Swarthmore Class of 2028 Official Thread

Colleges & Universities Swarthmore College
64

D24 accepted! Totally not expecting this.

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65

Of those on the waiting list, are any of yall going to accept a place? I most likely will, but I doubt anything will come out of it.

66

Nope

67

Iā€™m curious about Swatā€™s curriculum. As I read the online graduation requirements, Swatties must take at least 32 courses (8 courses per year) to graduate. But 20 of those courses must be outside the major department. Requiring roughly two third of the classes outside oneā€™s major seems like an awful lot. Did I read this correctly?

68

Thatā€™s totally normal for a college curriculum. With very few exceptions, most majors in most schools only require about 10-15 courses. At a LAC, especially, youā€™re supposed to study broadly.

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69

Thanks. I understand LACā€™s broad approach to education, and I agree that most LACs only require 10-13 classes for a given major. But I donā€™t think Iā€™ve seen another LAC that affirmatively limits the courses one can take in oneā€™s major like Swatā€™s 20-credit requirement. As far as I can tell, excepting the open-curriculum LACs, most other LACs roughly require (a) 1/3 of classes in the studentā€™s major and (b) 1/3 of the classes to cover broad gen ed requirements and then (c) leave students to do whatever they want with the final 1/3 (additional elective classes in oneā€™s major, a second major, etc.). Swat is the only school I know that affirmatively limits students for that last 1/3 (no additional classes in oneā€™s major department).

70

I have seen that before (I donā€™t remember where offhand ā€“ weā€™ve looked at a lot of schools!). Itā€™s simply a way to make sure you study broadly and experiment and donā€™t camp out in your area of strength.

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71

Many classes are cross-listed in several departments so often students enroll in a class that could be in their major in another department.My daughterā€™s done this at Williams.

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72

Thanks, Shelby and Gotham! Iā€™m mostly just trying to understand the situation. Graduation requirements are never simple at first glance.

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73

DS got a package from Swarthmore today. Heā€™s at BS. He told me to hang onto it but Iā€™m curious whatā€™s in it. Back when he made his initial deposit, they sent him a car sticker. Anyone else get one yet and can tell me whatā€™s in it?

1 Like