Swarthmore College
- Computers

Quick Stats

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

There are more than enough computers—PCs and Macs—at Swarthmore. The College really tries to make sure every student has access to a computer and the Internet. Computers can be found in the dorms, coffee bars, the library, and practically everywhere else. There are also printers in each dorm, and printing is free, so students should never have to worry about coughing up laundry change to print out their linguistics paper. Even the wireless networks have been updated, and wireless Internet speeds are pretty fast. Also, the wireless network covers the whole campus, making any laptop accessible to the Internet wherever it is on campus. The only problem is that the Internet sometimes lags, but it’s rare, and a quick fix to this problem is to bring an Ethernet cable. Overall, Swarthmore has everything a student needs in terms of Internet and computer availability.

Swarthmore’s ITS Help Desk is helpful and generally well-equipped to deal with students’ computer problems. Dorm Consultants and other student computer attendants range from very knowledgeable and friendly to hardly helpful and irritating. Most have at least some experience in both Macs and PCs—even though most campus computers are Apples, many student computers are PCs. Either type of computer can be easily accommodated by the network and ITS, which is a big plus. Most students agree that it is possible to succeed at Swarthmore without bringing your own computer, but almost none recommend it.

Swarthmore Student ReviewsWhat's This?

Sort by:

Most RecentMost PopularHighest Grades

Computers at Swarthmore College

JuliGrace2010

'13

Biology

3.5

B

Need Improvement

The computers work fine—when they work. I frequently have problems printing, and various services (e-mail, student accounts, library site) are down just when I need them the most. I frequently lose my Internet connection even in academic buildings, even though it is said that the entire campus has high-speed Internet access. Printing is free, which is a plus, as long as the printers at the library are not jammed (this happens a lot) and the printer in my dorm is not out of paper (which also happens a lot). Copies are quite expensive, and the only alternative is going to the very slow PCs and using the scanners.

Dec 09, 2010

Comment actions: Rate

12345

Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

Computers at Swarthmore College

rubyredsire

'14

Psychology

4.6

A

Internet Network = Superb

There pretty much isn't any place on campus where you can't get a connection as long as your computer is configured correctly. The Internet speed is great and not really iffy. You don't really need your own printer. McCabe has ample space for printing needs and so do the dorms. Dude, get a laptop. It's just more convenient. You can do the whole "I don't own my own computer" thing, but just make your life a little easier by getting one. They're really helpful and convenient.

Nov 04, 2010

Comment actions: Rate

12345

Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

Computers at Swarthmore College

dnewman1

'14

Psychology

4.6

A

Computer Availability

There are both Macs and PCs on campus. There are printers in every dorm and at all the libraries. Laptops can be checked out. There are many available resources as far as computers are concerned.

Nov 02, 2010

Comment actions: Rate

12345

Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

What do you think of your school? Register to submit reviews to let others know what it's really like »

First

Previous

Page 1 of 6

Next

Last

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate computers on the following subjects

How necessary is it to bring your own computer?

Facts