<p>Alright I am looking for honest answers. Swarthmore vs. Wesleyan? Are they as serious and competitive as each other? Does one or the other have a larger social scene?</p>
<p>The social edge probably goes to Wesleyan. Even though both have their own small college bubbles, the bubble at Wesleyan is a little bigger. In terms of seriousness, it depends on what you mean? I think the average Swattie would be a little put off by the sheer amount of tomfoolery that goes on at Wesleyan: zombie vs. human warfare; an annual Primal Scream that takes place at midnight at the start of finals week; a day during which eveyone strips to their underwear in the main library; an annual April 20th photo-op at which literally half the school shows up at exactly 4:20 in the afternoon, holding joints. I mean, the list goes on, but why torture yourself.</p>
<p>Off campus, neither host town is much to write home about: Philadelphia’s Main Line is about as interesting as a Quaker meeting; and, I think it was John Wesley who once described Middletown as Wesleyan’s answer to Hogwarts’ Forbidden Forest, after dark. Swattie’s decompress by taking the train (conveniently located at the foot of campus) to Philadelphia. Wesleyan students have a jitney service to navigate the Forbidden Forest.</p>
<p>Interestingly, Swat tradition also includes a Primal scream at the beginning of finals week. Students at Swat are certainly serious about their academics, but don’t underestimate the level of whimsy on campus. One of the biggest events every year is the annual Pterodactyl Hunt which involves students in costumes wandering the campus battling mythological creatures and whapping each other with nerf swords. The culture is aggressively non-competitive. Students and faculty pride themselves on working collaboratively. It is considered bad form to discuss grades, the college doesn’t even calculate GPAs. All of that being said, I would agree that Wes probably wins on the social front.</p>