Swarthmore College Top Questions

"Work" and "play" should be defined first... Students usually really enjoy what they're studying here, so for an outside observer, s/he might see a lot of studious students. It's true that a lot of students here study a lot, but they really enjoy it, so Swatties incorporate their play into their work.

Nope...when I first got here as a freshman, i thought swat was off the hook. I knew plenty of people that hated studying...were not nerdy and were ready to get down on fridays and saturdays.

These stereotypes certainly do account for some of the student body, but definitely not all of.

Yes.

For the majority of the campus, yes.

Somewhat. Swatties are not all nerds and are not all socially inept. the majority of swatties are pretty "normal" people, so to speak. The sports, while they are definitely not a major part of the college life, are important to those who participate in them. Yes, the majority of swatties are quite achieved academically and are socially conscious/informed. Swatties are characterized by passion, to the point of being overzealous in their endeavors to be a "good, benevolent person" who does not fail to see every insignificant angle to every single issue. Many Swatties tend to be highly critical of any statement or belief - If one swattie isn't offended by a statement, another will be and will not be afraid to let everone know. However, not all swatties are this way.

Yes to the first two, but that's fine with me. I wanted to come to a school where the other students were equally serious about academics (aka, not a party school) and it's comfortable to be in an environment where we all joke about how awkward we are because it allows to be less self-conscious. The last two stereotypes that I mentioned - that we're really liberal and socially active - really aren't that true in my mind. Yes, most students are liberal you can count the number of people who are willing to call themselves Republicans on one hand, but one can easily avoid the social activism aspects of Swarthmore and there are plenty of times I wonder just how committed Swatties really are to the idea of social activism.

Swatties are very intelligent and the academic environment is not a cake-walk to say the least, but Swatties know how to get it down too. Any college that has Pub Night every Thursday where unlimited beer is sold for $4 seems like it can party it up too. Life can be chilled out at Swat even though there are times where it is intense.

Some are, some aren't. I'd say that most students here came from a certain high school mold--a bit repressed socially, sexually, but certainly not academically--who have finally arrived at Swat and among peers can finally be themselves (with some interesting consequences). But saying that we're out of touch with the real world is only so truthful. Much is made of "the Swarthmore bubble," but it's not so isolated. And I'd wager that the thinking/questioning skills that Swat ingrains in us in fact help college grads be successful in the real world.

For some people, yes. But it's hard to have an accurate stereotype about a school as diverse as Swarthmore.

Pretty accurate.

I don't think so...there are some really brilliant people on my athletic teams.

I would say that coming to Swarthmore has certainly made me view things a lot differently than I originally had. Many of the stereotypes are indeed true. There's a very queer-friendly environment here which may encourage people to formally come out of the closet. People's invariably liberal views definitely make newcomers very likely to adopt the same views. The plethora of different subjects and classes to choose from often leads new students who attend and find new interests in them to a state of utter confusion with regard to what they really want to do with their lives. Though I don't particularly know why most students here generally share all of these characteristics, I have found that these stereotypes do hold some truth.

Yes, it's a school of really smart kids. But most people do like to go out, don't care about getting straight A's and have a sense of humor. And there are only a few people who wear capes.

Yes.

I believe both are fairly accurate. Ever since I've joined the student body, I've always felt welcomed here at Swarthmore; however, no matter how you are different from the rest of the student body, you will always be accepted. As an engineer, I see that the only way to succeed in the engineering program here at Swarthmore is to be continually working and thinking about what you are going over in class constantly, but I find the material to be interesting and engaging so it doesn't bother me that much.

extremely innacurrate

It is not true that students are necessarily hard working as there are people who use every opportunity to slack off.

There's a grain of truth in probably all the stereotypes. But for the most part, Swat isn't as good or bad (or ugly, seriously, come on) as some of the stereotypes say.

We are an extremely liberal campus, but there are very few people here that I would classify as a "hippie." Also, I don't think that people are especially unattractive, but people are kind of quirky and I wouldn't say that there are a lot of especially attractive people here. As for the social life, I have amazing friends and go out almost every weekend. Like any small school, the social life is what you make it.

There are definitely students who live up to the stereotype, but as many if not more who don't.

all to an extent. people can't always see things in a negative light

absolutely

I think to a certain degree, yes but i think it varies from student to student.

evidently

Yes and no. We are all very intelligent, passionate kids, trying to make a positive impact on the world. A lot of times, the first half of friday night does include work, but we know how have a good time. Swarthmore is a part of a tri-college consortium with Bryn Mawr and Haverford colleges....they come to swarthmore to party. enough said.

DK

Somewhat. Everyone cares about their grades and does spend lots of time in and out of the library. We do know how to balance work time with social time - which makes it ok. It is also very true that Swatties are also socially awkward.

Yes, I'd say that all of those are correct; the "nerd" thing is more just an enthusiasm for learning, though. It's not a bad thing, so long as one's in the right company, and since it's Swarthmore, it's definitely the right company.

Yes D=

Yes.

I would say that intelligence and passion are definitely true. Everyone here is incredibly smart and want to apply that intelligence to the real world, especially in activism-related activities.

Weird = yes. Nerdy = maybe.

The campus is so diverse there are no stereotypes that hold true throughout. Except that we're really damn smart.

To a certain degree. I'd say about one third of the students here are geniuses, and they (because of their superior intelligence) go out drinking at least two times a week. These people seem to have a fetish about peeing on stairs during parties. Another third are people like me, who have made it here by sheer luck and sweat, and can only keep up by sitting in coffee bars and doing large amounts of extra work. The other third are in the middle. From what I hear, Swat used to be a very strange community. However, coming from an Arts school, it seems pretty normal to me. We have our jocks, our preps, and our punks, just like everybody else. The stereotype of niceness is usually true. Sometimes it is a bit smothering, especially when you are off looking for a good, roaring and emotional filled debate. Swat has a thing about being quiet, except when people are drunk. Then people will roar, but they don't debate. At least not coherently.

The nice thing about Swat is that the stereotype is mostly true, so the school attracts people who fit the description, and a safe and comfortable environment is fostered, where nerds can be nerds, and people can be relatively socially normal, despite everything being awkward.

Generally. The bubble may be easily burst, however.

Swarthmore is a school designed really for a certain kind of student (though, mind you, it doesn't stop the school from creating a highly diverse student body). This student thoroughly enjoys work and spews passion like a hose covered by a child's thumb. Though students are slightly awkward, I'm convinced that this 'awkwardness' or quirkiness leads to a few more laughs, and brings vibrancy to the community.

most of the students at swarthmore are very nerdy but generally not introverted. mt students are open to meeting new people and the majority of the population at swat are extremely friendly (sometimes it seems unreal how nice people are here). cliques exist, but most groups are open to including new people. for example, i would feel no hesitation to sit down at a table in the dining hall full of people i don't know. at swarthore we have a term, "swat goggles." this refers to the tendency of swarthmore students to view a fellow swattie of average attractiveness as more good-looking. most students develop swat goggle pretty quickly into their first semester. then when back in the real world, outside of the swat bubble, where very attractive people are more common, a swarthmore student may feel overwhelmed by the number of apparently extremely good-looking people. but what swat students lack in looks, they make up for in engaging conversation and good hearts. swarthmore is definitely NOT all work, no play. many students feel like they are always busy with academic work or extracurricular activities but this may be because swat students have diverse interests and therefore tend to get involved in very many activities and are equally passionate and dedicated to all the groups. thursday and saturday nights at swarthmore are the most "social" nights of the week. i definitely feel that i am getting an amazing education and challenging myself on a very intense intellectual level yet i don't feel like i am missing out on the partying aspect of a typical college experience. i would actually say that i go out socially and party more than a lot of my friends from high school who go to state schools or other less academically elite colleges or universities.

80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the time? Yes!

um, yes, to some degree. though i really don't think we're that much less attractive than any liberal arts college.

Not so much. Swatties love (truly love) at least some form of academic learning, or they wouldn't be there, and they think that being challenged is a necessary part of such learning. But there are many people who strike a balance between school work and everything else that leans towards everything else who do fine. The idea that everyone talks about classes late into the night and on the weekends is mostly hooey. Swatties LOVE talking and listening to other swatties, and what they do is a sort of meandering improvisational brainstorm-fest. The subject matter could be anything, really, and usually has nothing to do with classes. Some swatties lack social skills, but they tend to get a lot better, the longer they have spent on campus. They are good-looking enough to fuel plenty of stares, crushes, serenades, liaisons and all-around lust. Swatties have seriously interesting personal style, and not all of it is weird; there is a whole range of swattie conceptions of what looks good. Though the campus is mostly made up of upper and upper-middle class urban left-leaning European-Americans, like all selective private colleges, it feels a lot less homegeneous than the others; you could argue for hours about what the ?normal? or ?mainstream? swattie dresses or acts like. Also, I think the stereotype about swatties? hitting the books all the time misses the phenomenon of how much they truly love to get loose. They?re really really passionate about putting on and attending performances of all sorts, and about throwing and participating in dance parties (and I'm not just saying that because I did so--there were many, many people who did it before I did and at the same time as I did).

No. There are plenty of "normal" people here, all of whom just happen to be very talented and passionate about what they do. And not everyone is over the top liberal.

Each of these stereotypes has a seed of truth (at least), but it's all relative. My experience of the college is that my classmates are brilliant, but of course that doesn't mean they are all brilliant in the same way (thank goodness!); many of us are even socially skilled, so the awkwardness is only so true. We are definitely motivated, but that gets expressed in all kinds of ways (maybe dedicating yourself to a political campaign, or maybe spending every "free" minute in the library, or maybe getting to every party, every weekend). The liberal rumor is true as far as campus climate, but if you ask, you'll find more diversity of opinion than meets the eye.

It depends how you define boring. Most people are secretly if not blatantly nerdy - when you discover that, for instance, your frat boy RA has published novels, it can be really surprising and cool. If you're not smart, interested in academics or politics or social change or SOMETHING, then you might find Swatties boring. However, most of us do still get drunk and stuff :)

For the most part, the stereotypes are very accurate. I think it's virtually impossible to go through four years of Swarthmore and not become an academic. The atmosphere of classes is very much one that fosters your intellectual side, but that's not to say that people only talk about intellectual issues. Most of the Swatties I know are also very oriented towards social change. Volunteering, working with agencies, and even creating your own programs to solve a community issue are all very encouraged and supported by your fellow students and the faculty and staff. Although not everyone does work on social change, it is often assumed that you should be doing something. Swat is also very liberal, which is hurtful at times. It can make for some one-sided, at times boring, discussions, but it also allows for many students to feel more comfortable. Finally, Swarthmore is supposed to be diverse. While I think that Swat does a good job of recruiting a relatively diverse class each year, it is very easy to segregate yourself into one group once you're at Swarthmore. While most people know each other, you usually need to put in effort to make friends that are outside of your typical clique.

To a degree, they are. People tend to be invested in what they're doing, and for a lot of people that takes the form of long hours in the library or lab. The student population definitely skews to the left, politically, but there are still plenty of students closer to moderate (if not quite conservative). And certain conventional grooming practices (by which I mean makeup and blowouts and sexy clothing, not showering etc.) are kinda devalued so yeah, by the usual standards, the student body's less attractive than the average.

No. Like most people of our generation, they are largely conformist, even if they conform to a nominally "non-conformist" group (i.e. there are a ton of hipsters here). Everyone is worried about grades and having lots of extracurriculars and getting a prestigious job after school.

To an extent, yes. The stereotypes certainly have a basis of truth, but they can be construed in different ways.

Well, "accurate" isn't quite the right word. I would say that there definitely is an air of idealism and nerdiness on campus. I wouldn't be able to speak to whether or not we are more idealistic or nerdy than any other campus nor would I be able to quantify it in any way, but I've definitely had my own share of plain vanilla 4am philosophical discussions on the true nature of poetry etc...