Swarthmore vs. Chicago vs. BC vs. Michigan

College Search & Selection
1

<p>An eclectic group, isn't it?</p>

<p>Anyway, these are the 4 schools that I've narrowed it down to for next year, and I need some help deciding. Here are the advantages/disadvantages for each place:</p>

<p>Swarthmore
Advantages: near Philly, beautiful campus, very diverse group of students, academic rigor
Disadvantages: size (only LAC I applied to), lack of football team, worried about possible apathy towards athletics at campus, too liberal (I'm a pretty liberal guy myself but I know my limits).</p>

<p>U of Chicago
Advantages: Academic rigor, in a great city, quirky student body, great size
Disadvantages: Worried about fun factor, and I want to have fun in college and not study 24/7, also possible sports apathy (not as bad as Swat though) worries me, also concerned about undergrad focus</p>

<p>Boston College
Advantages: Right outside Boston, I'm in the Honors College so I'll have good classes, sports are awesome, good size
Disadvantages: Possible homogeneity of students, closest to home, also the power of Catholicism on campus somewhat worries this non-Catholic.</p>

<p>Michigan
Advantages: Honors College, scholarship $, Residential College gives me close-knit atmosphere at huge school, sports teams are amazing
Disadvantages: Gi-normous campus, possibly too big and too many students, worried about undergrad focus, might feel like I'm passing up better opportunities.</p>

<p>Any advice on these schools and where I should go would be greatly appreciated, thank you very much. As a side note: I know that it might be superficial to say that the athletics progam is an advantage/disadvantage to the campus. But when you have watched college football and college hoops religiously for most of your life, seeing great college athletics in person is something you really look forward to. So yes that does have an impact on my decision. Also, I plan to study Econ or Poli Sci at college.</p>

2

<p>The fact that you're considering the RC at Michigan means you might be able to carve out a very unique experience for yourself and solve some of Michigan's "drawbacks" for you. It's a smaller place, closer knit, and the faculty who teach there really want to teach there. One of my coworkers is an RC alum and absolutely loved it. Sort of a best-of-both-worlds situation, as she saw it.</p>

3

<p>Thanks hoedown...</p>

<p>Bump. Any more opinions?</p>

4

<p>" U of Chicago
Advantages: Academic rigor, in a great city, quirky student body, great size
Disadvantages: Worried about fun factor, and I want to have fun in college and not study 24/7, also possible sports apathy (not as bad as Swat though) worries me, also concerned about undergrad focus"</p>

<p>I can speak to UChicago based on my daughter's experiences as a freshman this year. You accurately describe gthe advantages. A little more detail re "a great city." Contrary to some other's experiences, my daughter reports that it's easy to get downtown (about a 20 minute train ride) and she does so about once a week for movies, plays, or hanging out with friends from Northwestern. As to "great size," it has only 4000 undergrads -- pretty small for a large, prestigious research university.
Which leads to the perceived disadvantages -- your concerns "about undergrad focus." I think that was more of a problem about a decade ago than it is now. Over the last ten years, UChicago doubled its undergraduate class size, while at the same time, maintaining a terrific faculty to student ratio. My daughter reports that virtually all of her classes have 15 to 20 students.<br>
In terms of the fun factor, again, the school seems to be what you make of it. It is not a frat driven social scene, but my daughter seems to be socializing, including partying, several nights a week, at some of the few fraternities on campus, and at students' apartments. There appears to be enough alcohol and recreational drugs on campus for those who want to indulge, but the student body seems to be accepting to those who don't want to indulge and those who don't want to socialize. Some dorms are "more social" than others, so if you decide to attend, you might want to check that out.<br>
The workload is heavy, mostly due to the quarter system and the Core, but I don't get the sense that most students work anywhere near "24.7."<br>
You should talk with a cross-section of students to get a real feel for the work load/social life issues.
Good luck with your choices.</p>

5

<p>I have never seen Michigan or BC and I am not a sports enthusiast so really I shouldn't chime in. I do know Swarthmore..plus I like the four seasons in Philly, the mix of idyllic and modern campus and the unbeatable access to close friendships with faculty. Did you know it is not far to the beach or Wyeth country there? Is it possible that you could get behind/attach yourself to the Philadelphia sports scene teams instead of having a college team? I am very impressed with the architecture and campus at Swarthmore. You can almost walk to the train station-- and hopping into some very cool urban neighborhoods for dinner or sports is done all the time on weekends. You don't have to be the most liberal guy at Swarthmore..they love discourse and their Econ dept is excellent. Their PhD outcomes surpass most research undergrad universities..have you read the articles on LACs producing more future PhDs which heavily feature Swarthmore? I am sure you are a bright enough person to thrive at any of these campuses. A degree from Swarthmore is likely to mean admission to any of the above and more for graduate school...a time when a U of Chicago might be more meaningful and when you will have more clarity about career. I vote for the superb student faculty relations at Swarthmore but of course wish you a golden first year at any of the four schools.</p>

6

<p>Academics-UChicago, Swarthmore, Michigan, and way back Boston College.</p>

7

<p>Faline2- I grew up near Philly and am already a big fan of the Eagles, Sixers, Phillies, and Flyers, so I know the area well.</p>

8

<p>To the op:</p>

<p>I know what you mean about the political status at Swat, but I wouldn't let that scare you. I have some fiscally conservative leanings and am looking forward to four years of good debate at college. Additionally, there are some advantages to going to LAC for undergrad, such as the almost guarantee that you'll be on a first-name basis with your profs, and you won't be taught by TA's (Plus: you really can't beat the commitment of the professors and overall academics at Swat). I'd recommend, if you can, visiting some if not all of these schools and maybe even staying overnight to get a better feel for each environment. Congrats and good luck!</p>

9

<p>topper- I already visited BC and will be visiting the rest next week. I'll definitely be staying overnight @ Swat and UChi, not sure about UMich...</p>