I keep reading about the difficult academics at Swarthmore, and I am interested in understanding what that means. Can a student or parent tell me what this translates to in terms of typical homework hours per week? She is currently interested in Chemistry or engineering.
My only reference point is DD1 who is currently in a CS program and reports 40 hours of homework on an average non-test week plus another 20 hours of classes, recitation, and labs, so about 60 hours per week total. Is the workload more than that?
I believe that both of my Swat graduates have told me that you need to expect 4 hours of work for every hour the class meets. So, a typical class which meets 3 hours per week would require 12 hours of work outside class time. Does this make any sense? The workload is intense for serious students. Yes, there are some students at Swat who care less about their “homework” than some.
So, if a typical student takes 5 classes for 15 hours per week in class, that would be another 60 hours per week out of class, for a total of 75 hours per week?
That seems like a lot to me. DD2 would be coming as an athlete, and I don’t think that she could handle that plus her sport. I think that would be okay occasionally, but not every week.
A typical student does NOT take 5 classes. 4 is the normal load, and what the vast majority of students take. My son is a freshman, and while when we call him at random times he is often either working on a lab with someone, or walking from the library, or about to go study, he sounds relaxed and unstressed. You don’t go to Swat if you aren’t planning on working more than playing, but the work is manageable.
Okay, that is helpful. So 4 courses, times 15 hours per week is about 60 hours per week on an average non-test week. That sounds a little better, but still sounds like a lot to me, if I add another 20 hours per week for her sport.
Essentially I want to find a school where she has rigorous and challenging academics, but retains an ability to achieve some level of balance with athletics, and positive social development. A place where she is not only getting a great education and working hard, but also is also having a positive college experience and likes her school.
In your experience, are most Swarthmore students are able to achieve this type of balance, or do they graduate thinking that they have a great education, but they were under so much pressure that they were not really able to enjoy it?
I see it as 4 courses (3 hours per course) times 12 hours per week=48 hours. In any case, sometimes it’s less per week, sometimes it’s more. Rigorous and challenging academics? Check. Ability to have a positive college experience? Check. I have a small sample size of two. S1 was in the Honors Program, the musical director of an a cappella group, heavily involved in a religious organization, volunteer work and I’m sure I’m forgetting something. S2 was a double major in the Honors Program, played a competitive club sport (they traveled as far as the midwest, the deep south-ugh! to the travel), a cappella group, volunteer work, tour guide, T.A. for a science discipline, etc. I can’t say that either of them got enough sleep in general, but they also had time for a social life. It’s doable. You have to put your priorities in order.
@momof3sons
Okay, so the 4 hours per includes three hours of homework and the hour of class? That seems better. I thought it was 4 hours of homework plus the hour of class.
OK, not sure if my math is making any sense at all-it’s far from my strong suit, LOL-but I was thinking of 4 hours for every 1 hour they spend in class so for 4 courses of 3 hours each, that would be a total of 12 hours a week in class. Then 4 hours of work X those 12 classroom hours =48 and add back in the classroom hours =60. Sometimes definitely more, sometimes less. One graduated a number of years ago and one is a very recent graduate. I’d say they were generally happy and generally sleep-deprived. They could have gotten more sleep but then they would have had to cut down on extra-curricular activities which they chose not to do. S2, in particular, eventually had to give up one or two EC’s that he was particularly interested in, just because he realized that in college you just can’t do everything. I don’t want to give any more identifying info about him to protect his privacy, but suffice to say that he was heavily involved in a number of things.
Ditto on the happy and 4 years of often being sleep deprived for my 2 graduates. Though part of the sleep deprivation comes from wanting to do extra curriculars and having a social life in addition to their academics.
As a current student let me add in some more input. Homework load varies. It depends on major, it depends on the week, it depends on how seriously you take your classes. Coming up with a rough hour estimate is almost useless because people work at different speeds. I know if I really focused on all of my work and didn’t check Facebook/Twitter/Huffington Post/NYT/other websites constantly while working, I can finish my work in no time. That being said, Swatties love talking with other Swatties and often talk for a long time about a problem session or reading they really enjoyed.
I think Swat has been a great place for me in terms of balancing academics, my extracurricular workload (which is upwards of 20 hours a week, like athletics), and social life. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, but my friends at other colleges feel the same. Let your daughter feel out each college during the tour because it will be her, not you, spending the next four years wherever she chooses. Let me know if you have any other questions!
