<p>I did indeed visit both. </p>
<p>There was something about Haverford campus that I really, really loved. It felt old, cozy, warm, and authentic. The red brick paths made me feel…happy. The wooden tables and chairs in the classrooms were pleasantly out-of-era. The DC reminded me of an old coffee shop, and was the only DC I’ve been to with caesar salad dressing.</p>
<p>Swarthmore, on the other hand, I wanted to leave before getting out of the bus. It just felt kind of…cold to me. I did end up liking Swat more as I spent more time there, but it definitely aroused a different first impression and “gut feeling” than did Haverford.</p>
<p>I suppose the main factors drawing me to Swat are rational ones–endowment size, study abroad and postgrad opportunities, the well-funded and well-supported extern program, the strength of the English department (my main interest) and presence of an actual Film Studies department, the ability to take classes at Penn and have my train ticket paid for, the highly diverse student body…It’s never attracted me on a “gut feeling” level like Haverford, but it, on paper, possesses the majority of criteria I am looking for.</p>