I recently got offered to play a sport at both Wesleyan University and Swarthmore College. Both are amazing schools with top-notch academics and great athletics. There are a lot of pros and cons to each school, and I’m having a very hard time choosing.
Swarthmore is higher ranked than Wesleyan in terms of academics. However, from what I’ve heard, Wesleyan has a more relaxed environment than Swarthmore.
I’m from a big city so whichever school I choose will be a large transition. Wesleyan is a 3-4 hour train ride from Boston and NYC, but Swarthmore is only 11 miles outside of Philly. I’ve been holding back on committing to Wesleyan because I’m convinced Swarthmore is in a much better location (and I’ve lived in a city my whole life). However, Swarthmore has only 1600 undergrads, while Wesleyan has 3000 + (and grads), so I imagine I would appreciate a larger school. Also, I’m looking to go into science or math.
Based on my situation, can anyone provide me with some good information that could sway me one way or another? Though I know both are great academic schools, does Swarthmore’s higher rank actually make a difference in the long-run (future careers, better education)?
I think a city kid would appreciate Middletown a little more than suburban Swarthmore. Sure, Swat is only a short train trip to downtown Philly, but - that’s the point. You have to make the effort to get off campus at Swarthmore whereas a few steps down the hill from Wesleyan there are well over a dozen restaurants of every description, a handful of bars, coffee houses and the buzz of a business district during the day. Things taper off a bit at night, but, by that time Wesleyan’s home-grown arts and entertainment community is usually able to fill in for whatever is lacking downtown. Between the films being shown four nights a week; the theater performances and the dance concerts overlapping each other, you will have the constant feeling that there are too many things going on at one time at Wesleyan.
Do you have feelings about whether you’d rather play in the Centennial league or the NESCAC? Do you like one coach better than the other? Have you done an overnight / spent time with some of your prospective teammates?
I’d add those pieces to the elements you’re already considering. Even playing D3, you spend a lot of time with those people.
Yes! Swarthmore’s team is higher ranked nationally, but Wesleyan is in the NESCAC, which is the most competitive D3 conference. I have met the players and coaches from both teams and I can’t say who I prefer because they are all so great. This is partially why I am having such a hard time deciding.
The vibe at these two schools is so so different! Did one feel more like your kind of place? While Swat’s reputation as “where fun goes to die” is an exaggeration as is Wes’ reputation as the arty-NESCAC - there are plenty of kids who don’t fit these molds at both – there is a kernel of reality in there that might matter to you. You don’t want to be with your team ALL the time, so liking the general feel of the place matters…
I would also recommend that you look at your expected course of study and see what that (with any distribution requirements) looks like to see if there is any preference.
You can’t go wrong with either academically- both excellent schools- so pick the one where you feel the most excited about being part of it.
As a Swat alum I strongly object to someone saying Swarthmore is where “Fun goes to die” - that’s U Chicago, damn it!!! Our class motto was “Guilt without Sex”, which I think sums it up nicely.
Seriously, both are great schools and I agree that Middletown is a better fit for a city kid than the village surrounding Swat. My kid was looking for urban schools two years back and Wesleyan just barely made the list - it was the least urban place she applied but she liked the school a lot, Middletown was acceptable as a place to go get coffee off campus and having the ability to go into NYC for a weekend/shows was a big factor. I love Philly and spent much of my time in college there but it’s a commute and many students don’t make the effort.
Another Swat alum objecting on the same grounds. That’s Chicago, not Swat! (Do I know you, @CaMom13 ?) But @gardenstategal is definitely accurate about the fact neither Wes nor Swat fits its stereotypical reputation at anything like 100%.
You really can’t go wrong. But another plus of the train line at the foot of Swat’s campus is that it obviously doesn’t just go into Philly. It provides easy access to NJTransit and Amtrak, so you can get much further afield - DC, NYC, Boston - independently, without a car. For some kids this means museums and concerts, and for others it means getting back and forth to/from home now and then without much fuss.
Back to the sports piece, another element to weigh is the distances you’ll travel for games in each league , so you could try working that one out. In season, travel alone can be a big chunk of time.
I attended in the mid 80s @HarrietMWelsch ! If you did too we undoubtably know friends of friends, at least! I actually think Swarthmore is and was a lot of fun - it’s just the fun got mixed in with an unbelievable amount of work.
@CaMom13, too funny!! Love that motto.
My son’s school sends quite a few kids to Swat, and I was basing that on the alums that said “What I love about Swat is that if I study on Friday night, other people are doing it too, not partying in the hall outside my door.” And that is a draw!
But I may have known some of your classmates (and @HarrietMWelsch 's ), and they are fun folks.
I hope this is not a violation of the TOS, but, I’ve been reminded that Middletown has a refurbished and very attractive Connecticut riverfront harbor. Outside of Boston/Cambridge, Philly and New York, I’m not sure how many other top colleges are so close to a major waterway.
Our class motto was “Guilt without Sex”, which I think sums it up nicely.