Their admission rate was still plenty low prior to the essay change. 2012-13 was 14.2%.
I’m not sure that you should equate a small difference in SAT scores with “more intellectual students.” My D was looking for an intellectual environment without the competitive nature that Swarthmore students have a reputation for and she thought that Haverford fit those requirements. I don’t think you can say that Haverford does not have “intellectual” students. I think Swarthmore draws more “competitive” students, and that’s not the right environment for everyone. Haverford is much more collaborative in nature and the honor code appeals to some kids and not others. Also, I think the two may be looking for different things as far as admissions goes.
They are working harder at Swat – there is a reason they have a snack break in the library at 11 every night. My D2 was admitted to Swat, and liked the serious academic intensity of the place (like UChicago and Harvey Mudd, other schools she was choosing among). She didn’t pick Swat, but there was no thought that the academic intensity was lacking. I didn’t pick up a tremendously competitive vibe compared to some schools, though – more a sense that students are so engrossed and focused on their own studies that they didn’t have a lot of time for anything else.
@intparent the next year was 17% and then they changed it and it became 12%. And they have had ED II for years which drops the acceptance rate. I’m not saying Swarthmore isn’t competitive to get into, but acceptance rate is a deceiving statistic that can be manipulated.
I think Swat had some bad publicity a couple years ago that affected their applications the next year. Possibly resulting in the change to the essay process to bring numbers back up. Hard to say what their policy will be going forward.
@intparent I think a lot of the “intellectualism” and oppressive workload at Swarthmore is urban myth, one that is very well nurtured on the internet. There is nothing in the statistics that suggests the students are different than its peer schools like Colgate, Haverford, Vassar, almost all the NESCAC schools and a few others.
I’m happy there is a snack break by the way.
I have two cousins who attended there, and my uncle was a prof at a nearby college. He described the Swat students as hollow-eyed with exhaustion, and he couldn’t understand why his sons wanted to attend there. I think students at other colleges like to imagine that they work as hard, but there are few colleges where they do. UChicago, JHU, and Mudd are probably the other top contenders for heaviest workload. No idea why you assume it isn’t true. My kid admitted to Swat chose one of those other hard-working schools, and was up until midnight doing problem sets during the week, and spending 12 hours a day studying on weekends her freshman year. There ARE schools where students work harder than most, and Swat is one of them. I know Haverford students are loathe to admit it, though.
Haverford students honestly don’t worry too much about the relative workload nor intellectualism of Swarthmore students. Honestly. 
@doschicos Haverford kids don’t nor do kids at other schools. I guess a certain type of kid is attracted to the Swarthmore “culture” and story.
Like I said, nothing in the stats suggests to me that the students are any different in terms of achievement or capability. The work load chatter is most certainly urban myth. I have heard this for years without any substantiation.
Perhaps the personality type attracted to Swarthmore is predisposed to believe the weight of the academic world is always on their shoulders. We have students like that in our family that are no more or less capable than the happy go lucky types.
Thanks you guys for all the information, it’s really helping me make a decision.
DS is a freshman at Haverford . He loves the community of people there and the self governing aspects of the school, and said that everyone is truly nice. His ED choice was Brown, and he was pretty devastated when he was deferred and then rejected. Last weekend he told me he’d had a nightmare - that he’d transferred to Brown. He reports that the Haverford professors are great, and classes are challenging but manageable (except for the physics class with the visiting Prof who’s never taught undergrads before)…he really couldn’t be happier.