<p>hellohowareyou, 60% of males at Vandy do not spend time on Greek Row and do not rush or pledge. For females, 50% pledge and I would concede that the traditions are very multi generational and can feel southern in some cases but the girls that come to Vandy are no longer Regional SEC type girls…they are from all over the nation. </p>
<p>The culture at Vandy is shifting greatly and the current student body does not really look like the alum. Even so, my son would have preferred a student body without Greek life for his formative years. Swarthmore has a different culture entirely. Upperclassmen and women live in close proximity to newer students and mentoring goes on in the residential dorms of a different kind than at a big Division One college. Vandy is shifting to Residential College model but that will not all be done in time for this student, the OP.</p>
<p>My small town son enjoys the rambly urban/suburban location of Vanderbilt, enjoys the access to a large city so close to campus and he feels stimulated by the 6000 graduate students on campus and by the 6000 students at Vandy from all over the world…it feels very fluid and you do have more opportunities at a bigger college for bigger bolder activities. I even think being more anonymous feels good to our small town son who grew up on a fish bowl town. </p>
<p>But we think the Swarthmore campus is truly awesome. It feels expansive, cohesive…I really like the newer renos and the old campus as well. Philadelphia and the trains to NYC offer a mainline into US Big East cultural institutions. Swarthmore grads certainly have a lot of credibility in graduate schools and that is an understatement.</p>
<p>It feels so historic and yet also modern. The classrooms are so intimate and the students are all passionate learners. I recall that Swarthmore students can opt for an honors degree…not so much for status but for the opportunity for Swat to underwrite a major undertaking in your Department as an upperclassman. Swat really gets behind what a student can envision.</p>
<p>My son graduates this year, and although we will be grateful and happy, we know that when you give up the chance for a top liberal arts community from the ages of 18-22, you really never get that kind of chance again in life. Graduate education is a whole new ballgame.</p>
<p>good luck.</p>