<p>I'm stuck between the three schools. I received Early Writes at Smith and Swarthmore and a Zollman/ STRIDE scholarship for $20,000/year and a paid research position for 2 yrs at Smith. I'm interested in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Biology, Anthropology, Literature, Middle Eastern Studies, and Dance (esp. Ballet), and am thinking about majoring in Gender and Sexuality Studies with minors in Bio and Dance. I'm a somewhat quiet person, but I would really like to branch out and be more social in college. I don't want a non-existant party scene, but I want there to be other aspects to the social life as well. I love that Smith is a women's college, but the opportunity to date and have male friends at Swarthmore and Pomona also really appeals to me. Luckily, I'll be able to visit all the schools before deciding, but I'm curious where the CC community thinks would be the best fit for me.</p>
<p>Really nothing will tell you like a visit…</p>
<p>coongratulations!</p>
<p>If all three were the same price (after scholarship discounts) and if there weren’t some unique program drawing you to Smith, then I would go to Pomona or Swarthmore (your choice), because these are the number one and number two per student endowment LACs in the United States and they simply have more financial resources than Smith or any other LAC. The financial resources effect every single aspect of the undergraduate experience, from class size and on and on in ways that would be too numerous to list. </p>
<p>Having said that, the price will probably not be the same since you have a merit scholarship at Smith and the perks of being in their merit scholars program. </p>
<p>I would say visit all three and then sit down with your family and weigh your preferences viz-a-viz finacials. There are no bad options here. All three are excellent schools.</p>
<p>^^I think the endowment per student measure is easily the most abused concept on the CC board. Assuming the OP has already taken a look at her family’s EFC for all three schools, and they are comparable, the individual endowment of each school has performed its most important function: discounting the sticker price. A visit should tell you whether all the other perks add up to a hill of beans – or, not.</p>
<p>Agree with JohnWesley – Swat is very very conservative in how it spends the endowment, so a larger endowment doesn’t necessarily translate to the day to day experience of a student.</p>
<p>Re: the feel, Swarthmore seems to be <strong>significantly</strong> more intense than Pomona, based on what I’ve heard from Pomona alumni. It’s unclear whether this is because the classes are actually harder or more work at Swarthmore, or if Swarthmore just attracts a type of student who wants to be more intense. The intensity is “pervasive” at Swat, whereas people seem to be more laid back at Pomona. Swarthmore may also have a small edge in grad school (PhD) placements, but only a small one.</p>
<p>Come to Smith! From what I’ve heard, the STRIDE scholarship is a remarkable opportunity. I also would like to have male friends/dates but participating in 5-College extracurricular activities such as theater and debate will hopefully help.</p>
<p>I’m really excited about attending a school that caters to women. Smith seems to have a super exciting intellectual environment but is supported by a sisterhood.</p>
<p>Swarthmore and Pomona do have the enviable luxury of being conservative with their annual endowment spending. This was huge during the recent endowment collapse as both schools were able to weather the storm with far less drastic cuts than most schools. For example, Smith was forced to reduce the size of their faculty – which certainly has an impact on the day to day experience of students.</p>
<p>Simply put, Pomona and Swarthmore spend more, per student, each year than almost any other liberal arts colleges (or more than any other schools period when it comes to undergrad spending). It shows up in many small ways, not of all of which may seem important until you need it. For example, Swarthmore’s health center is open and staffed 24/7. Smith’s is closed nights and weekends, so if you have a vicious stomach bug (and all that entails), you have to gut it out in the dorm.</p>
<p>Swarthmore literally has to beg you to take its money. Just yesterday I had a woman come to one of my classes to tell us all of the $4,500 grants they want to give us for summer work. They’ll fund your internships, service projects, and sometimes grad school and immersion programs. I’ve never heard of a school that does this.</p>
<p>Now, for the admission in these LACs what are the SAT scores give or take? Is the SAT score the only criteria? What else they look for and what kind of weight it has?</p>
<p>Swarthmore or Pomona (unless one wants a single sex college). Although Pomona’s selectivity has up-ticked impressively in the past several years (in part because they are arguably the only truly top SLAC west of the Mississippi, whereas the East has competition between Swat, Amherst, Williams, Midd and on and on), Swarthmore is the most academically and intellectually (there is an actual distinction) intense and serious among all of the top LAC’s, and likely the most socially engaged. Students at Swat are not intense in the sense of competing for grades or grad school placement, but rather in terms of true intellectual passion and engagement. Swat had, for many years, an exchange program with Pomona which was generally experienced as a (very pleasant) vacation from Swat. Both great schools, though; definitely visit all.</p>
<p>bashinshg3:
Average SATs for the schools I listed are as follows-
SMITH- 1820-2160
SWARTHMORE-2030-2300
POMONA- 2050- 2330
SATs definitely aren’t everything at these schools. They look at GPA, transcripts, essays (common app and supplemental), interviews (optional), and extracurriculars. SATs are important, but my SATs were on the low side for both Swarthmore and Pomona, and I was still admitted. Find a school you love, write honest and personal essays, interview and share yourself with the adcoms. They care more about building a class of interesting people than puffing up their numbers.</p>