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Swarthmore College - Campus HousingCollege Prowler3.46
Comparable Schools'
Campus Housing Grades:
Quick StatsUndergrads Living on Campus
95 %
Freshmen Required to Live on Campus
Yes
Number of Campus-Owned Apartments
1
Best Dorms
- PPR (Palmer, Pittenger, and Roberts)
College Prowler Take
The majority of Swarthmore students live on campus all four years, and for good reason. In general, the dorms are pleasant to look at, and even the least attractive dorms are lovely when compared to the dorms (prison cells) at larger universities. A good number of Swarthmore’s dorms are converted, older buildings, once used for boarding school housing or private homes. This comes with its advantages and disadvantages. The buildings are beautiful—the ceilings are high, and the windows are wide and elegant. However, the older plumbing systems can’t always keep up with many college students’ flushing and showering habits, and in some cases, serious renovations and repair needs are disregarded by administration. Students are often content with the housing situation simply because their living conditions on the surface seem too good to be true. There’s a unique quality that comes along with each of Swarthmore’s dorms. Swatties refer to Willets as the “party dorm.” Just remember that the word “party” is also unique in definition to Swarthmore students (i.e. Let’s play drunken Trivial Pursuit!), as compared to Penn State (i.e. Is she breathing?), so even Willets is adequate for the quieter student. Mary Lyon (ML) has a, well, unique flavor. The dorm, a hike from main campus, tends to attract the nerdiest of nerds (science-fiction freaks, fantasy lovers, and members of SWIL [Swarthmore Warders of Imaginative Literature]). So, if none of these things interest you, stay away from ML. Swattie upperclassmen, who have first pick in the housing lottery, quickly fill Wharton and Worth with their enormous singles and gorgeous courtyards, but even lowly first-years have been known to find a decent room here . . . once in a blue moon. Students Speak Out
Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:
lavacake says: Swarthmore College 2012 Social Sciences  |
At Least They're Close to Classes
B
Compared to a large state school, they dorms are pretty nice and close to classes. I wouldn't say that any of them are fantastic or have really great amenities. I like to cook, and the kitchens are always run down. Wharton and Parrish are the nicest dorms. Everywhere else is manageable, but living off campus in ML or PPR can be really isolating.
Campus Housing: January 12, 2010
Report |
Anonymous says: |
The dorms here are pretty nice. On...
The dorms here are pretty nice. On a rating from 1 to 10—10 being the nicest—I would give Swarthmore’s dorms a 7.5. |
Anonymous says: |
There are a few great dorms...
There are a few great dorms (Wharton, Parrish, Mertz) and some not so great ones (Willets—though, it’s getting better, and ML, because it’s far from classes). |
Anonymous says: |
The dorms here are definitely...
The dorms here are definitely prettier than the dorms I saw when I visited a couple friends at a state school. One interesting thing—Wharton is probably the best, as far as being pretty and having a good location, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be happy there as a freshman because the architecture and the setup aren’t very conducive to good hall life. I was much happier as a sophomore in Willets, which is traditionally considered the worst dorm. |
Anonymous says: |
Trust me, Mertz is much nicer than...
Trust me, Mertz is much nicer than any dorm you’ll live in at an overcrowded state school. Thank God I never had to live in Willets. |
Interested in
Swarthmore College? FactsWhat You Get
- Dresser
- Internet connection
Room Types
- Doubles (first-years, sophomores)
- Singles (juniors, seniors)
Also Available
- Coed roommate housing, special needs housing, Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College housing exchange
Cleaning Service
Yes, Environmental Services cleans hall bathrooms, lounges, and hallways every weekday. Private bathrooms are cleaned less often.
Dormitories
Alice Paul
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 75
Bathrooms: Shared by hall
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Shares a courtyard and main lounge with David Kemp residence hall.
Dana
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 92
Bathrooms: Shared by hall
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Closets have built-in dressers, joint lounge with Hollowell, large bay windows, picture rails in rooms.
David Kemp
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 76
Bathrooms: Shared by hall
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Opened in fall 2009, shares courtyard with Alice Paul Hall.
Hallowell
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 90
Bathrooms: Shared by hall
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mostly freshmen, sophomores
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Closets have built-in dressers, joint lounge with Dana, large bay windows, picture rails in rooms.
Kyle House
Floors: 2
Number of Occupants: 8
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles
The feeling of living in your own private house with hardwood floors, large lounge and kitchen area, screened-in porch.
Mary Lyon
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 84
Bathrooms: Shared by hall, some private
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Mostly doubles or singles, some multiple-occupancy (3+ people) suites
Huge first floor lounge, common area, private dorm breakfast, van shuttle service (dorm is 15-20 minute walk from center of campus.
Mertz
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 139
Bathrooms: Shared by hall
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Mostly doubles or singles, some multiple-occupancy suites
Grand staircase, large first-floor lounge, lounge/kitchenette on each floor, walk-in closets.
Parrish
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 120
Bathrooms: Shared by halls, some private
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, triples
Easy access to academic buildings (in fact, it is one). The first and second floors are used for administrative offices. There are high ceilings and large windows in the third floor rooms, and laundry and bike storage in the basement.
PPR (Palmer, Pittenger, and Roberts)
Floors: Palmer (3), Pittenger (3), Roberts (2)
Number of Occupants: 124
Bathrooms: Shared by hall (gender neutral), some private
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, multiple-occupancy suites
Palmer holds a a spacious kitchen and lounge that is shared with the connected dorm, Pittenger. PPR is serviced by the campus shuttle.
Strath Haven
Floors: 3 floors in a condo complex
Number of Occupants: 17
Bathrooms: Private
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles in apartment-style or motel-style rooms
Air-conditioning, bathtubs, free laundry, kitchen units, shuttle service to campus.
Wharton
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 218
Bathrooms: Shared by hall
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, two- or three-room quads
The envy of the rest of campus—courtyard and easy access to academic buildings. Wharton is divided into three sections: two house first-year students and one consisting of singles for upper-class students.
Willets
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 213
Bathrooms: Shared by hall
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mostly freshmen
Room Types: Doubles
Home to a quarter of the incoming freshman class, Willets has an extensive lounge for studying and socializing.
Woolman
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 22
Bathrooms: Some shared by floor, others private by suite
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, multiple-occupancy suites
Secluded location, lounge area, hardwood floors
Worth
Floors: Floors:4
Number of Occupants: 75
Bathrooms: Private by suite
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, triples
Classic architecture, common area, courtyard, large kitchen area, private baths.
Campus-Owned Apartments
Lodges
Floors: 2
Number of Units: 4 five-person rowhouses
Bathrooms: Shared by lodge
Coed: Yes
Residents: All classes
Room Types: Each lodge is a separate apartment for five people
Each lodge has a private kitchen and basement
Did You Know?First-year students complete a roommate questionnaire concerning everything from music preference to sleep patterns before coming to Swarthmore. The questionnaire has had remarkable success, and most Swatties get along very well with their first-year roommates. Swarthmore was among the first schools in the country to offer coed rooms to students. First-years and sophomores will most likely end up with doubles, and juniors and seniors will probably live in singles. Most doubles and singles share bathrooms with their hallmates. Some multiple-room suites come equipped with private bathrooms, while others share hall bathrooms.
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