<p>So I am hopefully visiting swarthmore at the end of october and my parents have been on my back to find other schools nearby to visit. given that I want a small to medium sized college or university, rigorous, fun, etc. where would people recommend as easy to get to on a two to three day trip?</p>
<p>Haverford, about 20-25 minutes away, would be one obvious possibility. It's a bit smaller than Swat and would fit your other criteria, too. We need to know a bit more about you and what you are looking for, where you are traveling from, etc.</p>
<p>I am traveling from Madison, WI. I am a pretty competitive student admissions-wise, intellectual I would say, looking for a "typical" college experience that's a little more towards the books than the beer. Possibly political science as a major but I want flexibility in case I change.</p>
<p>Right now I am looking around at Haverford, Princeton, Georgetown, and someone mentioned Penn but it seems less appealing to me. Princeton actually does too as it seems a little richer than I would like.</p>
<p>Richer as in wealthier? I'm not sure what you mean...Does a school's wealth bother you?</p>
<p>Haverford and Bryn Mawr are right next to each other about 20 minutes right up I476 from Swarthmore. Both are quite similar to Swarthmore in major respects.</p>
<p>UPenn is an urban campus about 25 minutes from Swarthmore, either by car or by communter train connecting stations on both campuses.</p>
<p>Princeton is maybe 45 minutes to an hour from Swarthmore, either by train or car.</p>
<p>You can get to NYC, Baltimore, or DC by train in under two hours. So, if any schools in those areas interest you, they would be very easy to add to the itinerary. If you are driving, you might want to consider Vassar. It's probably a two to three hour drive from Swarthmore (depending on traffic). Vassar is a pretty popular choice on lists with Swarthmore. Similar in some ways although Vassar is a bit bigger.</p>
<p>thanks! </p>
<p>yes i do mean richer as in wealthier (the students --- i am fine with a big endowment! ;). i don't want a "prep school" type atmosphere.</p>