<p>It’s sad for me that this happening, because even though my son chose to go somewhere else, I have affectionate memories of Swarthmore. </p>
<p>Here’s what I remember that I liked:</p>
<ol>
<li> Beautiful campus, beautiful campus. Just wonderful.</li>
<li> The young lady in admissions, who was a Swarthmore alum and who gave the group presentation, was the best I heard doing one of these. This includes Penn, Princeton, Duke, et al. She was very, very impressive; she represented Swat students and alumni very well indeed.</li>
<li> Really liked the intellectual feel of the place.</li>
<li> Liked the fact that the first semester is pass / fail.</li>
<li> Like the honors program and how it worked.</li>
<li> Liked how you had to make a proposal when declaring your major. This meant that you had to think through what you were thinking of doing. This reinforced for me (and my son) that this was a serious place for learners. </li>
<li> Liked how friendly it was. I remember my son and I running into a student who was rushing to meet a senior administrator for some reason, yet he insisted on taking time to talk to us and to give us his thoughts on “why Swarthmore”. They were extremely good thoughts, very well expressed.</li>
<li> Liked how you could extend yourself through cross registration at Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Penn.</li>
<li> Son loved the library.</li>
<li> Liked the nickname “Swattie”.</li>
</ol>
<p>So, despite the fact that I lean more towards SwatGrad on what’s been in the news lately, I look forward to better publicity coming out of this exceptional place soon.</p>