<p>A lot of emphasis has been put on the type of student that Swarthmore looks for in applications. Anyone want to fill me in on what kind of person this is.</p>
<p>Maybe the best way to answer you is to quote two Q & A's from from Swat's admissions FAQ:</p>
<p>Question 1. What's special about Swarthmore? </p>
<p>Swarthmore encourages people to seek the truth, especially about themselves. You're encouraged to think about--and act on--the larger society, and at the same time, to value each individual.</p>
<p>Here you have 1,400 rugged --or not so rugged-- individuals, faculty and students, each of whom is doing his or her own thing, and yet you have a genuine sense of community, of being engaged in a common enterprise. It seems to me that you come pretty close to the genius of this place when you think of distinct individuals living in a close community.</p>
<p>Swarthmore is about making a difference in the world. There's a real emphasis on making things better--not just identifying problems or theorizing about solutions, but actually rolling up your sleeves and improving some corner of your community. There are even scholarships and grants to enable students to do large social action programs as undergraduates. </p>
<p>Simplicity is basic to life here: simplicity in social relationships, in dress, in life styles. At some colleges, the way you live depends on how much money you have. That's not true here. All campus activities are free and open to everyone. So it's easy to have friends of all different backgrounds--you don't have to worry whether you can all afford to go to the dance or the movies or whatever.</p>
<p>Question 3. Is there a typical Swarthmore student? </p>
<p>Not at all. In fact, the College goes out of its way to seek out students from every economic, social, and academic background--from all 50 states and 39 countries, from small rural high schools and big inner-city high schools. Celebrating our diversity is not only morally responsible, it's educationally sound. You get a lot more out of an academic discussion when a number of perspectives are represented.</p>
<p>But there are some common denominators. For instance, Swarthmore students are committed to intellectual activity. As teachers, we can work at a fairly high level of sophistication, because they think well. </p>
<p>I'd vote for initiative or energy. There are all kinds of opportunities here, but I've never been spoon-fed. You have to have the ability to seize--or make--opportunities.</p>
<p>Passion. There's a certain intensity to students here. People care deeply about whatever they're involved in, whether it's philosophy or basketball or politics.</p>
<p>Students here have a sense of humor, and the perspective on themselves that that implies.</p>
<p>Social awareness and activism are hallmarks. People follow what's going on in the world and take action to improve it, from working in local soup kitchens to organizing workers in Guatemala.</p>
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<p>As far as all that translates to admissions: Swarthmore is looking for kids with superb academic backgrounds. Kids who enjoy learning and being active participants in classes. Kids who show some spark or interest or intellectual curiosity above and beyond the stuff they are "supposed" to do. Specifically, an interest in making the world a better place (through community service, ideas, etc.) would be a big benefit in admissions. You could have the absolute best academic record and not get accepted if you are perceived as a pure "grind" type student. The campus is so small that they are really looking for kids who will add something extra to the campus community. That "something extra" could be just about anything.</p>