Hi! I’m looking to apply to Swarthmore but I’m concerned about the location. I really want to go to a nice college in a big city (upenn is too expensive). How often do Swat students visit Philly? Is there a bubble on campus?
UPenn is the same price. Swat is suburban. What do you want out of Philly?
Kids can go wherever, whenever, if finances and workloads allow. But I find more folks think kids go off campus more often than many kids actually do. It depends on your interests, the friendships you develop, and what’s available on or near campus. Swat is roughly 30 minutes from downtown Phila. That sounds easy.
The train runs from Philly to Swarthmore so traveling between the two is easy enough. But, as a previous poster said, whether one does and how often will depend on workload and finances. D is at Penn and has a friend who is a recruited athlete at Swat. Between her sport and workload, D’s friend never felt she had time to come to the city; D also felt pressed for time and never went to Swat either. Swat feels like a bubble but leaving it is possible with a little bit of effort.
Although, as others have noted, it’s very easy to get to Philly from campus, my Swat kid told me that most students rarely venture into the city. He and his friends went only once or twice a year.