<p>Hi I am currently a high school senior and trying to figure out where to go! I'm worried about a) academics being too hard b) campus social awkwardness c) not fitting in at swarthmore. I have a 4.6, 34 act, 2170 sat, I play violin and field hockey, from Tennessee, and am a serious left libertarian who is interested in the environmental science and social justice. Which school should I pick!?! Insight of how swarthmore actually is would be most appreciated.</p>
<p>Swarthmore will only accept you if they think you can handle the academics. The Dean of Admissions is fond of saying that although kids think they are the one “mistake” that Swarthmore Admissions has made in admitting them, the Admissions office doesn’t make mistakes. 
The academics are very challenging, but there are a number of support systems in place to help you adapt. In addition, your first semester is totally pass/fail to help kids adapt to the workload and what’s expected. </p>
<p>You seem like you have excellent academic statistics, but Swarthmore is looking for more than that, of course. I can tell you that I have a sophomore at Swarthmore who was also accepted at Oberlin and offered a HUGE merit scholarship there but turned it down to go to Swarthmore. As for campus social awkwardness, that’s a stereotype which is somewhat being turned “upside down.” By this I mean that Swarthmore seems to be making a concerted effort to admit/enroll more and more “normal” students. My sophomore was also very concerned about whether there would be “normal” students on campus and his campus overnight proved to him that this was true, and his 2 years at Swat have also proven that to be true.</p>
<p>You are asking which school you should pick, but I assume you haven’t been admitted to any of them yet, right? Best of luck in the process.</p>
<p>Swarthmore’s ranking above Oberlin is no mistake. The difference between Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, and perhaps Pomona and the other LACs, even in the top 10, on average, is large. [For instance, the difference in intensity between Swarthmore and Haverford is enormous.] If admitted to Swarthmore, you should go.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about Hendrix. Oberlin and Swarthmore are similar in the degree of intellectual seriousness you encounter. Both are schools where the socially awkward find out that they were socially awkward in the past mostly because they were surrounded by a bunch of morons.</p>
<p>@fiddlecanoe - wish this forum had a like button :)</p>
<p>@fiddlecanoe- Yes! Love this!
@Maryjuliae- When I visited Swarthmore, I actually got the impression that it was really social (although this may just be in comparison to my small very intense school that makes us come to class on Saturdays and sometimes Sundays lol). There are lots of campus events and parties going on. Academically, I think Swarthmore is the strongest school of those you listed (and one of the strongest in the nation). As the others have said, if you are admitted, you can handle the workload. However, only you can decide if you WANT to handle that workload. If not, than you might want to consider another option. Good luck!</p>