<p>Argh. I am stumped by this essay.</p>
<p>Write ANYTHING that catches your fancy. Maybe a page or two. Then...EDIT! That's where you win hearts, the editing. Trust me.</p>
<p>Here are a few places where to look for stuff to like Swarthmore (and write a lot about it):</p>
<ol>
<li>View book</li>
<li>Mission statement</li>
<li>Demography</li>
<li>Colleges that change lives website</li>
<li>Random places (e.g. google: why I love swarthmore, etc)</li>
</ol>
<p>Hope it helps.</p>
<p>I don't think Swarthmore is in the "colleges that change lives" book.+</p>
<p>The goal of the "Why Swarthmore" essay is to communicate the ways that particulars about you match particulars about the college. A good essay will make it easy for the admissions office to see that you've researched the College, understand what makes Swarthmore tick, and picture you as a well-adjusted Swattie contributing to campus life in some way.</p>
<p>There are many, many good approaches to the "Why Swarthmore?" essay so try to have some fun with it.</p>
<p>btw, both your interest in "international relations" and studying Chinese could be promising ideas in a Why Swat essay. Chinese is now the most popular language at the school and the school's president has talked at length about incorporating internation studies in virtually every academic department. </p>
<p>Read Bakirathi Mani's Last Collection speech:</p>
<p>Swarthmore</a> College :: Commencement 2008 :: Last Collection: Bakirathi Mani</p>
<p>Have you visited the school? Who did you meet?</p>
<p>If you know why you want to go to Swarthmore, it shouldn't be that difficult. All you have to do is explain why you want to go. You don't need any gimmicks.</p>
<p>Doesn't mean it's not a hard essay to write, dchow. I love Swat and was stumped about how to best word my love for it until the night before the ED I deadline, haha.</p>
<p>But definitely just write from what you know and what you've heard - they like essays that include excerpts from students or your own experiences there, if you've had a chance to visit or talk to anyone, and ones that stand out from the typical "I love Swat because I like learning and I like the trees" essay - not that those can't have your own personal touch too! : )</p>
<p>My daughter agonized over how to articulate her love for Swarthmore until the night before the application was due. She finally decided to write about what led her to visit Swarthmore initially, the subsequent visits to Swarthmore, culminating with her overnight stay at Swat. She summarized about the classes she visited, the people she met, the professors she spoke with and extra meetings she had while there. She also talked about why Swat was head and shoulders above the other schools she visited and why. Finally, she ended with her plans for the future and how she felt a Swat education could help her reach those goals. It was about 2 pages. Good luck!</p>
<p>Whether it is Swarthmore or any other school, the bottom line with these essays is for the school to see how good a fit you are for each other. It also helps separate the shotgun applicants that apply to numerous "top schools" without regard for whether he/she would really want to attend. </p>
<p>Swatmom's d did pretty much what my d did. My d had visited twice and stayed overnight. She had met professors in her areas of interest and attended classes. She wrote about these interactions and how she would go about pursuing her interests at Swat. In the end, because she had become familiar with the school and truly felt that it was a great fit for her, it was not a difficult essay to write.</p>
<p>Sit down and have an honest "conversation" with yourself and try to articulate why is it that you want to attend Swarthmore. As long as your reasons are genuine and not simply based on its high rankings in the US News and Bull ---t Reports, you will find that the essay writes itself. I make this last statement in all seriousness because if ranking is the only reason, it will show in the inability to write about the school. As an illustration I will share a true story about a classmate of my d.</p>
<p>There was a very talented girl at my d's school with impeccable credentials who used the rankings to select where she would apply. She groomed herself for an Ivy league school or super selective LAC with the right community service and extracurricular activities. She applied to about 20 schools, including some safeties which were not really safeties, but not as ultra selective or desirable in her head. She never visited the schools and did not really know very much about the schools other than the usual superficial information. Much to her dismay this girl was rejected by all, except one safety, UC Berkley, (hardly a safety, specially for an out of state student but it was not one of her top choices....). Swarthmore, along with all the Ivies, Amherst and Williams, rejected her, most probably not because she could not have succeeded, but probably because she could not show with specificity how she would fit at each school and what she could offer each one. </p>
<p>In particular, with Swarthmore, she had no clue as to what the school really was like. When acceptances rolled around, it was sad to see this girl utterly despondent with having to settle for Berkley (one of the finest universities in the country!) What should have been a time for joy, had she chosen Berkley because she could see herself there, turned out to be a time for grieving. So as you write this Why, fill in the blank school, take time to reflect if you can really see yourself at the school, will it be able to offer you the things that you want? Be objective and use the opportunity to make sure that you are applying to the right school for you. If it does not feel "right" apply somewhere else that does.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>PS My daughter is extremely happy at Swarthmore. She applied only to 6 schools and I know that she would have been just as happy at any of the other five if she had been rejected by Swarthmore because she was very careful and realistic in her choices.</p>