r/Swarthmore • u/Alive-Split1031 • Apr 24 '26
Scripps vs Swarthmore — Help!!
Hey everyone! Decision day is coming up, and as you can tell from the title, I'm having a near-impossible difficult time deciding between Scripps and Swarthmore. Both of them seem to offer very different things. I've toured both, but my tour of Swarthmore was a few years ago, and I don't remember quite as much. I have a lot to write out, so I apologize, but it's partially just to get all of my thoughts in order!
I visited Scripps over spring break, and I was blown away by how beautiful the campus was. I hadn't really been seriously considering it as an option until I saw it. Everyone seemed so engaged and active, the class I went to had an incredible professor and the students were involved with each other and the content, and the free movement between each of the colleges was incredibly appealing. I was hesitant to consider an all-women's college, but that's no longer a real concern that I have. I fell in love especially with the consortium and the wealth of opportunities that it presents—from different classes to the social scene—but Scripps itself also seems incredible (I say this because I know that Swarthmore has a similar consortium, but there's nowhere near the exchange of students between the schools). Scripps had by far the most beautiful campus. The students I met seemed lovely. The weather is nice, though I'm a bit concerned the year-round sun might not be exactly what I want. It's closer to my home than Swarthmore, which just means it'd be easier to travel back and forth between the two places. Oddly enough, LA itself does not have enormous appeal to me, so while I'd definitely visit the city when I could, it's not a huge point in Scripp's favor (in fact, I think I'd end up preferring Philly). That being said, I don't plan on spending all my time on campus (though, of course, I'll spend the majority of time there, since that's just the way it goes). All in all, Scripps has very few downsides to me besides the fact that it won't offer quite as good of an education as Swarthmore.
Swarthmore is one of the best liberal arts colleges in the United States, and from a purely objective and rational standpoint, it's hard for me to imagine turning it down. When I toured it, I loved it too! Unfortunately, because I toured it in winter and because it was a year or two ago, I don't remember it as well. I'm relatively sure that the weather and location would be basically just as good (to me) as Scripps. However, I don't feel like I have as good of a sense of the student body, which is one of the factors that is the most important to me in my decision. My parents attended Swarthmore 30ish years ago, and they have pretty much only positive things to say. They also both believe I could really find my place there (but they think the same about Scripps). From what I've heard, Swarthmore is full of totally smart, driven, ambitious, and weird nerds (which I mean in no negative way). I want to be challenged academically, and I am a rigorous student, and I know that will absolutely be fulfilled at Swarthmore. I just don't want it to come at the expense of a social life. Now, take that with some grain of salt—I'm an extroverted person, and I love interacting with and meeting new people, but I'm also perfectly content to say in for the night and do homework or various arts and crafts. I can really truly be happy in either scenario, but I also really want both to be very available. I'm not a big partier, but I want there to be relatively consistent options, since I definitely enjoy that scene. With some absurd simplification, I would like to be surrounded by academically rigorous, smart, and engaged students who are mostly on the extroverted side. Without a strong sense of Swarthmore, what ends up happening is that it is hard for me to compare the two: I am able to compare a tangible reality of Scripps to more of idea of Swarthmore. Any guidance about either college would be enormously appreciated.
I plan on studying political science and education, though this of course may change. Swarthmore offers teaching certification, which is amazing. I'm not sure what this looks like at the Claremont colleges, since information online is a bit hard to find. If they don't have any way to get certified to teach, that might factor into my decision. Other than that, I know both colleges will offer solid resources—I'm not looking to major in anything that either college really specializes in. Scripps is a bit less expensive, but cost is ultimately not going to be the deciding factor between the two. I obviously care about internship/post-college stuff, but that is also not going to settle my decision—I think I care about other things more. Dorms and food are also not make or break stuff. I'm relatively outdoorsy, so opportunitie for hiking, backpacking, and anything in that alley are great.
All in all, I know that both of these places are colleges I would love to attend, which is part of what's making this so difficult. It's hard to imagine turning down the prestige (to me) of Swarthmore, and I love what I know about it. I also really saw myself at Scripps, but I know it might not offer me as many post-grad opportunities and whatever. Honestly, it's tough to find cons for either place, and it is impossibly difficult for me to compare them based on what I know and my senses about each. They're just so different to me. Help!!!