<p>I posted this in "College Search", but I thought the "Swarthmore" and "Vassar" forums might be a good place as well...........</p>
<p>Here is a decent description of my son:</p>
<p>A smart jock who is really and truly coming to terms with his intellect and what he wants to do in college. He absolutely knows that at this point in life, his sport comes second to his academics.</p>
<p>Basically, he's being heavily recruited by coaches at both Swarthmore & Vassar. I think that he feels he could probably "fit in" at either one. Academically, both are probably high matches - Swarthmore a little higher! His sport is definitely going to help him in admissions. He's met team members and feels like they are totally good guys and he could have a good college experience at either school.</p>
<p>I think what's holding him up in really coming to a final decision about where he wants to be is that both of these schools come with their own little reputation - and I don't mean that in a bad way. There definitely not "bad" reputations. Maybe they're just in my head, but it's not only what I read here on CC. It's also people I speak to in general.</p>
<p>You can't read a Swat thread without numerous people talking about the workload. He's been told by a few team members that it is definitely a serious workload, but they all manage. He's an extremely hard worker with a great work ethic. I think he feels that he too could "manage", but he definitely wants to have time to have regular college fun. Alot of people react to Swarthmore by saying it's just so "intellectual."</p>
<p>Vassar has the reputation of being so "artsy" and definitely not known for its athletics. I'm also sort of shocked about how many people think it's still all girls! Why is that?</p>
<p>I've heard that both of these schools are trying to build-up their athletics alittle. Not sure if that's true or not.</p>
<p>I guess what I'm looking for are students (or parents of students) who have had personal experiences at either of these schools who can tell me how the student/athletes "fit in". Anyone have any words of wisdom? Thanks much!
China is online now</p>
<p>I responded in your College Search thread, but I'll note it here, too: My D very happily plays a sport at Swat. PM me if you want to ask specific questions.</p>
<p>Bottom line, the average Swarthmore student pays $4,400 less per year for $15,000 more "stuff" each year. That's an $80,000 difference in "value" over the course of four years.</p>
<p>People haven't always paid enough attention to the financial resources of colleges. With the current market collapse, it's a good time to start because there are real pressures on colleges to cut bone and muscle from the budgets.</p>
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He's an extremely hard worker with a great work ethic.
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<p>Academically, he would do fine at Swarthmore then. Unless it's a case of stubbornly sticking with a mismatch (like a Physics major for a mathophobe), dilligently keeping up with the work is the recipe for a good solid GPA at Swarthmore. They have an educational program that works as long as the student is doing his or her part with a good-faith effort.</p>
<p>One of the characteristics of Swarthmore is that the student-athletes are fully integrated into the campus culture. There are no "jock" dorms or "jock" classes. If you are looking for national championships or a potential pro sports career, Swarthmore is probably not the right school. If you want to participate in well-funded sports programs as in the context of scholar-athlete model, it's an appropriate choice.</p>
<p>My daughter knows a lot more about Vassar than I do. She considered applying there and had close study abroad friends she visited at Vassar on several weekends. I don't think she ever felt even a twinge of wishing she were at Vassar instead of Swarthmore. The two things she commented on to me were how big Vassar felt compared to Swarthmore and being a little surprised by the visibility of "rich kid" drugs like cocaine that she had just not encountered as a prominent part of the social scene at Swarthmore. Of course, that could have just been the luck of the particular dorms she stayed in at Vassar.</p>
<p>Now that she's graduated, she still gets together for weekends in New York or events in Washington with Swarthmore friends and her Vassar friends. I don't think the people she knows from the two schools are all that different. Vassar is a bit more well-to-do New York arty; Swarthmore is more diverse (it's one of the most diverse elite colleges in the country).</p>
<p>Has your son visited both colleges? If not, and if it's feasible for him to do so, that might help him make his choice. Beyond that, I don't know what to tell him/you. They're both great, but different places. </p>
<p>By the way, don't be surprised that people still think Vassar is a women's college. I've had multiple people think that Swarthmore was a women's college (and then insist that it MUST have been one in the past, right?)...</p>
<p>Yes, he's done one at Swarthmore and is doing one at Vassar. I'm hoping (and I think he is too) that after he's stayed at both schools, the choice will be a little more obvious.</p>
<p>I really do believe that he could be happy at either school. I think I'm just looking for little bits of advice that might make him feel slightly more secure in making a choice. Maybe it's a boy thing, but this entire process has been really tough.</p>
<p>Interesteddad - I've read lots of your posts. You have great info on Swarthmore.</p>
<p>China,
My son, not an athlete, considered both Swarthmore and Vassar. He was accepted ED to Swarthmore, but said that Vassar was probably his second choice. They both have beautiful physical campuses and great academics. Swarthmore's academics are undoubtedly more rigorous, though. Something your son might also consider is the fact that Vassar's male/female ratio is about 40/60, whereas Swarthmore's is much closer to 50/50. That might make a difference to him one way or another. ;) Depending on what his sport is, he might not find too many spectators at Swarthmore, although some sports do seem to be becoming more popular for spectators.</p>
<p>Although he did not participate in sports, my son was heavily involved in other extracurricular activities and managed just fine. The fact that your son already has a good work ethic will stand him in good stead. Good luck to him! Pretty cool to be a recruited athlete. :)</p>
<p>Oh, and if he does happen to end up at Swarthmore, he will need to get used to the following conversation-"Swarthmore, isn't that an all girls school in upstate New York?" "No, you're thinking of Skidmore, and that went co-ed more than 30 years ago!" :D</p>
<p>More from the "by the numbers" department as of Fall 2007. As you can see, there are rather striking differences in the composition of the student body at the two schools. These are numbers that everyone looking at Swarthmore should consider as they are one of the key defining characteristics of the College (two of the others being the financial resources & the quality of the undergrad academic program).</p>