<p>These will be generalizations, and like all generalizations will have exceptions. Nonetheless, I think they are reflective of the character of the schools and econ departments.</p>
<p>CMC has leadership as a core value, and many graduates go on to careers in finance, politics, policy and international affairs. Research and teaching are career paths that are not as common as at Swarthmore.</p>
<p>Swarthmore has a strong tradition for academia, research and public service. There are also many graduates who go on to public policy. Although there are quite a few Swarthmore grads who go on to consulting or I-Bank careers, my sense is that it not as much a popular career aim as at CMC.</p>
<p>Both CMC and Swarthmore are very good schools with strong economics departments. I think you would be better advised to figure out which college as a whole is a better fit for you and your educational/lifestyle characteristics and go with that choice, rather than choose which college’s econ department is better.</p>
<p>Full disclosure: I’m a Swarthmore econ graduate who went on to graduate school in economics. If you really want to go on to get a PhD in economics, you can’t go wrong with choosing Swarthmore.</p>