Well, let’s not go overboard. As a FGLI student it’s nice to know that Swarthmore can always bail you out of a jam in an emergency because we all know that there’s a lot more to supporting a low-income student than just help with tuition and the cost of books. But an awful lot of money at Swarthmore also disappears into a black hole of “administrative support” which often translates as any work that the administration can’t hand off to the faculty to perform. So, more deans, more VPs, more consultants per student.
A place like Northwestern is going to benefit from established networks, reputation and economies of scale and actually wind up serving more students by doing so.
Also, I 've done a deep dive into the student newspaper’s coverage of theater people and events over the years and a few things stand out: 1) Nearly all Swarthmore Theater events are the work product of a class, either an acting class or some other theater adjacent
coursework, 2) Nearly all Swarthmore Theater majors double major in something else. What that tells me is that whatever reservations you may have about grade deflation, you’re not likely to be able to escape it by just taking theater courses.
And lastly, there are often not enough theater majors - or even theater class takers - to fill all the roles in a some productions:
Although several plays earlier this semester have also involved non-theater majors, “Much Ado” is different in that almost the entire cast are students from other departments. The play even constituted several cast members’ acting debuts, or at least their first production at Swarthmore.
Much Ado About Nothing Review - The Phoenix
I dunno. It just feels as though the OP is presenting us with two starkly opposing departmental approaches, one pre-professional and the other more frankly and proudly accomodationist in nature and asking us to decide which is better for her.