What makes Swarthmore special is the community. Calling it that is purposeful. There is an amazing balancing act that plays out between the students, which i believe is difficult to duplicate. Because of its size, students recognize nearly everyone, and know someone everywhere. It’s a bit like being around your cousins at the family reunion: you can try to hide if you want to, but there is someone who knows you wherever you go. For some, that’s too small a community. Your cousins are nice, a bit quirky, passively competitive, and somewhere between fascinating and frustrating. You’d love to hate them, but you can’t.
The students at Swarthmore are really great kids. They’re very smart, but every one we’ve met (I’ll put that number at around 50…students we can name) is a genuinely nice person. I believe the admissions office does a really good job of finding nice kids. We’ve met plenty of parents, and they are also a generally nice group (proud and slightly competitive at times, but not nearly as much as you imagine). We as a family love the experience of Swarthmore. It is truly an amazing place because of with amazing people. Valerie Smith was a great choice for President, and will take the school to new heights (IMO).
One caveat about Swarthmore: it is a very calm looking pressure cooker. All of the joking about being hard is an understatement. Studying on Friday and Saturday night is not uncommon, and “catching up” is a concept only for the brave. A friends child just transferred in from an Ivy, and is shocked at the intensity and difficulty. Loves the school…glad to have transferred…but amazed at the academic rigor.
I actually wonder if it’s all a bit too much.
So back to the question…Maybe I’m getting too much education for my money. I worry that my child is being pushed too hard, working too much, stressing too early. No need to preach focus and study…I spend more time working on getting my child to relax, decompress, and enjoy some free time (of which there is some…the social scene is small but active).
I write very large checks twice a year, and never think twice about getting my money’s worth.