Swarthmore College

This review is coming from a visitor, not a student or alumnus of this college.
My sister goes here, and when visiting her, I was surprised to find just how stunning the campus is. It’s based in an arboretum so there are trees everywhere of all different species. Plus I had gone in spring, so flowers were blooming, birds were chirping. In comparison to my normal urban sprawl of New York City, this place had sprung right out of a Disney movie. Cottages, castles, and all.
The students were really friendly and intelligent. The normal liberal artsy kind who all have a penchant for obsessing over what they love like alternative, electronic jazz or feminist issues in sub-​Saharan Africa. But instead of the mildly classist tone I’ve found in other liberal arts colleges, these students seemed pretty devoid of that attitude.
The only reason why a star is deducted is because this campus is tiny. And I mean TINY. I went to Oberlin, which in and of itself is a tiny institution, but it at least took us 15 minutes to walk across campus. Not 5. Yikes! Luckily, Philadelphia is pretty close and I think there are shuttles and whatnot, so I suppose that helps.
Otherwise, definitely a beautiful college and probably even a nice place to take a weekend stroll.

My review is strictly based on visiting the Campus and the beauty it holds.
This campus is truly one of the most appealing around. The Swarthmore campus is nestled in the middle of a residential neighborhood with exquisite mansions. The campus has old stone buildings and never ending paths that take you on a journey through the manicured gardens with older trees and native plants to Pennsylvania.
The campus offers some picturesque scenery perfect for events like weddings or some breathtaking photography. Touring the campus is the perfect way to spend the afternoon with family or a romantic stroll with a loved one.

I was at Swarthmore College for the first time recently for a wedding. (This is going to be written strictly about my experience on the campus, and not about the academic/​daily aspects of the college.)
The setting is just beautiful: from the moment we entered the local neighborhood and drove through the mansions in order to get to the campus gate, you could tell we were in a special place. The old brick buildings are set between a plethora of greenery — fields, towering trees, shrubbery and flowers.
The ceremony was intended to be outdoors, but the rain location inside was a great substitute for the intimate joining of the couple. Lighting, music, etc. all worked really well.
The reception was in an old cathedral-​looking building (all religious symbolism has been removed). The food and service was amazing… all fall-​themed for the season, and very hearty. All of the staff that I spoke to were very friendly and accommodating.
Overall, my first experience at Swarthmore was enjoyable and memorable. :)

My good buddy was lawfully wed here. Beautiful campus full of exotic plants and awesome buildings. Thoroughly enjoyed my short stay here!

Just go there to stroll the campus. Its fantastic. Serene and peaceful. A must-​see is the outdoor amphitheater.

I looked at Swarthmore before applying to colleges, and chose not to come here. Later, I became friends with a large number of people on the campus, and ultimately spent a lot more time here.
There are a lot of very strong points about this school. It’s kind of a given that the academics are high-​powered, and that it’s small and the students get a lot of individualized attention. What people may not realize without visiting is that it has a quirky, zany, and somewhat campy element to the student culture that I find is really likeable most of the time. The students here tend to have diverse interests and abilities; they are not quite as overly focused or narrow as at some of the other more high-​powered schools.
There is one thing that I do not like about Swarthmore; it was evident when I visited for the first time, and it became increasingly evident when I later befriended a number of students here. It is:
(1) A focus on achievement at the expense of self-​motivated, self-​directed learning. One could say that the students here are «driven», but what does this mean? I’ve found that the students here consistently care about achieving «within the system» so to speak… that is, following rules, jumping through hoops, and getting good grades. When people have spoken about the academics here with me, they speak often about how hard they work, and how hard it is to do well in the classes here, but how most people do well anyway. I find the following page on Swarthmore’s website telling:
I don’t like this. I wish people would focus first and foremost on learning, and see grades and other tangible achievements as less important. I also believe that education works better when students take more responsibility on themselves for evaluating their own progress.
I also think that defining your self-​worth as a function of your academic achievement, which I think the culture at Swarthmore encourages, is a very dangerous and harmful practice – one which can lead to depression when people fail, and which can lead to haughty and arrogant statements (which I’ve heard come out of Swarthmore students’ and grads’ mouths a few times) when people are succeeding within the system. I bring this up because it’s something I personally struggle with – the idea that I’m smarter or better than someone else because I am good at achieving something within a certain system. I find this idea to be very self-​destructive, and I do think the culture and environment at Swarthmore unfortunately encourages this way of thinking more than I am comfortable with.
I also think that this sort of culture does not prepare people for the real world. In most jobs and business environments that I’ve worked in, employees have needed to have a strong internal sense of how to evaluate their own work, and how to maintain consistent quality in the absence of quantitative feedback. My experience with environments that focus intensely on grades is that they often disable students’ internal ability to assess their own work and their own level of knowledge, as they start shaping their whole way of thinking around giving the professor what is needed to achieve an A. They also seem to get sucked into a culture of working long hours, even when such focus is not actually the best way to get good results. The result is usually a loss of sleep and balance in life. I also have seen people struggle with this in graduate school, so I’d be cautious about the ability of a school like Swarthmore to adequately prepare students for the sort of self-​directed study that helps someone to thrive in a graduate school environment too.
This is all just my own experience. If I were to suggest ways for Swarthmore to improve as a college, it would be to address the culture of grades and academics. Yes, it will be tough to change, but I think it can be done, both from the top-​down (an administration leading the way) and from the bottom-​up (through student activism, or perhaps even through alumni influence) if the school can make a rock-​solid commitment to learning for the sake of learning, and work on phasing out the role that grades and achievement play in the academic environment there.
I also think the benefits of switching to a less grades-​oriented and achievement-​oriented environment would be immense, and could help Swarthmore become a true global leader in education.

This beautiful campus has it all.
I was there for a day of Tai Chi straight up.
Paths through the woods and gardens lend themselves well to contemplative walks and to conference destinations.

I’m a current student. I love this school, but recognize that it isn’t for everyone. Academics are difficult, but the real challenge comes from balancing work and play. That said, if you make an effort you will find that you are accepted and given space to be yourself at your best.

Did some of my undergrad here. Not a place for everyone, but great environment and a beautiful campus

Okay, I’m biased. This is one of the great liberal arts colleges in the US. My best friend was my freshman roommate. The curriculum is challenging on every level and the access to world class professors is incredible. The class of 2011 has roughly 360 students. And each of them (per my experience) is likely a complex and interesting element of a unique community of artists, scientists, authors and politicians. This is a place that respects the question more than the answer.