Agree with Warblers. Yeah, sure, the football stadium will be full on Saturdays – but that includes alums and local non-student football fans – but there will still be plenty of students in the library during that time.
Sure, but that is not the issue which is kid applied to both Northwestern and USC and obtained a full ride from the latter, but now says USC is not a good fit. Ok, but why not, if Northwestern was? (Other than geography?)
No doubt. We’re swerving into the ditch on the side of the road when the point and majority of the discussion was Swat vs. USC, and cost wasn’t an issue in this thread (per the OP).
By objective criteria, Swarthmore generally places as a top-20 school: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/slideshows/colleges-with-the-highest-sat-scores?slide=34.
Oh yes, absolutely. It was merely an example as to why the OP might see such stark contrasts but an issue is that USC, Duke, Northwestern, are all quite different from UChicago or Swarthmore. I think we’ll all agree they all have extremely smart, accomplished students.
Thank you for all the replies. As a clarification, my family can comfortably afford COA at any college. I am very aware of my privileges and insanely grateful. But this is also why USC is less about the full ride but more about the benefits of being a scholarship recipient, with access to Honors Housing and other factors.
I picked Northwestern as my ED school because I did a Lit research with the head of history department. He wrote me a very strong rec letter, and he’s also a Pulitzer Nominee. He painted a picture of the school to me that convinced me, and I think my personality is very versatile in the sense that I would thrive in a big social environment, but I can also endure solitude.
As a Sociology major, the discourse structure at UChi is the most intellectually exhilarating opportunity I can imagine. I had an excellent experience at the summer program last year.
Also as a piece of additional context, my boyfriend lives 20 mins away from Swarthmore, so attending there would mean I get to see him every weekend and have a house to return to when I feel lonely. I’m not saying this is the most important factor, but it does bring me an additional layer of comfort.
Again, thank you for all the messages!
If you are a Stamps scholarship winner, then there may be some benefit. If is is just a “normal” one, I wouldn’t put much weight other then financial to it. Since the money doesn’t matter, then if not Stamps, I would go with Swarthmore. If Stamps, I don’t know.
Did you receive the Trustee scholarship at USC? If so, that is full-tuition, not a full ride. You still need to pay for student fees, housing, etc.
Yes I am a trustee scholar. I apologize for the misuse of terms. It is only full-tuition.
Almost everyone on here is offering advice within the framework of their own financial realities. Of course it makes absolutely no sense to turn down USC when its value equates to 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months, 48 months salary, etc …. but it is impossible to give sound advice in this case because none of us truly understand LulunoLemon’s situation.
The USC scholarship (which I think most of us assumed was a full ride of about $350,000.00 but is actually about $250,000.00 for tuition only according to LulunoLemon’s last comment) may or may not be a lot of money to her family. And based on some of LulunoLemon’s comments and responses, it is sounding like a decent possibility that the money is not nearly as big of an issue as the thought of passing on an academic opportunity that seems like a better fit and which feels like it is slightly more prestigious.
The boarding school comment was astute … please consider the possibility that this student has been going to a premier private school since preK or kindergarten at $30,000.00 to 60,000.00 (or more) per year. Her parents may have already directly invested $420,000.00 to $840,000.00 in her education for all we know, plus even more indirectly through tutors, SAT/ACT test prep, private music lessons or sport coaches, private college admission counseling services, pricey summer programs, etc … spending another $250,000 to 350,000.00 for Swarthmore may be far less of a travesty than the thought of already spending close to $1 million dollars and ending up at USC for free. That may not be your reality or mine, but it is possible it is for this particular family. We just don’t know!
It is 1000% obvious that the poster ranks these opportunities as Swarthmore #1, Berkeley a distant #2 and USC a far distant #3.
So LulunoLemon …. if money is absolutely not a factor, you seem like a great fit for Swarthmore. And your dream of possibly transferring to Northwestern or UChicago is not an impossibility. I have heard with my own ears UChicago’s Dean of Admission Jim Nondorf praise Swarthmore and literally describe it exactly as you said, as the UChicago of LACs. If you do well at Swarthmore, known for its academic rigor, I see no reason why you wouldn’t have as good a chance as anyone else to transfer to another elite university known for its academic rigor … UChicago.
But unfortunately LulunoLemon, unless you divulge your family’s financial situation in detail, everyone’s advice on here is completely meaningless. You need to seek advice from family and/or friends who are intimately aware of your family’s financial situation, because I am guessing all of us well-meaning college admission hobbyists are just offering generic common sense advice based on our own realities.
To me the way you describe yourself and your aspirations (“becoming a writer and professor in NYC”) screams Swathmore. My bet is after a year in that brain-heavy environment you’ll be happy that fate steered you in that direction.
There is no doubt that students successfully transfer from Swarthmore, but the first-year experience isn’t standard and can result in not having much for the other schools to evaluate beyond the information on your high school app.
As detailed on the Swat site, the first-year experience includes a first semester that is pass/fail. Your transcript for a first-year transfer application will prove you’re a Swarthmore student and will show the classes that you took and passed, but it won’t prove your ability to excel in the environment. That will come at the end of the spring semester.
Swat is a unique environment, and I think the OP will find exactly what they’re looking for at the school. Embracing the first-year experience and taking classes out of interest and not as a way to impress transfer and grad school AO’s will only enhance the connection to the place, and the amazing community that you’ve become part of. I would not be surprised if the OP never looked to transfer once settling in at Swat.
There are posters here that would have told Rory Gates to save his parents money and go to U Alabama instead of UChicago.
Divorce can be expensive.
You have some great options here.
It’s hard to turn down a full ride at USC. With that as an option, I would take UCB out of the picture, honestly. Huge lecture classes can be a reality there and it doesn’t seem the kind of educational experience you would like.
If money really isn’t an issue, I’d choose Swat. It is very well regarded. Anyone who matters will know of it. You’re going to get the kind of education you seek.
Thanks for answering all these questions and for clarifying why Northwestern (which is another point for Swarthmore actually).
For what it’s worth, I don’t think Swarthmore or UChic make students “lonely”, but rather they amp the pressure to live up to your intellectual potential and can careen into pushing preciosity as a decoy for originality.
Since money is no object, Swarthmore is the clear choice here.
However I would caution you against leaving campus all weekend at least for the first 4 weeks, even if - especially if- you feel lonely. It’s in seeking your place and finding it that you’ll make Swarthmore “home”, which will then in turn allow you to leave and return easily later on.
The OP mentioned a boyfriend “20 mins away” at Swat. I took that to mean either Penn or Haverford. I’d advise against spending too much time initially off campus, but don’t think lonely is a concern right now.
(to be clear, I meant “avoid leaving campus for the whole weekend as soon as you arrive” and for the few first weeks, because that’s when everyone gets to meet, gel, find friend groups, which then dissolve and reform of course but the first few weeks are crucial. Bf can come visit :p. I used “lonely” bc OP used the word but I agree it shouldn’t be a concern.)
Bonds with your fellow students may be longer lasting than with your boyfriend. 
This is also a big thing I value. In high school, I’ve often dissatisfied with the environment because most of my friends preferred to go to parties and engage in other teen behaviors instead of engaging in deeper conversations. I’m definitely going to open up myself to anyone I meet, but at the same time I picture it to be a big adjustment since the only U.S. area I’ve lived in is the South and it’s probably very different from Pennsylvania culturally speaking.