<p>megblum: being from kentucky may not a hook if the school already accepted one from kentucky who also has pretty amazing grades and has swarthmore legacy tattooed on their forehead. beyond that (and i was only kidding), swarthmore is an incredibly hot school this year. anyone who applied ed on the basis of 50% acceptance ed rate at swarthmore last year had a whole other thing coming to them this year. this was a brutal year for swarthmore applicants.</p>
<p>To everyone: He indeed should have applied ED, but he didn't move Swat up to his top choice until after his application was already in (he had been thinking Oberlin). Sigh. He is happily going to Williams and will, I'm sure, have a fantastic time. He's staying on the waitlist, but isn't seriously pursuing admission (I think not interviewing hurt him, because his personality is classic Swat) becuase without major financial aid, Swarthmore just isn't an option (he'll be paying only about 6k a year for Williams, which fell over itself to give him extra scholarships and such). However, I did pass all of your kind advice on to him and he sends his thanks.</p>