Improve your chances of getting into college,

Swarthmore is an amazing place to be, but it isn't for everyone. It's great because everyone is smart. I've been in class and assumed that guys in my class won't have anything to say because they look like bros that aren't serious about academics. Then they open their mouths and have a lot to say about capitalism or can quote the Canterbury Tales or something. There are all types of people, and everyone is good at something. On the other hand, not everyone likes how people are very uptight about things like political correctness. Really, though, it's just that Swarthmore students think about everything.

In terms of prestige, Swarthmore is very well known at grad schools, but less well known by the people who probably live down the street from you. People mostly don't know about Swarthmore, but when they do, they are very impressed.

The Borough of Swarthmore is very small, but you can get food and groceries. One of the best things about Swarthmore is the ability to get into Philadelphia. Besides the fun things you can do there, it makes it easy to catch a train or plane.

Academics at Swarthmore are intense. You will have to spend a lot of hours in the library, but you will also learn interesting things. The classes mostly aren't huge and professors generally know your name and will help you with your assignments if you ask them.

One of the best things about Swarthmore academics is that the first semester of freshman year is pass/fail. It lets freshmen figure out how much time and effort they need to put into academics and lets them have fun for their first semester.

You can study anything that you find interesting. For example, my first semester I took a seminar called "Women and Popular Culture." We did everything from read Uncle Tom's Cabin to watching Bridget Jones' Diary. I even wrote a paper on Desperate Housewives! At the same time, though I learned a lot about theory, feminism, and media.

Swarthmore students are generally very accepting of different racial, religious, and queer identities. Although there is still prejudice around, it is talked about and discussed way more than at a lot of other schools. However, there are still cliques around.

It is true that Swarthmore students are probably less attractive than at a lot of other schools, but there are still good looking people around. They are around- don't be fooled!

Swarthmore is very liberal. There is a College Republicans group, but the general feeling is very liberal.

People are very involved at Swarthmore. People all have their "thing," whether it be sports, activist groups, affinity groups, or performance groups. There are two frats, mostly comprised of athletes, but the members don't live at the frats, they just have parties and are not a huge presence on campus.

Because it is such a small campus, a lot of the parties are in all-campus spaces, not in people's rooms. Therefore, they are fun and not exclusive. In terms of drinking, the school's main priority is keeping people safe, not getting people in trouble. There is also a fairly big group that doesn't drink, and there are things to do that don't involve drinking.

Some people think that all Swarthmore students do is study. They think we don't go out on the weekends or hang out with friends- basically that we spend all our time in the library. Swarthmore students are also seen as elitist and as having a chip on their shoulders because they are at a good liberal arts school instead of an Ivy.

These stereotypes do come from somewhere- Swarthmore students do work really hard and are a little insecure about going to a school that no one has heard of. On the other hand, Swatties do have parties and fun. In fact, Bryn Mawr and Haverford students are far more likely to come to Swarthmore for parties than Swarthmore students are to go to Bryn Mawr or Haverford for their parties.

Swarthmore is a great school, but it isn't for everyone, so I recommend visiting before deciding to come!