<p>"Dave McCandlish always tells me that it's an irrational choice to come to Swarthmore, because it's such an irregular college experience, and going into it you cannot know yourself well enough to know that such an irregular experience is the right thing for you." (from interesteddad's link)</p>
<p>I know that this is an extremely broad question, and maybe impossible to put a finger on, but what makes Swat "such an irregular college experience"? I know that it's a very intellectual kind of place, but then again so are many other colleges. What makes Swat so unusual?</p>
<p>Well, I can only tell you what we observed on our visit, things that my daughter ended up putting into her Why Swat essay - First there was our tour guide. A nice young lady who introduced herself as a just finished freshman (this was in the early summer), she had obviously dyed, dead black hair, leather and stud jewelry, black jeans, but if you blocked out the Goth hair visually, she was a well scrubbed teen, who looked as if she had decided during finals to rebel a bit and dye her hair black and get piercing, but it hadn't quite replaced her old self. As she was leading us around campus, she became positively giddy talking about the drama troupe putting on small spontaneous scenes from Shakespeare in the amphitheatre (no where else that we went did anyone get so excited about a basic academic activity, or a dead white guy, again, despite the appearance). Then the final thing that cemented it for us was the seminar room we visited - it was in the classics department, a 10 seat conference table, a couple of large windows, and a whole wall of books on Greek and Roman history, language and literature. A cozy, intimate, library, not a sterile classroom at all - my husband just wanted to move in right then.</p>
<p>My daughter had the same experience, but a mirror image. It was also her tour guide who initially sold her on Swarthmore. But, in that case, he was a senior lacrosse jock/frat boy (such as they are at Swarthmore), but the same infectious enthusiasm.</p>
<p>LL:</p>
<p>I think was makes the place "irregular" is two-fold. First, is the percentage of the student body that is really "into" the academics. Looking back personally, I didn't really figure out until my junior/senior years that, if you take courses that you think are fun from professors you like, it isn't work. I think Swarthmore kids tend to figure that out earlier -- in large part, I believe, because they share dorms with upper class students so they get the message that it is cool to enjoy your classes.</p>
<p>Second is the key: the degree of community -- students, faculty, and administration. As I read about the surveys and "campus issues" at other schools, a common theme is the need to "build community" and "bring the campus together". It's often cited as the number one issue. But, it is the number one strong point cited by people at Swarthmore and highlighted by the accreditation review panels as being very unusual. The students trust the faculty. The faculty trusts the administration. The administration trusts the students. Makes for a enjoyable place.</p>
<p>I think one of the coolest aspects of the Swat experience, certainly for my daughter, was the lack of apparent competitive jousting, which had been a real bane for her in high school. Whereas she had been embarrassed or shunned if she did better than her peers in HS, at Swat, people just didn't try to one-up eachother. Just not Quakerly. And that went for not only grades but other issues, such as finances, "stuff", privilege. She felt it was a blessing to be there, and it has proven to be in many, many ways during her four years and in the year since she graduated.</p>
<p>Yes, I observed the same thing with my son. He said no one discusses grades or scores.... people help each other out with papers, by being an enabler in discussions and brainstorming. There is a lot of cooperation among peers as well as among juniors/seniors/freshmen because of the housing situation.</p>
<p>One more thing my son observed (and other parents can say yes or no to this) is: there is a lot of high expectations of the students from professors and administration.</p>
<p>Agreed. My S says that it is "virtually taboo" to discuss grades/scores. There is no real "competition" found normally in high schools and other elite colleges. He feels that while there are high expectations, they are "reasonable" expectations. On some course syllabi it says that the professor understands that the student is taking other courses which are time consuming, and that what is expected is a good faith effort to complete the work on time.</p>