@Cariño - I think if a student has a strong preference for a California- vs. northeast- based school, then pretty much any college in the northeast is going to be dinged by a prospective student with that enviable choice… My son had the opposite preference and rejected Stanford, whose physical environment, size and student disdain for the “fuzzy humanities,” he disliked. He chose Yale instead. He finds the area around Yale extremely appealing, likes easy access to trains, which he takes to New York regularly with friends to attend concerts, visit museums and go on food crawls. But the number of excellent art galleries/museums, music and drama performances - as well as great restaurants - available at Yale/New Haven makes traveling to NY or Boston unnecessary. The quality of academic, social and cultural life at Yale is fantastic, which is why so many of its students are so happy to be there.
@Kelvin82 - I think you will get much better information about Swarthmore if you read its CC thread, but I have tremendous respect for the intellectual seriousness of the faculty and students at Swarthmore.
To strike Yale because of New Haven is insane. It is a sign of paranoid at a very unhealthy level.
Wow. Choosing Yale over Swat is not the slam-dunk everyone thinks it is. Four years in a gated community is a lot different than living on an open campus. Between the house system which commits you to the same dormitory your entire time there and the parts of New Haven that you really can’t navigate alone, life at Yale can be more circumscribed than on the Main Line. Not saying it’s not a great school or that the OP couldn’t adjust to it. Just saying it’s something to consider.
@circuitrider - you didn’t attend either Yale or Swat, not that ever stops anyone on CC from posting their opinions about schools they have no first hand knowledge about. Contrary to your assertion, no one who posted above is saying the decision is “slam dunk.” Some students with this enviable choice will really prefer a small, liberal arts college nestled in a gorgeous arboretum with easy access to Philly, while others will prefer the vitality of a larger urban campus that provides an excellent undergraduate education and a wonderful sense of community. Life at Yale is anything but dangerous and cloistered. Even living in an “open campus” with a very small group of peers for four years can be academically and socially limiting, which is why students usually have strong preferences about attending small LACs vs mid-size universities.
My vote for Yale was based on your intended field. I just think that the Yale name is going to provide you more traction and open more doors.
S chose Yale over Swat because he felt Swat was too small (student body and overall resources). Btw, many students choose Yale precisely because of the residential college system (they are not dorms). Most of S’s friends are in his college, but he also has close friends from class study groups, his clubs and his frat. The residential college system creates an easier social base from which to start. Some people may not like an urban setting, and New Haven is not as glamorous as Cambridge/Boston, NYC, Chicago, etc…, but it is no different than other cities, there are nice parts and other parts you need to be careful about. No bad choices here, OP just needs to go visit and see which school feels better to him/her.
I attended Swarthmore and my wife attended Yale. Both enjoyed our experiences and received an outstanding education and degree which enabled entry to HBS and very fulfilling careers. Swarthmore provides deeper and more meaningful professorial relationships within a small crucible while Yale has more star professors and substantially better layman name recognition. They have equal clout among graduate schools and most (but not all) sophisticated employers (unless you plan to work internationally where Yale’s name recognition is clearly stronger among local employers - although if you attend a top graduate school your undergrad will be less important). You can’t go wrong choosing either. It is a fit issue.
Don’t shoot the messenger. Went to college about 30 minutes away from Yale. Connecticut is not that big a state. I still pass through NH several times a year, and - no - it isn’t like New York, Chicago or Cambridge. It’s more like Baltimore, only smaller. (Btw, Wesleyan has had to deal with many of the same issues.) About 10% of my law school class were Bulldogs, and I still occasionally mentor a younger graduate or two. So, I’m very familiar with what they like and don’t like about the place. Not that I usually have a choice: they’re pretty vocal about it. 
OP given your CC name (Yale’s motto plus your class year) it sounds like you already decided. I agree with others that it is a fit issue: will you thrive in an LAC setting, or do you crave that “big” feel. Let us know how Bulldog days go. They should confirm (or reverse your decision).
Is there anything you want to do outside the classroom that will be more available to you at one? And the answer could be based on one being better, as the music example above illustrates, but it could also be that you’d need to be so accomplished to participate in something at one that the other is better for you.
PS - if you are looking to practice (not only study) politcs, Yale’s political union is legendary, with some 14 political affiliate parties – a lively scene
@momcinco I have to admit, the Yale political union is really appealing to me (one of the big reasons I’m leaning Yale at this point). My dream is to become a politician one day (maybe after doing law for a bit) so it does sound really attractive to me.
Choose with your heart. If you think Yale is the better fit, then go to Yale. If you feel Swat is better, then go there. I will say this though - don’t worry about the name. Employers and important people will know that the education you will receive at either school is equivalent. I personally think that LACs have better teaching relationships (choosing between a top LAC and a top ivy right now) and better quality of academics, which is extremely important to me. It would also be easier to get involved in student government at Swat since there are less students and less competition for positions, if that’s what you’re interested in.
Hey everyone! Thank you for all the advice and help with this. It was a super tough process for me, but ultimately, I decided to commit to Yale! I just got home from Bulldog Days and had what may have been 3 of the best days of my life. I made a ton of awesome new friends, and the environment at Yale just seemed perfect for me. Swat is an awesome school as well and it is still tough to have to turn away from it, but in the end, Yale just seemed like the best fit and path for me. Thanks once again for all the advice through this tough process!