Visit Report by littleathiest (Member since December 09 2006 with 753 posts) Visit Date - July 2006
Visit to Swarthmore College in July 2006 by littleathiest (Student, HS Class of 2007)
Visit Activities:
Admissions Interview:
Yes - An on-campus interview with a current senior. Very conversational and informal, few "normal admissions" questions were asked. I felt like I was being quizzed on what I knew about different s Information Session:
Yes - VERY nicely done. A recent graduate (class of 2006) and an admissions officer led the talk. The inclusion of the alumna allowed questions about student life to be answered along with admissions ones. Campus Tour:
Yes - The student guide (sophomore) was friendly and professional. She presented us with a comprehensive look of life at Swarthmore which was complemented by a very throrough tour (toured LOTS of buildings)
Swarthmore College Campus:
Friendliness/Courtesy of Students: 3 - Good -
The tour guide was very friendly, however, the student interviewer and other students in the admissions office were very distant and didn't seem to positive about welcoming prospective Swatties.
Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff: 5 - Excellent -
The admissions officer who ran the information session was very warm and bubbly. Her personality and knowledge really made my visit a positive one.
Appearance of Campus: 5 - Excellent -
An absolutely beautiful campus. Its an arboretum so there's lots of trees. Nice stone buildings which are ecologically friendly. Its a very natural looking, attractive, and green campus.
Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness: 5 - Excellent -
Very clean. I visited in July and September and even though all the students were on campus the second time, it was hard to tell because the campus was so clean and well-kept.
Dormitories: 4 - Very Good -
Pretty spacious seeming; they aren't brand new but are quite nice. According to the guide, the quality of dormlife varies greatly depending on which one you're assigned to.
Security/Safety: 5 - Excellent Overall Campus Impression: 5 - Excellent -
An absolutely beautiful campus, it was very natural in appearance and seemed focused on harmonizing with the environment. The one negative was the seeming lack of enthusiasm of some of the students.
Off-Campus:
Area Immediately Around Campus: 4 - Very Good -
A pretty area, the campus is located in a relatively residential location. There is, however, a mall nearby (a shuttle is available) and the town of Swarthmore is cute with a few local shops and cafes
City/Town/Community: 5 - Excellent -
Although cute, the town seemed a bit dull. The train station, however, was right next to the campus, making travel into nearby Philadelphia for classes at Penn or leisure activities a breeze.
Campus Visit Notes for Swarthmore College:
Visit Description:
Swarthmore was one of the prettiest campuses that I visited on my college touring (tied with Amherst College for #1). It's located in an upper-middle class area which also contains several small cafes, local shops, and a very nice mall. Although there's not much directly around the campus, the train station just off-campus makes going into Philadelphia on the weekends or for a class at Penn (Swarthmore is part of a consortium with Bryn Mawr, Penn, and Haverford).
The campus itself is an arboretum and nature is consequently a major aspect of the campus. Everything from the layout to the buildings is designed to be ecologically friendly. It is therefore a very attractive campus with a lot of stone buildings and a nice system of walkways.
On the tour, I was able to see many of the places on the campus. The dorms, though on the older side, were larger-than-average and comfortable-looking. The student center was also quite nice: there seemed to be lots to do there and appeared to be a favorite hang out spot for many. It contained several pool tables, a few TVs, and a coffee place and was the location where clubs put up posters about events they were hosting and whatnot. There was also a movie theatre located on the campus which showed movies that had gone out of theatres but were not yet released on video throughout the year. The academic buildings were also quite nice as were the libraries which seemed to get a lot of use. A neat feature I noticed, particularly for potential science majors, was that there was a separate library just containing science-related works.
I also visited the campus in September 2006 for an interview. During the school year, the campus is remarkably quiet; it almost felt as if I was visiting during summer vacation once again. The students I did see were a bit distant, as was my student interviewer. This could have, however, been due to the fact that I visited the campus only a couple weeks or so after school started.
Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:
First stay was at the Hamanassett Bed & Breakfast which was 20 minutes from the campus and lovely. More convinient is a MacIntosh Inn which was basic but fine for an overnight.
Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:
Swarthmore has several little cafes which are open for lunch and dinner. There's also dining choices in the Granite Run Mall which is also convenient to the college.
Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):
Parking is available for admissions office visitors in one of the school lots. Its a bit of a walk to the admissions office, but quite easy thanks to the extensive walkways on campus.
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The tour guide was very friendly, however, the student interviewer and other students in the admissions office were very distant and didn't seem to positive about welcoming prospective Swatties.
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The admissions officer who ran the information session was very warm and bubbly. Her personality and knowledge really made my visit a positive one.
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Pretty spacious seeming; they aren't brand new but are quite nice. According to the guide, the quality of dormlife varies greatly depending on which one you're assigned to.