Swarthmore Class of 2027 Official Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
21

Did they say how many apps received, and for how many spots?

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22

I don’t remember seeing the acceptance/application stats in the rejection letter, no. In fact, I’m pretty sure they weren’t there because if they had been, my son would have immediately calculated the acceptance rate lol :slight_smile:

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23

I wish they could say something.

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24

D was accepted. She was deferred ED.

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25

Son accepted to Williams and Amherst but waitlisted at Swarthmore. It was his first choice because of location and he wants to study math. He thought it was the strongest for that.

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26

I never looked at it too closely but I thought Williams would take that cake. Regardless, their Math Dept is outstanding. I’m am sure Amherst’s is great too. He really can’t go wrong with either school.

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27

Yes Williams has a wonderful math department. Swarthmore is the only one with engineering so it makes an interesting option. He is very appreciative of his options.

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28

Signed up just to say that we had exactly the opposite result - our son was accepted at Swarthmore and rejected at Amherst and Williams. Goes to show what a lottery this whole process is. Now awaiting Ivy Day but Swarthmore has a lot more of his attention


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29

This is definitely a roller coaster process! Congratulations on your acceptance. I really think our kids can’t go wrong with these choices. Swarthmore I think does need some research into fit. Just because is so small and the school spirit works in a different way that in your sports and Greek universities. Is supposed to be intense but collaborative, which is kind of how my son is anyway. I was a bit worried about finding balance in his daily life. My concern at MIT too. Quality of education for the undergraduates I feel could be even better than at some Ivyes in these small LACs.

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30

Fully agree - once we have all the decisions we’re planning campus visits. No substitute for going there and feeling the culture & vibe of the student body! Even the Ivies are quite different from each other, but my (overly hopeful?) belief is that most anywhere they go they’ll find their people. Just a matter of best fit. Hang in there for the remaining March weeks all


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31

We too are awaiting Ivy Day (Yale). But I think D23 would turn them down honestly now that she is in at Swat. Which schools are you waiting for?

32

I work at UVA. I have a number of friends/colleagues who are professors in History, Political Science, Religion, etc
they have said that all things being equal, they would accept the prospective PhD student from a top top LAC over an Ivy kid. They tend to agree that the LAC kids get a much better undergrad education
for what its worth


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33

I know when all is said and done with his acceptances I’m going to encourage him to look at the programs and go beyond name and prestige. If it was my choice I would definitely favor a LAC for undergraduate. Thanks for the perspective.

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34

In speaking with a few of the professors while our daughter was at Swat, one of them told a story of his son refusing to go to Swat because he was teaching there, even though he had told his son that he would have preferred to attend Swat (in hindsight, vs his undergrad at Harvard), and thought his son would enjoy it more.

The son went on to Harvard for a year and transferred back to Swat.

The father wholeheartedly embraced the Ivy’s for grad school
 his Masters and Ph.D. were from Yale
 but he believed that Swat was a better fit for him and his son.

One guy’s story, but it was reassuring for those that had options and took the LAC route.

35

Yep. For me it comes down to this
do you want to be taught by some of the best professors on the planet. Or
do you want to be taught by some of the best professors on the planet’s grad students.

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36

It looks like Swarthmore received nearly the same number of applicants as last year, and its acceptance rate in RD is the lowest among the top 3 LACs.

37

It’s not clear from the article whether 969 students were admitted RD (“Last week, letters of admission were sent to 969 prospective members of Swarthmore’s Class of 2027, among 14,287 applicants.”) or in total as the graphic at the bottom of the page indicates. FWIW, Amherst and Williams offer just one round of ED while Swarthmore has ED1 and ED2, which could make RD at the NESCACs slightly easier (LOL) but they’re all highly rejective schools by any calculation.

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38

Has anyone who’s child was accepted RD received anything in the mail yet? We have heard about their quirky mailers and have been anxiously watching the mailbox.

39

A few thoughts on the numbers:

  • I read the 969 and 14,287 as totals for the year.

  • Williams had ~3,800 less apps this year than last, Amherst down 2,100, and Swat down around 400. I have no idea why
but that’s gonna have an impact on the math.

  • I’m not gonna do the research, but the idea that Swat had ED1 and ED2, and the other two have only ED1 doesn’t mean that your ED chances improve at Swat. It might actually make ED at Swat harder, if they limit the size of ED1 awaiting ED2. There is also the reality that kids who ED1 at Amherst and Williams can ED2 at Swat
whatever that means.

There were some surprises in the Swat numbers (for me).

  • California had the most acceptances of any state. PA, NJ, and NY are usually the leaders.

  • The accepted kids from all 50 states, DC, and 5 territories.

  • They admitted kids from 6 Continents and 86 Countries.

EDIT: Just in case
 I got the 2027 and 2026 class info from another site.

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40

does anyone happen to know whether it is possible to get off the waitlist at Swarthmore? thanks a lot.

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