestigious…it’s one of the best LACs in the country. It’s in an entirely separate category.</p>
<p>^I don’t disagree. I think Swarthmore actually offers a better undergraduate education than Harvard. But only Harvard is Harvard – it has a bling factor that few other schools can match.</p>
<p>Please don’t go to Harvard for the “bling factor.”</p>
<p>Go to Harvard because you want to do research at the (world famous) HMS teaching hospitals down the road. Go to Harvard because you want Stephen Pinker to advise your undergraduate thesis. Go to Harvard because you want to take Greg Mankiw to lunch, and tell him why he’s wrong about the healthcare problem in the United States. Go to Harvard because you want your freshman roommates to make you feel both inadequate and inspired. Go to Harvard because you want the CEO of NBC/Universal to stop by and say hi while you’re working on your school newspaper and fill you in on his latest plans for Hulu.</p>
<p>Don’t go to Harvard because people in rural China will be impressed by your degree. Trust me, by the time you graduate, you’ll already be annoyed with the reactions.</p>
<p>People in positions of power (i.e. grad schools, employers) will see only a marginal difference (if any) between a Harvard and Swarthmore diploma. They will, however, be madly impressed by your “only at Harvard” accomplishments - if you take the initiative to do such impressive things during your four years at Harvard.</p>
<p>“I’ll sum it up: Today I walked in for a job interview. Resume reads “Harvard University”. Boom. Hired.”</p>
<p>No evidence that your being a Harvard grad was why you were hired.</p>
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<p>Agreed^. I was about to reply with a post like “Today I walked in for a job interview. Wore a blue shirt. Boom. Hired.”</p>