<p>Hello all. Hope you've been getting lots of good college news and are not having too difficult a time selecting your future alma mater (or are enjoying spring break, if you're in college).</p>
<p>I've recently had the great luck of being admitted to the three above schools, but I am having quite the hard time deciding where I'd like to go. I will be visiting Swarthmore in a few weeks, and if I can find the money, will be visiting Wesleyan and Chicago as well.</p>
<p>That being said, would any knowledgeable posters be willing to help me sort out my colleges? I'll write a little bit about myself below to give you an idea of what makes me tick:</p>
<p>*Biracial male (Thai/Jewish)
*Middle class family and have to say that I feel most comfortable in an environment that is not wrapped up in totally upper-class values and does not encourage people to flaunt their wealth or possessions
*Financial aid is a large factor in my decision
*Interested in studying either English, Film Studies (edge to Wes), or a social science (psychology, most so)
*Want small classes, intense discussions in and outside of class, BUT a down-to-earth, not pretentious or ivory tower intellectual life (As much as I love philosophizing and debating, I don't want to be around people who take themselves too seriously or always feel the need to top others)
*Passionate about writing, discussion, learning but I have extreme difficulty sitting down and working for more than four or five hours at a time
*Not a huge party guy or a big sports fan but would love to experience some fun parties and have a diverse, lively, exciting social scene
*I like Wesleyan's lack of core curriculum, but I don't know much about Swarthmore's requirements</p>
<p>Swarthmore’s requirements are three courses from at least two different depts in sciences and math. Three courses from at least two depts in social sciences. Three courses from at least two depts in humanities. Most everyone has some AP credits that take care of one or two of those, so basically the distribution requirements are a piece of cake. There’s a language requirement that most everyone has already satisfied with three years of a language in high school. Three of the courses have to be “WRITING” courses. That means that the professor focuses on teaching writing as part of the course and you will get drafts of your papers reviewed by the student Writing Associate assigned to the course (Swarthmore’s Writing Associate program is considered the best in the country). Again, no big deal. You will be taking writing courses without even really trying in the humanites and social studies.</p>
<p>As to your other issues, I will just comment on the “flaunting wealth” requirement. Not only do Swarthmore students not flaunt their wealth, but it is pretty much taboo to do so. For example, if you go with friends to NYC for the weekend you will probably take the Chinatown bus or the NJ Transit train instead of Amtrak because it’s cheaper.</p>
<p>Only about 10% of students have cars on campus because public transportation is so easy with a train station on campus. By rule, every college funded lecture, concert, performance, and party must be open to the entire campus and free of charge.</p>
<p>For the rest of it, you will find out when you visit Swarthmore. The only thing you’ll miss are the campus wide parties every weekend (booze is served at most of them). The College asks students to keep the campus mostly dry during Ride the Tide when specs are visiting and the campus mostly complies – although my daughter’s Ride the Tide hosts in Lodges pooled the money they received for hosting specs and bought a couple of kegs for a nice Friday afternoon cookout in Worth courtyard. Worked out OK because my daughter got to meet about half the school as students strolled by for a beer after class on a nice sunny spring afternoon/evening.</p>
<p>Those distribution requirement don’t sound bad at all. Thank you so much for shedding some light on that matter, interesteddad.</p>
<p>Swarthmore is sounding pretty darn cool to me and I’m glad to hear that your daughter enjoyed RTT, haha. Do you have any idea how often she gets to go into Philly? Does she feel like she has a fair amount of time to pursue extracurriculars, a social life, etc.?</p>
<p>Not very often this year. She graduated last June and is living in Washington, DC with three other Swattie alums. When she was at Swarthmore, she made it to Philly (or Media where there are a ton of good restaurants) several times each semester. Plus, she always did one weekend road trip each semester: to hang with friends in NYC, to visit friends at other colleges and so forth. She worked hard (some seniors taught her the value of going to the library after dinner on school nights), but had plenty of time for socializing and fun, which ranged from Pub Nights (Thursdays at 10pm) to parties to watching Bollywood movies with friends.</p>
<p>She and almost everyone she knew always had campus jobs. Everyone does extracurriculars.</p>
<p>If money is a huge factor then I guess that will be the decision. Personally, I would opt for U of Chicago, I don’t know if you qualify for the Odyssey scholarship but it would cover everything if you do.</p>
<p>The Odyssey amount last year was capped at something around $5K. In other words, the amount that would be available through federally-subsidized loans. That is about $45K short of “covering everything.” </p>
<p>Chicago is not “no loan.” You just have to find the loans yourself. Judging by our experience–which was admittedly complicated–they have no problem with expecting you or your family to take out loans every year in excess of half your annual income, ending up with debt in excess of $80K.</p>
<p>Chicago does have some very, very competitive large scholarships. The chances of getting one are slim, but there is a chance.</p>
<p>That said, I love the U of C. Of your choices, I would opt either for Chicago or Swat. You are more likely to get good FA from Swat.</p>
<p>When you have the figures in front of you, then you can make a decision. And do not forget the possibility of appeal.</p>
<p>I’ve always thought of Swat as the U of C’s little sister. In most cases, Swarthmore’s aid will be stronger.
Wesleyan is a bit different. If Swarthmore is politically liberal, I see Wes as more socially liberal. Expect to have more fun at Wesleyan.
The U of C is less politically correct than the others, and those with minority viewpoints will be more respected there.
Just one person’s opinion.</p>
<p>“As much as I love philosophizing and debating, I don’t want to be around people who take themselves too seriously or always feel the need to top others”</p>
<p>“Interested in studying either English, Film Studies”</p>
<p>“a down-to-earth, not pretentious or ivory tower intellectual life”</p>
<p>I’d definitely give the edge to Wesleyan. All three have different things to offer but think you’ll find your best fit at Wes.</p>
<p>Here is the Odyssey scholarship video. It should clear up any misconceptions of the Odyssey scholarship. That said if Swat gives you a full full ride, by all means take it!</p>