<p>I have been admitted to both lafayette and Swarthmore and I want to make sure that I make the right choice between the two. My intend field is engineering but it is not confirmed as I yet to test my passion in engineering. I aim to gain a broad range of knowledge and know really diverse and great group of people.</p>
<li><p>Swarthmore has a population of 1500 while that for Lafayette is 2000. Does population make much difference? Do fewer people indicate the kind of bore after a while?</p></li>
<li><p>There are quite a number of business courses in Lafayete. That said, it seems that Swarthmore is more idealistic and Lafayette is more worldly and practical place. Or does that really matter? Personally, I want to attain both practical skill/knowledge like that in business as well intellectually-stimulating environment. Does Swarthmore prepares a person well for dealing with a complex, commercial world?</p></li>
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<p>3.If you know much about both schools. Can you give comparison between these two schools in terms of intellectual atmosphere, if people are down-to-earth or arrogant and conceited? And how well do you think they prepare a person with an social-entrepreneurial mind.</p>
<p>Any comments will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.</p>
<p>Lafayette is one of several "mid-tier" LACs in Pennsylvania...along with Gettysburg, Dickenson, and the somewhat larger Lehigh University. They are all good schools, but not really in the same tier as Swarthmore in terms of admissions selectivity or financial resources. For example, Lafayette's 75th percentile SAT (1350 on the old scale) is the same as Swarthmore's 25th percentile). Swarthmore's per student endowment is more than 3 times the size of Lafayette.</p>
<p>Generally, these rural Pennsylvania LACs would be safety schools for people applying to places like Haverford or Swarthmore...or...many of them also offer big merit-aid discounts to high stat kids, so they can be a good lower-cost option. My daughter had planned to apply to Dickinson as a stone-cold safety (our state university really sucks and she wanted to make sure she got in somewhere, guaranteed), pretty much certain to get a fat merit discount as she was at the very top of their applicant pool. The people from her high school who go to these schools were decent students, but not in the top 10% of the senior class. The administrators and faculty at these schools would kill to have the resources of a Swarthmore or a Williams or an Amherst or a Smith. USNEWS has it about right, listing Lafayette and Bucknell in a tie for #27 on their LAC list. Good solid schools, but not creme de la creme.</p>
<p>As for campus culture, these schools will, as you point out, be somewhat more vocationally geared -- offering more "business" courses instead of "economics" and the like. They tend to be less academically oriented and have quite heavy frat-boy drinking scenes compared to Swarthmore. They are, to some degree, viewed as party schools for good, but not great, students from northeastern suburbs. Lafayette, Lehigh, and Bucknell are interesting because, like Swarthmore, they offer engineering programs in a smaller college format. It must be a Pennsylvania thing because it's quite rare.</p>
<p>One huge difference is that these schools can't afford diversity. So, Lafayette is 85% white US citizens compared to 62% at Swarthmore. Basically, they are "lily-white", which would be immediately apparent spending a few hours on campus.</p>
<p>Overall, I would say that Lafayette would be an excellent choice if you couldn't get into one of the absolute top LACs or if you are playing the merit-aid strategy.</p>
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Can you give comparison between these two schools in terms of intellectual atmosphere, if people are down-to-earth or arrogant and conceited?
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<p>From what I have seen, Swarthmore's student body is very down to earth. No display of wealth. In fact, that's considered uncool. There's a streak of self-deprecating humor that seems to run through Swarthmore. Very easy to make friends. Not cliquish at all. People tend to move among groups, pretty comfortably. There is no "theme" housing, either official or unoffical, so jocks live with geeks and so forth.</p>
<p>From what my daughter describes, the main exception to the down-to-earth standard are a few students who are quite full of themselves, intellectually. Love to hear themselves talk in class. Will debate at the drop of the hat. Every school has 'em. She says that she (and her friends) learned to not get stuck next to them at the dinner table...or they just start talking about hot celebrity guys. She joked about one kid in her freshman Physics seminar who kept trying to debate Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity with the professor, "yeah, like he's really gonna win that one....give it up."</p>
<p>swarthmore, of course. lafayette sounds like a city name in afganistan.
unless you cant stand being around smart people all the time, go to swat. lafayette is for losers, most kids at lafayette are top 10 lac's rejects. </p>
<p>lafayette vs swarthmore is like rutgers vs princeton?</p>
<p>interesteddad , thank you for your replies. I think I am pretty certain about the choice now. There is indeed time in a graduate school for me to gain the hands-on career knowledge, so for now, I am just gonna challenge my mind and build on my abilities to think critically and other personal qualities.</p>
<p>If you are having trouble deciding, go visit! </p>
<p>My daughter looked at both on the same college visiting tour and swat became her dream school where she is happily now attending. After visiting, she had zero interest in applying to lafayette, even as a safety.</p>
<p>From OP post on other Board: "About my personality: Definitely not into drinks and excessive parties. I like intellectual discussions, friendly interaction among students regardless of nationality. I think the people is one of the biggest factor in college decision . I will be socially active and try to know different people who are serious about their passions.I hope people are also interested in knowing others. I would like to travel and do new things and charter new areas."</p>
<p>From your description of your personality, you would be very comfortable at Swarthmore! Go for it.</p>