<p>I know that Swat doesn't give much weight to standardized test scores, compared to other LAC's like Amherst and Williams. </p>
<p>Does Swat take into consideration the highschool you're from? When I talked to admissions reps at other LAC's they said its not a big factor. Clearly they won't hold the highschool against you, but will coming from a MA highschool like Brookline (!) or Newton be to my advantage, or will it play a small roll.</p>
<p>Just looking for overall impressions.</p>
<p>They said at the info session that they count everything equally- test scores, grades, etc.</p>
<p>They certainly give weight to standardized test scores; if they did not, it would be optional to send them. What matters is that you are strong in a minimum amount of areas - for example, your SATs might be lower than the average Swattie's, but you've been published in a number of magazines, or have developed musical/artistic/etc. talent that makes you stand out from the sea of applicants.</p>
<p>As for where you're from HS-wise, that doesn't matter as much as what you have DONE with that HS career. If you go to one that doesn't offer a whole lot, they want to see that you have taken advantage of every possible opportunity to succeed, like taking all available APs or taking college classes.</p>
<p>
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but will coming from a MA highschool like Brookline (!) or Newton be to my advantage, or will it play a small roll.
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<p>It can cut both ways. </p>
<p>On the plus side, the well known northeast wealthy-suburban feeder schools are familiar territory for Swarthmore admissions, so it is easy for them to size up curriculum and class rank (I know, I know....they "don't rank"....oh, and the check is in the mail, too...)</p>
<p>On the negative side, there is an overabundance of applicants from these types of schools. Not only is the pool of applicants large, but you may find yourself competing for slots with kids from your own high school.</p>
<p>There is a conscious effort at Swarthmore to expand the recruiting base beyond the familiar wealthy suburbs. Admissions Dean Bock has a policy that 25% to 33% of the high schools his staff visits must be schools that are underrepresented at Swartmore or that have large percentages of underrepresented students.</p>
<p>One sentence in "The Gatekeepers" is probably representative of how adcoms look at applicants from the Newton Norths. In the book, an adcom picks up an app, glances at the high school, the parents' occupations, etc. and says to the reporter, "This one better be good!"</p>