<p>AE, I know people from both schools and people who were accepted to both schools. Both are top 10 LAC’s. I am not a student at either. There is very little difference academically- its like Harvard saying its better than Yale. Or, for that matter, saying Williams is better than Swarthmore. And its certainly not Lakers-Clippers difference. </p>
<p>If you would like stats, 87% of Swarthmore students were top 10% in high school; 91% of Haverford students were top 10%. The middle 50 percentile of Haverford students got a 1960 - 2230 on the SAT; the middle 50 of Swarthmore students got 2010 - 2280. According to an earlier poster, many students chose Haverford over Swarthmore. And yes, that means Haverford students are “as bright” as Swarthmore students (at least academically)- applicants were admitted to both schools. </p>
<p>The reason Swarthmore is ranked ahead in US News is because of endowment (apparently part of this discussion). Theres no need for a superiority complex.</p>
<p>And interesteddad, saying the social “starts with diversity” is ridiculous. You can have 10 people from 10 different countries, but if they are all shy its not gunna be much fun, is it? Seeing as you’re not a student, you can’t really comment on the social aspect of the school, which is what the op was saying when he specifically pointed you out. In fact, many posters have mutually agreed that Haverford is more laid-back than Swarthmore (yes, that is important to a social scene, and far more important than diversity IMO). </p>
<p>Try to help the op make a decision without being completely biased. Both are great schools. I don’t think a bad decision can be made here.</p>