Swarthmore College EDII or wait for Regular Decisions?

Hi, I am a high school senior very interested in applying to Swarthmore through the Early Decision II admission plan (I have to go if I get in). I am considering it for a number of reasons: amazing academics, great campus, very close to home. Oftentimes, Williams/Amherst are cited as great feeders into WallStreet, but Swarthmore is rarely on the list. Can anyone offer insight into job opportunities and name recognition from Swarthmore?

My realistic reaches/targets for regular decision are WashU, UT Austin, UMich, NYU, Georgia Tech, Emory, and USC.

Swarthmore is a top LAC, many of which are feeders to WallStreet. Last year, out of 70% of graduates that entered the workforce and a 400 student class, 9% went into finance (25 kids) and 15% went into consulting (42 kids). I am not sure if these are relatively high or low numbers. 75 students major in Econ each year, 67 students go into business (not many finance), and 53 go to NY.

Please can anyone tell me how Swarthmore places/ is viewed on the street? Long term, will the Swarthmore name help me? I love a lot of things about the school, but if its going to be an uphill battle getting a job, it may not be worth it (esp. for the cost). I am not basing my decision based off of solely how much of a target a school is, but it will help me make a decision.

 

With a 36 ACT you don’t need to ED 2 to Swarthmore unless you really wanna go there. Consider ED2 to Emory as it is also small and a short flight to Philly. Much better placement from Emory compared to Swarthmore. You should have a great shot at Michigan, Texas, USC, and Vandy.

"Truth is like poetry. And most people fucking hate poetry."
 

If you know you want to go into IB from the time you get to campus as a freshman, you will have no trouble from Swarthmore. They have really solid representation among senior people at top BBs and - to be frank - so few of these kinds of LAC students are interested in IB, that alumni are very responsive/helpful when you reach out if you play your cards right.

Recruiting will involve more networking, and less OCR, than at other schools, for example, but that can sometimes be to your advantage. These kinds of schools, anything from Swat to Hamilton, have been doing a good job placing interested students in spots on the street, just know that a lot of the process is self-led and that you'll have to show some initiative.

 

It’s so helpful to be around like minded students recruiting for similar jobs. At Swarthmore like you mentioned few people are even interested let alone place. I do agree it’s very possible to place to top IB but would argue it’s easier at other schools he mentioned.

"Truth is like poetry. And most people fucking hate poetry."

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