Swarthmore senior will take questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
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<p>While it is possible to take public transportation from the airport to Swarthmore, it is a hassle. You can take the airport line train into Philly, then take the R3 out to Swarthmore. Unless you have very little money and lots of time to spend, an automobile of some sort (taxi or rental car) is the most reasonable way from the airport to Swarthmore campus.</p>

<p>Many parents help their kids move into their dorm rooms and help get the rooms organized. There always seem to be things that folks forget to pack, so parents often run off to the store to pick up missing items. There are some college organized parents events on move-in day, but as I recall they are more to keep parents happy than really must-attend kind of things. Parents should go home after move-in day - the days of orientation are for first year students to get to know each other and the campus, not have lunch or dinner with parents.</p>

<p>Over the summer Swarthmore will send a list of things to bring. Remember that dorm rooms aren’t very spacious. It’s a good idea for the roomates to discuss if they want to share a small refrigerator. There’s normally no need and not much room for 2 fridges. </p>

<p>The Swarthmore bookstore has some supplies for dorm rooms. A bigger selection can be found at Bed Bath & Beyond. [Swarthmore</a> Bookstore](<a href=“http://www.bookstore.swarthmore.edu/ePOS?store=333&form=shared3%2Findex.html&design=333&__session_info__=QYyLWSb%2BO3%2B0kwRTOqcZhqA11z5UpTXpCWAoT5GvDdgyPR%2FxQzAfo%2Fd6Fme9Qyy8OVCzHVACR%2F8WezJZCGokvvj0xJCptjDg]Swarthmore”>http://www.bookstore.swarthmore.edu/ePOS?store=333&form=shared3%2Findex.html&design=333&__session_info__=QYyLWSb%2BO3%2B0kwRTOqcZhqA11z5UpTXpCWAoT5GvDdgyPR%2FxQzAfo%2Fd6Fme9Qyy8OVCzHVACR%2F8WezJZCGokvvj0xJCptjDg)</p>

<p>If you do go to the bookstore, be sure to say hello to Swarthmore Ali [Welcome</a> to Facebook | Facebook](<a href=“Facebook - log in or sign up”>Facebook - log in or sign up) and Swarthmore George <a href=“http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=Swarthmore+George&init=quick#!/profile.php?id=1717609953&ref=search&sid=1450354229.79622460..1[/url]”>http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=Swarthmore+George&init=quick#!/profile.php?id=1717609953&ref=search&sid=1450354229.79622460..1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>During times when there are lots of students coming and going from the airport Swat will sometimes have shuttles to get kids to campus (I have no direct experience, my son takes the train) That is absolutely an option for Ride the Tide (accepted students weekend in April). I think it is also an option when the first year students arrive in August. On move in day there are some parent programs but they end before dinner and it actually says “Parents leave campus”. I know there were some parents who were around for a day or 2 after that, but it certainly isn’t encouraged. The kids are pretty busy, meetings with the RAs, choosing classes, taking placement exams, taking the swim test! There are several Targets very close to campus and the college does run a shuttle to them a couple of times a day during orientation week so students can easily pick up things they have forgotten (the Target shuttles continue year round, just not as often). There is also a Bed Bath and Beyond, although I do not think the shuttle goes there. I have heard from others on this forum that it is possible to go to your local BB&B and make your purchases and then pick them up at the store by the college. All beds are extra long twins. My advice is to purchase lightly, not every kid needs all the stuff they have in the stores. The more junk you bring the more junk you have to deal with the next spring. Here is the link to the Swat housing page:http: //<a href=“http://www.swarthmore.edu/x8512.xml”>www.swarthmore.edu/x8512.xml</a>. It is for last year, but it will give you an idea. Swarthmore takes very, very good care of there students and they are very good at integrating the new students.</p>

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<p>The train takes about an hour and costs $9 per adult. It’s door to door from any terminal at the airport to the train station on Swarthmore’s campus.</p>

<p>I never realized it til I just checked SEPTA for the fare, but there’s also bus service. Airport to Chester Transportation Center. Chester the Swarthmore. Takes about 50 minutes. $2.75 </p>

<p>If you have three or four people, a cab from the airport is about the same price as the train. My daughter never took the train because, if she missed the Swarthmore van, she and other Swatties at baggage claim would simple get a cab. It’s only 8 miles. 15 to 20 minutes. Google Maps shows the highway route and the backroads route (better in rush hour traffic).</p>

<hr>

<p>Here is a typical Orientation Schedule:</p>

<p>[Swarthmore</a> College :: New Students :: Tuesday, August 25](<a href=“http://www.swarthmore.edu/x19905.xml]Swarthmore”>http://www.swarthmore.edu/x19905.xml)</p>

<p>You move-in to the dorm starting first thing in the morning. There’s lunch for parents and students. Then, a program of events for parents and students separately in the afternoon. Then, a little reception and parents say their goodbyes at 5:00 pm. The parents stuff is interesting and informatiive, IMO.</p>

<hr>

<p>As far as shopping, there is a major mall just 3/4 mile from Swarthmore and that is the start of a “miracle mile” shopping strip that includes every major retailer on earth, ending with a Best Buy about 2.25 miles from campus. If you rent a car, it’s easy to make a run to any of these. If you don’t, the College runs shopping vans for new students throughout orientation week. Or, many students who fly in go shopping with a family who is there with a car.</p>

<p>Here’s a Google Map that I put together a few years ago with most of the shopping and dining options in the area. I’m sure that some of it is now obsolete, but it will give you an idea. The main changes that I know about are that Target has now opened their new location in the mall and the Howard Johnson’s motel that is close to campus is now the Days Inn Springfield.</p>

<p>[Swarthmore</a> College - Google Maps](<a href=“Google Maps”>Google Maps)</p>

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<p>Thanks kindly for your replies.</p>

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<p>Although I can guess at the answer to my question (“zero”), I’ll ask anyway.</p>

<p>What are the chances of a first year student getting a single?</p>

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<p>^Not a student yet, but I’ll take a gander. IIRC, Swarthmore’s housing office actively tries to place freshmen with at least one roommate. Singles would probably be available through the special needs office, if you qualify for an accommodation. Otherwise, hope to get a three-room quad (the one I overnighted in was set up as two “singles” connected to a larger outside room, connected to the hall).</p>

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<p>Two of the 4 students in a Wharton quad are effectively in a single, as they sleep in a room by themselves. There are not many of these though.</p>

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<p>^Yeah, that was the setup my host had.</p>

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<p>thanks for the responses. i’ll be on campus this thursday so i’ll probably ask around and see if i can dig up any other info :)</p>

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<p>What Keilexandra said about freshmen always being put with a roommate in some shape or form is correct (yay you’re learning quickly!). Wharton is the only dorm with freshmen quads, of which there are 12. Two of them are actually a double and a double connected while the rest are a double with two singles in the back. Typically, to make it fair and let everyone have a single (or double) at some point in the year, the roommates in the front double will switch with the roommates in the singles at the end of the first semester. Not all quads do this, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out with your roommates when the times come.
Also, I think this is rare, but some freshmen also end up in triples in Willets, which are one double connected to a single. </p>

<p>So basically, the only time freshmen will have a legitimate single, and I mean a room all to themselves, is if the roommate moves out, and this is extremely rare. </p>

<p>@gc414 - were your questions answered when you were here at Swat?</p>

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<p>Dandylions, thank you for your response!</p>

<p>yes, they were answered! i also took the time to browse the housing page on the website (idk why i didn’t think of that sooner). i feel so bad for the person who will have to live with me… with my quasi-OCD habits as well as super irregular sleeping pattern… lol.</p>

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<p>gc414</p>

<p>Just make sure to answer the housing questions truthfully so you can be matched accurately. </p>

<p>My D and her freshman year roommate did not have much in common and did not become great friends (they had a different circle of friends and interests) but they liked each other and had an excellent relationship as roommates because their living habits were similar.</p>

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<p>could a current student please comment on the campus culture in terms of the following? I was wondering if there’s an almost limiting culture of ‘niceness’ and extreme tolerance because of Swarthmore’s quaker heritage? Some people have given me the (possibly totally wrong) impression that the attitude of extreme tolerance for anything but intolerance (uh oh contradiction!) is somehow deemed ‘superior’ and goes to the point of dousing out the courage for any kind of real exploration of thought for fear of the condemnation of his/her peers. I kind of got this idea when…though being quite liberal myself…I read a couple of postings about how certain viewpoints which, if had to be classified, could be deemed to be more ‘right wing’ or whatnot, were easily dismissed at Swat in almost religious condemnation. It was kinda disturbing. Any comments? :S</p>

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<p>witty:</p>

<p>In what context? You are asking a question with a very broad brush that suggests the same answer for every context.</p>

<p>If you are asking about politics, I can tell you that most students and professors at top colleges (I’m most familar with Harvard, Williams, and Swarthmore) will look at you like you are a freak if you even mention a Republican idea. They can’t even conceive of anybody not loving Rachael Maddow. It’s not Swarthmore, it’s all elite eastern colleges and universities. If that’s a deal killer, then you should avoid all of these schools because it is inescapable. Just look at the political orthodoxy here on College Confidential – a community tilted heavily towards elite colleges. Having said that, one of Swarthmore’s favorite professors has been James Kurth, a noted conservative defense and foreign policy thinker whose opinion pieces have been featured in, of all places, the Weekly Standard.</p>

<p>If you are asking about personal tolerance, then yes I would say that Swarthmore is exceptionally accepting of lifestyle, sexual orientation, and ethnic differences. I can’t recall a single instance of racism or gay-bashing that has made the school newspaper in the last ten years. That’s very unusual. I would think there is community pressure to live by those standards.</p>

<p>Having said that, there have been some pretty lively public debates about such issues. There was considerable debate about the “Coming Out Week” chalkings on campus a couple of years ago that led to a large student forum where six different viewpoints were presented. You can find the article in the Phoenix archives.</p>

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<p>interesteddad: Thanks for the reply! I suppose I didn’t clarify partially because I didn’t want to limit the kind of interesting responses I might get, and partially because I often find it difficult to separate the two contexts. You mention "republican idea"s…I suppose that as someone from a very international background, the very idea of entering an environment in which politics are so polarized that ideas are thoroughly labeled and shunted under the umbrella of political parties and systems (e.g.“socialist” elements=a challenge to democracy etc.etc.) is really strange, exciting and somewhat horrifying. Anyways, I’m sure the community will be intelligent and reflective enough to maintain healthy skepticism, it was just a niggling worry I couldn’t shake before I word vomited all over the internet! I’ll look the Phoenix article up, thanks again.</p>

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<p>You’ve hit on exactly the reason that it’s a hard question to answer. Superficially, all elite US colleges and universities are “liberal” leaning. For example, it is difficult to find registered Republican faculty members at any top US college. There were certain few McCain/Palin supporters among the faculty and students at Swarthmore, Williams, Harvard, or any other top US college of your choice. That’s just a fact.</p>

<p>Having said that, Swarthmore is a very diverse campus. I don’t even know how you apply US political labels to international students from Korea or Beijing? You have students with a LOT of international travel experiences and studying international issues from a variety of angles. For example, Prof. Burke has made it clear in his blog that he was an Obama supporter. As an expert in African history, he has also said that the best thing the West could ever do for Africa is end all aid. Is that conservative? Liberal? I don’t know. It’s interesting.</p>

<p>The students at Swarthmore figure out real quickly which professors have a political “agenda” or “slant”. Some like those professors. Some don’t. Overall, I very impressed with the approach of my daughter’s professors on these kinds of issues. I think you argue any perspective and, if you argue it effectively, do well in most Swarthmore courses.</p>

<p>For example, my daugther took American politics from professor who has written on voting rights from Reconstruction through the Civil Rights Act. The course is your basic presentation of the three branches of US government and how they have evolved. Her take-home final exam had one question:</p>

<p>What good is judicial review, anyway?</p>

<p>That’s so open-end that a student could take it anywhere. It also requires taking a thoughtful stand to answer. I doubt the professor cared what stand you took, just so you effectively used examples to support the argument.</p>

<p>In a religion course on modern ethics (the whole course was hot button issues like abortion, capital punishment, war, etc.), they read everything under the sun. They read Catholic theologians on abortion. Pat Buchanan, of all people. I think they got a comprehensive and highly academic overview of each issue. The written assignments were in the form of a letter to the editor of the New York Times on one of these topics with the final paper being a major Op-Ed piece for the New York Times. Again, I think the professor would have rewarded a well-argued opinion, theologically supported, of any slant.</p>

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<p>“…one of Swarthmore’s favorite professors has been James Kurth, a noted conservative defense and foreign policy thinker whose opinion pieces have been featured in, of all places, the Weekly Standard.”</p>

<p>I was a “Kurth groupie” lo those many years ago. He made you think. Challenged assumptions. And a kind, caring man to boot. The best Swarthmore had to offer.</p>

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<p>[Faculty</a> Retirements - Swarthmore College Bulletin](<a href=“http://media.swarthmore.edu/bulletin/?p=67]Faculty”>Page has moved)</p>

<p>I want to cry a little bit.
I had heard about them both and…this?!
D:</p>

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<p>WHAT?!?!?!?!</p>

<p>He was the faculty member I wrote about in my ‘Why Swarthmore?’ essay. I wrote about how impressive and important he was in his field yet he was also a member of the faculty/a teacher. And how much I was looking forward to meeting him and learning from him… very unfortunate.</p>

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<p>that’s terrible…and kind of funny - I can’t imagine how the admissions team must have reacted!
are you matriculating?
I’m torn completely between Swat and Chicago…</p>