Congratulations! We’re almost done with the 2024 fall semester. We finished a semester of late nights in McCabe, Saturday nights out, Tuesday nights at Crumb, and everything in between. It can be tricky adjusting to Swat, let alone college in general. Here, I provide a simple five-step survival guide to help you navigate Swat life, from one Swattie to another.
- Living at Swat
Dorms
My big piece of advice for living on campus is to embrace it: embrace the heat in the beginning of fall semester and end of spring semester; embrace the communal bathrooms; embrace the lack of elevators; embrace the friends you make in your hall; embrace the late night chats in your room or in the lounge; and embrace the spontaneous games of pool, cards, and ping pong in the lounges. Living in college is a unique experience, and at Swat, you can meet some of your closest friends down the hall from your room, or, if you’re lucky like me, they’re your roommate.
Yes, some dorms may be unattractive. Let’s be real, nobody really likes ML. As someone who has lived in ML, I get it. It’s far, it’s old, there’s no elevator. But, there’s ML breakfast on weekends (try the breakfast tacos — trust me), there are semi-private bathrooms, the rooms are pretty big, and there are big lounges (aka you can host fun events there). So, as I said before, embrace it. Use blocking to your advantage and get a group of friends and live together. If you’re with your friends, the housing game changes completely. And if you end up in ML with your friends far away in Danawell or some other dorm, then make friends with your neighbors. Embrace housing for all that it is, the good and the bad.
Dining
Between Narples, Essie’s, Sci, Kohlberg, Crumb, we can all agree that dining isn’t as bad as some people make it out to be. Yes, there are nights where it isn’t great, but there are also nights where the food is really good. When the food isn’t amazing, use your Swat Points to grab some food from Bamboo Bistro, Renato’s, or, my personal favorite, Dunkin’. There are many options for dining on and off campus. Just be smart with your points, or you’ll run out just before Fall Break … like me.
Here are some of my go-tos at each dining location if you ever need inspiration:
Narples: If nothing else looks good, the spicy chicken patties never miss.
Sci & Kohlberg: Chicken caesar salad
Essie’s: Brie and asparagus panini with turkey (trust me)
Crumb: Chips and guac
- Academics
Most Swatties come from getting straight As, being valedictorian, being involved in way too many extracurriculars, taking as many APs as they could, and more. We all went above and beyond, or else we wouldn’t be here. But the imposter syndrome at Swat can feel way too real. Remind yourself that you got in for a reason, that Swat knew you were a great fit for this school and wanted you here. You are exactly where you are supposed to be.
We all know Swarthmore’s motto: “Anywhere else, it would’ve been an A … really.” This can be both comforting and unsettling. Especially since most of us, as mentioned above, are used to straight As. If you’re like me, then you might be terrified to receive a grade other than an A, like me when I got my first B+ in Chem 010. But I reminded myself where I am: I am at Swarthmore College. This is a really hard school, and a B+ is fantastic. Just being at Swat is fantastic. You are here for a reason. You are meant to be here. You are smart enough. You are good enough.
- Athletics
I’m a Non-Athletic Regular Person, lovingly called a NARP. Athlete or not, I encourage you to support your classmates and cheer on the Garnet at all sporting events. Go to at least one game or meet for each team during your time here. The games are more fun when the student section is packed and when everyone is excited. Not just when it’s a rival game, like when basketball plays Johns Hopkins, but also when you know it’s certain we’re going to smoke the other team, like when we play against Haverford.
- Fun
So many people say Swat’s boring; we have no fun; all we do is study. Sure, we’re not partying five out of seven days a week, but we have fun! Yes, you have to look for it. You have to seek out fun. You may even have to host a party. But as someone who has hosted a party and attended several sweaty nights in Olde Club and Paces, I have had fun at Swat. Yes, it gets packed. Yes, it can be really hot in Olde Club and Paces. But still, I have fun. Fun also isn’t just going out and partying on Saturday night. Fun can be a movie night with your friends, playing foosball in the Commons, getting Crumb after a study session, or just hanging out in your dorm’s lounge. We have fun at Swat. Seek it out, have friends over, plan movie nights, go out into Philly, go out into Media, try new things. Fun is all around; don’t be afraid to indulge in it.
- Relationships
Friendships, romantic relationships, acquaintances, etc…. Whatever your relationships may be, they are consistently growing and changing at Swat. You may not be friends with the same people as your first year or you might still be best friends with the person you met in group chats immediately after you were accepted. You may even meet your best friends on the last day of senior year. Your best friend may be a year or two younger or older than you. You may marry a fellow Swattie, as we are told during orientation is so common. Regardless of what your relationships and friendships look like now, regardless of how they may or may not change in the future, relish in the relationships that you have.
Focus on the present, spend time with your friends, get to know new people, and be your authentic self while doing so. The people you are meant to attract will come to you. The people who are not meant for you will leave or you will leave them, and that’s okay. Be okay with not being friends with everyone. Be okay with losing and gaining friends. Yes, sometimes things may suck. But you will be okay. You will find the right people for you, and you will also be the right person for those people. And if you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having haters, we have a survival guide for that too.
Last Remarks
My last piece of advice for you is to be your authentic self, be unapologetically you. Don’t put on a facade just because you want people to like you. Don’t be quiet because people tell you you’re too loud. Don’t be anything that you know you are not. College is about figuring yourself out. You can grow, you can change, your relationships can change, your preferences can change, your major can definitely change, and that is all okay! When you first get to college, nobody knows who you are yet. And that is so exciting. Try new things, embrace changes, and be who you are, boldly and unapologetically.
