<p>momof3sons, I think we used to post together back in the day. I hope your child’s years at Swarthmore were golden. And I know they were.</p>
<p>the OP can consider our thoughts and some of the things we post about each school. One thing I feel about Swarthmore and smaller colleges is that if you are from afar, you have a good shot at creating a second family for yourself at a fine liberal arts college. This can be invaluable as you face the travails of your 20s.</p>
<p>Our Duke son relies heavily on his Duke network in a city with a high number of Duke grads for a second family of people to consult and people who care. But we also “gave up” the extensive networking you get by attending a flagship state college like Va Tech and UVA in our state. Our sons attended Duke and Vandy and the grads will scatter to the four winds. Our UVA family friends have hundreds of fellow grads working in DC and Northern VA. </p>
<p>If I was an international student, I would seriously want the support that professors can offer in a liberal arts college. A huge number of Swat grads get doctorates and many find pathways where costs are underwritten. Engineering schools and for that matter…corporations are looking for people with social skills and abstract thinking. </p>
<p>Good luck, OP! nice problem to have–the choice.</p>