Swarthmore College Admission
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The Facts

Swarthmore College is a rather small, private, traditional liberal arts school located in the aptly titled town of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and is home to over 1,477 undergraduate students. The school is perhaps best known for its rigorous and challenging liberal arts curriculum, as well as for the intimate nature of the classes. Let’s just put it this way: don’t expect any easy A’s. However, freshmen students are grandfathered in during their first semester, and are graded on a pass/fail basis. Swarthmore students take their academics and grades very seriously, and are usually highly motivated individuals and often perfectionists. The college is actually split into three smaller divisions which include natural sciences, humanities, as well as social sciences. There are many undergraduate majors offered within these three divisions, however, some of the most popular with students include majors in the areas of economics, political science, English literature, biology, as well as psychology.

Admission to Swarthmore College is extremely selective, and only the top applicants who have proven to be both academically successful and well-rounded are actually admitted. Last year, more than 4,000 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 920 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 370 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming Fall semester. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1340 to a very impressive 1530, as well as an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 30 to 34. Additionally, over 92% of those admitted were ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 4.0.

Swarthmore College has an outstanding student to faculty ratio of about 8:1, and it is rare to find an undergraduate class with more than 10 or 15 students. Most of the classes are held in small discussion seminars, and all students are taught by highly touted professors, including freshmen. Students and teachers work side by side, and there is always a clear line of communication between both parties. In fact, some teachers even hold monthly dinners at their homes for their students, and they are also known for handing out their home phone numbers in order to truly be available 24-7.

The Social Scene

The town of Swarthmore is very beautiful, and very much a traditional college town. There are quaint coffee shops and cafes, as well as a mixture of folksy and hip shops and restaurants. Students say that parking is an issue, so most students don’t actually have cars, however, there is a train station where students can catch a train to Philadelphia, Boston and even New York.

Most students are too busy with academics to do much in terms of a social life, and while there are a couple of small fraternities, students aren’t really into the party scene. If you are looking for party-filled weekends and drinking galore, this isn’t the school for you. There are many school-sponsored events, including a naked charity run (brrr...) as well as formal dances and even afternoon teas.

The dating scene is just about as nonexistent as the party scene. Most likely, you will have your nose buried in books and won’t be able to check anyone out.

What’s Good

“The academic atmosphere here reminds me of English universities like Oxford. You are really able to focus on increasing your knowledge and intellectual faculty.”

“The teachers are incredible, and you really develop a strong intellectual bond with them that often lasts beyond graduation.”

“The campus is amazing and the buildings and natural surroundings are both lovely. Everything is in pristine condition.”

What’s Bad

“People are very snobby here, and it seems as though everyone has a chip on their shoulder the size of the Amazon.”

“There is absolutely no time to take a break and spend some time with yourself. You are always studying and working your butt off.”

“The grade inflation is ridiculous and totally unfair. Even if you deserve an A, you won’t get one.”

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