| Full-time undergraduate program |
What Swarthmore looks for in an applicant is very specific: A well-
rounded genius. To be honest, there's one thing common to all Swatties -
they're smart as hell. Unlike Swarthmore's peers, such as Amherst or
Harvard, the admissions board at Swarthmore is NOT looking for a killer
athlete who is only mundane when it comes to academics. It's not
looking for a famous actress to boost the school's national popularity.
In fact, Swarthmore is not even looking for an abnormally gifted
computer geek who doesn't like smelling the roses on a sunny day.
Swarthmore looks for the applicant who isn't just a state-champion
athlete, but a genius computer programmer, an eloquent political
debater, and a precocious musician ALL IN THE SAME BODY AND MIND.
When I first came to Swarthmore and began talking to people, I learned
that one dynamic thing Swatties have in common is that they are diverse
in their intellectual endeavors. Only at Swat do you have
engineering/art history or physics/philosophy double majors. Even as a
sophomore, I am still up in the air as to major in Math, Econ, English,
or Philosophy.
Word of advice for the admissions process: Don't show yourself to be
too one-sided. When it comes to SAT scores, they prefer a 1500 of 750
math and 750 verbal to a 1500 of 800 math and 700 verbal. When it comes
to the essay, show that you appreciate the ideals of a liberal arts
education and plan to take full advantage of it at Swarthmore.
Just remember this: You aren't applying to Amherst. Swat cares more
that your mind is brilliant than if you build fancy chairs for fun. So
don't emphasize your passion for chairs. Emphasize your brilliance and
passion for learning (in a non-arrogant way, of course).
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