Swarthmore, Brown, Pomona, or Amherst?

treesnogger
Sun, 19 Oct 2008 02:32:24 +0000

I really don’t know much about Brown or Amherst but I looked very heavily at both Swarthmore and Pomona. I flatter myself I know a good deal about either, having spent ten years in Claremont and the past semester in PA.

What ultimately made the choice for me (apart from needing desperately to get away from home) was Swarthmore’s intellectual atmosphere. It has a reputation for being both incredibly rigorous and highly nerdy; some of this is deserved. Every student I have met commands some brilliance or other. It’s all the more intimidating, however, because they’re also ultimately, by and large, normal kids who are (contrary to some rumors I’ve heard) hardly socially dysfunctional. Furthermore, in my experience students find plenty of time to have fun on the weekend. If drinking is your scene, it’s pretty much available all the time–and widely consumed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights (and free the latter two). But Swarthmore also takes care of the substance-free crowd, providing “Parrish Parlor Parties” on Thursdays and Saturdays with various fun and drug-free activities. I think this is the first place you really experience Swarthmore’s incredible endowment–they pretty much find the resources to support everyone. Most people I know have gone into Philly for food or, especially, for concerts. It’s pretty much the easiest trip in the world and if you hop on the train with friends you’re in University City or at 30th St. before you even notice. For what it’s worth, I have found getting into Philly much easier than I found getting into LA…it’s cheaper and the public transportation system is much more versatile. My main complaint? Trains stop running at 12! But on the weekend there are college shuttles to rectify this issue.

Are the students too stressed? Mind you, I’m a first-year, so my opinion may not count for much, but I would say not. I have friends who never study and friends who always do. I think we all have a lot of work, but the loose-yet-curiosity-encouraging requirements generally mean that everyone is studying something he or she wants to be. Sure, I may have several hundred pages of reading for my American Elections course due next week, and I may need to finish a huge bio lab report, but I’m so fascinated by both classes that it’s really quite a pleasure.

For the record, in half a semester at Swarthmore, I have dined with both the eminent Chechnya expert and Michael Dukakis, had the former gentleman and the New York Times’s Western Africa correspondent sit in on my (12 student) sociology-anthropology seminar, been given more free food than I know what to do with, and seen one of my favorite bands perform in LPAC. This place is rife with opportunities.

As for Pomona, it’s a really great place. In comparison with Swarthmore, I’d say that the students are more laid back, more suntanned, more athletic, and quite smart but perhaps less in-your-face about it than Swatties. It’s cliche, but they are more Socal; we aspire to some blend of NYC and birkenstocked northern New England. I don’t mean to belittle their student body, which contains some of the brightest minds I’ve met, but while they may span a greater variety of intellects, I’ve found a certain brilliance lacking on occasion back home–but universally present in Swatties. They have some great traditions and events, but so does Swarthmore. The town of Claremont has a bit more going on than the Ville, but ID is right–the town of Media is very close and offers better and cheaper cuisine than you’ll find east of Pasadena or LA (and that’s if you know where to look). I’ve actually found that Swarthmore’s autonomous campus is a blessing–there’s an incredible feeling of safety and not the need to look out for cars or wandering Claremont policemen (they do this) you’ll find at Pomona.

The sponsor groups ARE really great. If you’re introverted or worried about making friends, that may be a compelling argument. I haven’t had any trouble meeting incredible people at Swat in their absence, however, and I might wager that absent such handholding even vague introverts like myself become braver about befriending.

& Swarthmore bio is amazing. I’m just sayin’.

Good luck deciding! If you’re as undecided as you sound, I’d avoid ED altogether and apply to all these places–come April chance will have helped you decide, and financial aid packages might go one step further.