<p>questions like this kind of make me barf. they are filled with assumptions that are…just so wrong. an academic program is largely what you make it…university involvement is not a big factor at all. with that said, swarthmore’s educational philosophy and highly ranked programs offer you an exciting opportunity. if you’re a prestige freak, a 2006 nobel laureate in physics graduated from swat w/ a b.s. in physics. also, if you really doubt the strength of math/science programs, i suggest you go to itunes and under the podcast directory, browse the swarthmore faculty lectures…especially the one by amy vollmer. even though i’m a biology freak, and would find the program interesting anyways, vollmer managed to make her lecture about microbiology exciting and enlightening.</p>