Hi, I am having a lot of trouble decided between these two schools. I am planning to visit both in the next couple of weeks. I am pre-med but undecided for a major, probably staying away from science. I worry about Swarthmore’s difficulty but its also much closer than Vanderbilt (from a small school in NJ) and there would be no culture shock. Vanderbilt’s social scene/happy vibe is alluring, and financial aid offers are very similar for both schools. Please help!
If you’re doing pre-med, you’ll probably find more like-minded students at Vanderbilt and the university will likely have more resources (think research) geared towards what you’re doing. That being said, GPA is very important and Vanderbilt is known to be very tough grade-wise.
Do you think that Vanderbilt in other areas would be as difficult as Swarthmore? I think that pre-med will be difficult anywhere, but I’m afraid Swarthmore might just be too cut-throat in general.
These are two very different schools. I would have a hard time believing a student would be happy at both types of environments. Yes, GPA and MCAT scores are paramount. I think Swarthmore is the more academically rigorous of the two.
I tend to agree with goingnutsmom.
Should I go for the more academically rigorous school, or the school with more opportunities?
Swarthmore is way more rigorous than Vanderbilt rofl
Actually, I have never heard a Swarthmore graduate ever say they had limited opportunities. If you are thinking of graduate or professional school–it’s reputation is sparkling.
Do you think one university is better than the other in general?
Better?? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder–that said, they are fairly matched schools. Very solid. I think it’s a matter of fit and perhaps where you see yourself afterwards-regionally. If it’s the SE, Vandy is very strong. On the other hand, Swarthmore places it’s almost entire energy and resources on its undergrads and it shows. You got two great choices–if I had to say, I would say Swarthmore.