<p>Hey guys!
As you can guess im really really confused. I was admitted for engineering to Northwestern and know thats NW Engineering is awesome but Swarthmore is also really really exclusive and the student - professor interactions + exclusivity and badge value seem better at Swarthmore. As an international student from India, Im really attracted to Swarthmore cuz of how exclusive it is, (admitted only 2 from my country) but at the same time I dont want to lose out on how amazing a 'University - Undergrad Education' would be compared to a ' Small College Undergrad Education' which NW can probably boast of over Swarthmore.</p>
<p>My sister went to Yale & I absolutely loved it (was deffered SCEA and then rejected) so perhaps im looking for the closest to a Yale kind college experience.</p>
<p>Also - im wondering if there is truth in the perception that Swarthmore kids have better post grad placements/job placements? </p>
<p>Please let me know Swarthmore or Northwestern...which would be the best choice?</p>
<p>Not sure what would imitate your sister’s experience best, but I am pretty sure that undergraduate education at Swarthmore trumps undergrad education pretty much anywhere.</p>
<p>That said, Swarthmore is a small school with intense academics and a somewhat quirky campus culture. If it is not the right fit, it can be a frustrating experience I bet…</p>
<p>Note that the Swarthmore engineering program is a general engineering one. There are no specialties in mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, etc. From the engineering department’s home page:</p>
<p>“the degree students receive at Swarthmore is a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, not one in ME, or EE, or CivE, or CompE, etc. Instead of trying to produce finished engineers who will never need to take another course again, our program produces students who are the excellent raw material for graduate programs, or enlightened companies, to mold into specialists. Something over 80% of our graduates go to graduate school eventually.”</p>
<p>If that sounds like what you want, the a Swarthmore engineering degree in the context of a small liberal arts college may be for you. If you want to get a job as a BS in Chemical (or other kind) of Engineering - you won’t do that at Swarthmore.</p>