<p>I don't think there would be any way to give an "average" number of hours.</p>
<p>The homework and reading load is heavy and my impression is that most Swatties need to put in 4+ hours a day outside of class to keep up. They definitely have to learn how to prioritize the work because it is probably impossible to complete every assignment to perfection. </p>
<p>There is also a learning curve in terms of the expected quality of thought. There are definitely some times during the semester (mid-terms, etc.) when Swat "kicks their butts". Although she seems to have taken it stride, I can tell that my daughter has felt some anxiety that the level of work that got easy "A's" in high school no longer cuts it. The pass/fail first semester is a superb policy that gives incoming freshmen an opportunity to find out what is expected and step up their games. </p>
<p>Overall, I would say that the academic challenge has shaped up to be about what my daughter expected -- pretty tough. She's found that keeping up with the assigments is not impossible, but the grades don't all look like the ones on her high school transcript. I think that's pretty typical and that most Swarthmore freshmen have some areas where they have to step it up. I believe that the professors are quite intentional in presenting a serious challenge and demanding a high level of work. I believe that the whole school, including the students, values the challenge and the lack of grade inflation. I know that an "A" really means a lot and that I've never seen my daughter so excited about seeing a "B" on an exam!</p>
<p>I wouldn't recommend Swarthmore unless you are braced to be challenged academically. It's not a place where "cruising through college" would be the norm.</p>
<p>From what I can tell, the "social life" at Swarthmore is excellent. My daughter has developed a close circle of friends. They "do something" together -- a concert, a keg/dance party, a movie, or dinner in Phila. two nights per week. The other nights, they typically come back from dinner and study together in a dorm lounge. As far as I can tell, my daughter has at least one "study partner" for each of her classes.</p>