Interested in learning about LACs. Chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
1

<p>I am a rising Junior. I am interested in exploring the possibility of Liberal Arts Colleges. I like the fact that there are small classes and a tight community. </p>

<ul>
<li>How does Swarthmore compare to Amherst and Williams?</li>
<li>How do the top LACs compare to the Ivies? In other words, what is the reputation of the top LACs in relation to ivies?</li>
<li>How is the science program at Swarthmore College?</li>
</ul>

<p>What are my chances to Swarthmore if I apply ED? RD?
What do LACs look at most in an application?</p>

<p>Is there anything I should work on to make my EC's stand out more?</p>

<p>Chinese Male (living in HK)
Lived in London for 3 years
Not Applying for Financial Aid </p>

<p>Projected Cumulative GPA (Unweighted) 4.0/4.0</p>

<p>SATs: 2100-2300 (Depending on how much I prep, probably 2200+ if I invest time)</p>

<p>APs (All 5s):
Microeconomics
Macroeconomics
US Government and Politics
Comparative Government and Politics </p>

<p>Calculus BC
Statistics</p>

<p>Biology
Chemistry
Physics B</p>

<p>Chinese Language and Culture</p>

<p>Senior Year APs:
Physics C
Environmental Science
Psychology</p>

<p>Self Study: Multivariable Calculus</p>

<p>Should I self-study APES and AP Psychology and take AP World and AP Human Geo even though I may not get an A in AP World? Should I take AP English if I know I will not get an A or a 5 on the AP Exam?</p>

<p>ECs:
Math and Science Center (Leader - 2 Years)
TA</p>

<p>Sports:
Tennis (Recreational - Twice a week)</p>

<p>Music:
Piano (10 years...dropped Freshman year - Should I include this and just say 10 years?)
Violin (3 years...dropped Freshman year - Should i include this and just say 3 years?)</p>

<p>Service:
NHS
Cheshire Home - Elderly Home for the Disable (Hong Kong Hospital Authority) (Leader)
Z Club (Director - 2 Years)
UNICEF
Heifer (Leader - 1 Year)
Interim (One week long school service trips - incl. India and South Africa)
Teach Elementary School Students English (Bring a class of Freshman) (Leader - 4 years)</p>

<p>Job Experience:
Kumon Instructor (After I completed the program in Freshman year) of English and Mathematics - Twice a week for 3-4 hours each time</p>

<p>Internship:
Summer after Junior year</p>

<p>Awards:
COMAP High School Contest in Mathematical Modeling (National Outstanding)
Mathematics Department Award
Science Department Award
Bausch Lomb Award (Possibly - Partial Scholarship for Rochester University)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Award ("")
AIME</p>

2

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I don’t know how Swarthmore compares to Amherst or Williams, but no liberal arts college can compare to the reputation of most Ivy League universities. A lot of people in the U.S. haven’t heard of Swarthmore. I think it’s much more known in the East Coast than in the West Coast. I’m from the West Coast and I hadn’t heard of Swarthmore until I started looking at which colleges I was going to apply to. Whereas everyone is familiar with Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, and other famous non-Ivy League schools like Stanford, Berkeley, and MIT. But I think that those people who have heard of Swarthmore think highly of it.</p>

<p>I’m a math major, and the math program is pretty good. I don’t think it’s amazing, but it’s not bad either. I know a lot of science majors (bio, chem, physics) and the science program, as I understand it, is quite strong. There’s a lot of student collaboration, student research, and students generally get into prestigious grad schools and medical schools. In that respect physics is very, very strong.</p>

<p>I can’t really tell you what your chances are, but based on a cursory glance and what you have down, I can say that your application will probably be much more impressive than mine was (I applied regular decision and got in). But then again the acceptance rates at most well-known colleges and universities have dropped significantly. But I’m sure you’ll get into somewhere really good.</p>

3

<p>Swarthmore seems a bit apart from Amherst and Williams. It’s technically outside of New England and not part of NESCAC (so athletics probably aren’t as big).</p>

<p>You could probably generalize a bit, but you’ll end up magnifying differences that aren’t so significant. Swarthmore is known for being intensely academic with a massive workload (but Williams and Amherst certainly don’t slouch academically). Swarthmore is called a “college with a conscience” (but Williams and Amherst certainly have students interested in social work).</p>

<p>Top LACs are much less name-brand than the Ivies. People who know higher education well will probably know them, but you’ll encounter a lot of “where?” or “I’ve heard the name, but…”. Or they’ll be mistaken for other schools (William & Mary, Hobard & William Smith, UMass-Amherst, Skidmore). If you’re not planning on staying in the US (or on the east coast, even), and name recognition matters to you, I wouldn’t suggest Williams, Amherst, or Swarthmore. Grad schools will definitely know them.</p>

4

<p>I disagree with some of the above. Swat/Amherst/Williams are easily on a par with the top ivies and academically more distinguished than most ivies. No question if you run in to the average Joe in the street and tell them where you go to college, you’re more apt to get a rise from the name impact of HYP. However, top professional schools and graduate schools are in no way more impressed by any other institutions in the country. A Wall Street Journal ranking of top feeder schools to a cross section of the most distinguished medical, law and business schools put all three of these top LACS in the top ten, above several ivies. That said, SWA are not interchangeable clones: W & A have a more active athletic scene, S is more socially active and overtly intellectual (and yet has some good teams). Try to visit.</p>

5

<p>Thanks! I enjoy athletics on a recreation level, but I am definitely not near a competitive level in any of the athletics. Are the people similar to me? Or do most people participate in a Varsity Sport.</p>

<p>What is the profile of the admission pools? Are they less competitive than Ivies?</p>

6

<p>The profile of the Swarthmore admissions pool is very strong, and not less competitive than many of the Ivies. Take a look at the common data set for 2010-11, page 6, for example, to see the SAT and ACT 25th-75th percentiles.
<a href=“http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/administration/ir/cds2010.pdf[/url]”>http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/administration/ir/cds2010.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If I recall correctly, the admissions stat for this past admissions cycle indicated a 15% acceptance rate. Many people say that Swat is a very self-selective school-many students are intellectually driven and I’ve heard one student describe the work as “soul crushing” Nonetheless, I have one son who’s graduated from Swat and one who will be a sophomore in the fall. They both have loved their time at Swat and they are very different kids, one a science major, and one a social science major, one who participates in a high-powered club sport, and one who would not think of participating in a sport.</p>

7

<p>I probably wasn’t explicit enough in just saying, “Grad schools will definitely know them.” You’re right that they are incredibly well-respected for grad school. Some grad schools weight a Swarthmore GPA, according to Swat’s Dean of Admissions.</p>

<p>The acceptance rates at top LACs are deceiving. Swat’s median SAT scores are slightly higher than Brown’s, but the acceptance rate is 15% compared to 9%. It is a tougher, though smaller, pool.</p>

8

<p>Self selection should not be underestimated. A different sort of “median” student applies to Swarthmore (or for that matter CalTech) than Brown or Penn ( or HYP for that matter).</p>

9

<p>The most important factor, IMHO, is to find a college that suits you. The top tier graduate schools are not necessarily more impressed by a degree from the Ivies than a degree from a highly selective LAC with a focus on education of undergraduates. A friend of mine works in admissions at Stanford business school, and she claims that an Ivy League undergraduate degree gives no advantage over an undergraduate degree from “lesser-known” colleges. As for SWA, my daughter just visited all three. Amherst seemed to suit her better–Swarthmore and Williams may suit others better. You need to visit them to really decide.</p>