Swarthmore College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Majors: Political Science and Economics double major
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Black Heterosexual Male

Summary

I’m a student-athlete, I’m part of 180 Degrees Consulting, and Students of Caribbean Ancestry (SOCA).
Have any of your extracurriculars had a particularly big impact on your experience?

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Black
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Public school in Long Island, NY with a graduating class of about 250 students. It was majority Black and Hispanic. Most people were going into the workforce or to community colleges.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Majors: Political Science and Economics double major
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I’m a student-athlete, I’m part of 180 Degrees Consulting, and Students of Caribbean Ancestry (SOCA).
Have any of your extracurriculars had a particularly big impact on your experience?
180 Degrees has because it gave me an opportunity to socialize and work in a work-environment with individuals who have very different s than myself. It has been integral in preparing me for when I enter the workforce.

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for your majors?
We have a lot of reading for both majors. For Economics, we have about three exams per semester. For Political Science, we have three to four essays per semester.
Is there anything you feel your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly?
I have pretty low expectations coming from my high school, so, in my opinion, everything is going fine. The professors teach and I learn.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s more collaborative. I don’t feel like anybody competes with anybody because it’s not a zero-sum game. We don’t have class ranks or anything like that, so somebody’s success isn’t going to be to your detriment. Additionally, there’s a consensus that this school is not the easiest school, so that makes individuals come together and get through the work together.
How accessible are your professors?
My professors have been super accessible. The other day I had a professor who was sick and wasn’t able to come into class, but I had some time with her that day and she wasn’t going to be able to make it. She gave me her phone number instead and we spoke over the phone. I think that gives you a good idea of how accessible our professors are.
Do you feel people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
In the classes I’m in, there is little room for controversy so I can’t personally tell you how they react inside the classroom. Outside of the classroom setting, people are not super receptive to other ideologies when it comes to social issues and will sometimes ostracize or vilify individuals whose ideologies they do not agree with if it doesn’t coincide with the majority’s beliefs.
What has been your favorite classes you’ve taken for your majors?
Economics: Economic Development
Political Science: International Relations
Why did you choose your combination of majors? Are you happy with your choice?
I came into the school with the idea that I wanted to learn as much about the world as I could, so I figured my course load should have a mixture of philosophy, psychology, sociology, political science, and economics. Out of those, I felt like political science and economics gave a lot of explanatory power to the things I care about, such as, what happens in trade and what happens in the world in general. I decided to choose Political Science and Economics because it gave me the most explanatory power.
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Were there any systems or resources in place that helped you adapt?
There are plenty of resources that I believe can aid in one’s success. There is the Writing Associates Program, we have teaching assistants for Economics, and there are a whole variety of things that can aid with one’s success. With my transition, in particular, the first semester of freshman year is pass/fail, so that aids in one’s transition. My transition was not rough but neither was it smooth, there’s a steep learning curve to understand what’s required of me here. But, as I said, it is a very collaborative atmosphere here and a lot of great people helped me to create systems of success.

Reasons to Attend

1) Really accessible professors.
2) The name Swarthmore carries a lot of weight.
3) The education here will help you become a well-rounded individual.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) If you feel like you like to see fresh faces every day. There’s not a lot of variety. You will probably see the same people in the same places at the same times just because it’s so small.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Parrish Hall with three roommates.
Sophomore: Wharton Hall with three roommates.
Junior: Roberts Hall where I lived in a single.
How was transitioning from your hometown in Long Island, NY to Swarthmore, PA?
It was different. It’s more rural and there’s a lot of nature out here. It’s slower out here, but the transition was nothing crazy.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
It’s the safest place I’ve ever lived.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
There are parties at Swarthmore every weekend night. The parties at Swarthmore aren’t always as fun as the ones at Penn. It’s no particular reason, that’s just my opinion and it’s easy to get to Penn. There’s something fun to do every weekend, it just depends on your mindset.
How happy are with the weekend options at Swarthmore? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I wish the parties could be bigger, but that just comes down to the type of person you are. There’s nothing in particular that I would change about the party scene here.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
My closest friends I met at orientation week. There are a couple of parties during orientation week and everybody’s super friendly, so I met them during that week during orientation events and parties.
If at all, how did being first-generation college student affect your social transition?
It didn’t really affect my social transition. There is a different composition of people here than in my hometown, but I’ve played sports my whole life so I’m used to being around the types of individuals that make up most of Swarthmore’s community.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Swarthmore?
In my opinion, it’s got everything I could possibly want. There are a lot of parties, there are different groups and clubs on campus that throw events. I think the social scene here is pretty good, but it all depends on the type of person you are because I could also see somebody thinking it isn’t very good.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I mean, you tend to stick with who you feel most comfortable with. Through sheer numbers, I’m around more White people and interact with them much more, but, as a Black male, I feel comfortable interacting with all of these White people because we’re all part of the same team. It’s the same with people of different sexual orientations. There are people who have different sexual orientations, but we can all come together and know that we’re part of the same team. [About 8% of the student population is Black and 39% of the population is White.]
How would you describe the Black community on campus? How strong is it?
It’s strong. There are a lot of great people who were willing to help me out. It’s not an institutionalized thing, so I can’t necessarily say if someone came here four years from now if they would have the same strong Black community that I have had. It really comes down to the individuals who make it what it is for the classes below them.
How do you like the size of Swarthmore in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has that impacted your experience? [Swarthmore has about 1,650 undergraduate students.]
I really like it. It gives you a lot of personal attention from your professors. All of my professors know who I am and know me on an individual level, so I really love the size of the undergraduate population.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
The alumni network is pretty strong and they’ve done some really great things for me. I got an internship that basically changed my whole trajectory and opened me up to a whole other network of people just because an alum and another student here worked so hard to help me get in. It comes down to who you are and if you’re willing to make those connections and keep those connections alive, so when it comes time to go to bat for you, they go to bat.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I used them for resume help and to help me understand more about different career paths that I didn’t have a good understanding about. They also host training programs for people interested in certain fields. They provide a lot of materials for technical interviews if that’s what you’re interested in.
Have you learned any computer programs or languages that will be helpful to you professionally?
I learned Python, HTML, and Java. I learned Python through a course I took at the school and the other two because the school provided free online courses for them.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how helpful was the office?
Financial aid has been nothing but a blessing for me. They’ve taken a huge burden off of me and my family. I have nothing to measure them against, but I think they do a good job. [Swarthmore practices need-blind admissions, meets the full demonstrated need of students, and aid is loan-free.]