<p>Compare and contrast them please!! I need to know which ones I like better, depending on various factors, such as student life, campus, focuses, majors, diversity, values, types of people or w/e else you can think of to write! QUICK!!</p>
<p>and williams. compare williams too.</p>
<p>While all three schools are liberal, I think Wesleyan has a reputation of being VERY liberal, politically involved, activist, crunchy/indie - at least more so than the other two.</p>
<p>It’d be a lot easier if you told us what you want and don’t want. No one’s going to type out a huge, definitive description of each one. Tell us what you want in a college and then we can tell you which colleges would better fit your desires.</p>
<p>It would be a lot easier if you did your own research.</p>
<p>Start with
Princeton Review: The 3XX Best Colleges
The Fiske Guide to Colleges
The Insider’s Guide to Colleges</p>
<p>You can find all of these books in your local bookstore or library.</p>
<p>As others have said, it would help if you could tell us what you are looking for. You should also do a search of this forum, because all three of these schools have been discussed a TON, both independently and in relationship to each other. </p>
<p>Here are a couple of past threads that might help (esp. in terms of the more subjective “feel” type differences), though there are tons more if you search yourself:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061150990-post2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061150990-post2.html</a> (I link to a BUCNH of other Vassar vs. Wes threads)</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vassar-college/697930-vassar-vs-swarthmore.html?highlight=vassar+Swarthmore[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vassar-college/697930-vassar-vs-swarthmore.html?highlight=vassar+Swarthmore</a> </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/swarthmore/579062-wesleyan-v-swarthmore.html?highlight=Wesleyan+Swarthmore[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/swarthmore/579062-wesleyan-v-swarthmore.html?highlight=Wesleyan+Swarthmore</a> </p>
<p>Keep in mind that some of these threads may be a few years old, so while the general jist will still apply, any numbers (admissions, money, etc.) might not longer be accurate.</p>
<p>Also definitely poke around the individual forums for each of these schools – those are very good resources for finding out more about life at that school.</p>
<p>Williams is the only outlier in the group. It’s a great school, but, the only one that relies on athletics in a major way to create school spirit. The others (Vassar, Wesleyan and Swarthmore) are havens of nerd pride. Wesleyan probably contains more of both than the other two, but, that’s because it’s bigger.</p>
<p>IIRC Swarthmore has a significantly smaller student body than Vassar or Wesleyan; its enrollment was hardly larger than D2s high school. It has more ready access to a major city (commuter train stops at foot of campus)and is a member of an academic consortium, which may be of some use in expanding the available course offerings, which IMO should be a concern in selecting an LAC. Though utility is limiited by commuting time. Swarthmore has a rigorous Honors program that many there choose to pursue, which involves defense of a thesis and outside examiners, dont know that the others have this. Schools that have this wind up being among highest in future PhD production, because for one thing the students have already written and defended a thesis! But if that’s not your bag…</p>
<p>D2 was interested in dance (ballet) and theater, had Vassar on her list but not the others; I think Vassar may have a little more emphasis there. While Wesleyan might have a few more political activists and indie rockers. They both perhaps have more “hipster” types than Swarthmore. With much overlap. That’s the impression I got anyway. At Vassar the proportion of eligible males who might want to date her didn’t seem too compelling, vs. alternatives, sort of shallow but I wonder if that was one reason she turned it down. Perhaps not.</p>
<p>Suggest, for one thing, figure out what areas you are likely to be interested in, then for each LAC count the courses actually given in those areas in the registrar’s list of courses from the last two semesters. If they don’t teach it there you can’t learn it.</p>