<p>moot, i just arrived at wesleyan, choosing it over swarthmore and other schools. i took a long, careful look at both schools, visited each of them twice, sat in on a number of classes, ate the food, and talked to lots of students and professors, even asking profs if i could look at their syllabi. academically, they’re both pretty demanding. i do think they’re somewhat similar with the main differences being size and location. swarthmore has a reputation for being really “academic”. it churns out tons of future phds. i asked a few professors on both campuses (and especially at swarthmore because i was intrigued by the schools rep for being super-intellectual) what they thought about their students, and their answers were pretty much the same—some are brilliant, some are really hard workers, some are smart but not so serious, but all are intelligent (yes, believe it or not, there are some not so serious students at both schools). as others have suggested, you really should do visits and see which one appeals to you more. also, look into the departments and class offerings that interest you. wes is stronger in the arts, which is part of the reason i chose it.</p>
<p>wesleyan is liberal, but it’s not the radical freak show some make it out to be. swarthmore is more focused on academics, but i don’t think students there are sitting around discussing the rise of humanism in proto-Renaissance Florence 24 hours a day. i’m not sure the difference in per-student endowment dollars is going to affect me—i saw (and see) beautiful and modern and run-down and weathered buildings on both campuses, and wesleyan gave me a more generous financial aid package (grants vs loans). come visit wes! go visit swarthmore! and see for yourself. both wonderful places.</p>
<p>p.s. i’ll reply to your post in the wesleyan thread regarding your questions about wes and amherst tomorrow!</p>