Standard III:
Admissions
Swarthmore College Education > State Review
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In February of the Sophomore year, Swarthmore students write a Sophomore Paper in which they outline their program of study for the last two years. At this time they apply for a major or an interdisciplinary Special Major and also apply for admission to the teacher certification program. (See Sophomore Paper guidelines and Education's Sophomore Paper information in Appendix J.) In preparation for writing the Sophomore paper, students attend group information meetings in the department or departments in which they hope to major or minor, and, if they are considering teacher certification, they attend a meeting with Education Program faculty as well. At these meetings, students receive departmental brochures that include information about the department and the requirements for both a Course or an Honors major or minor. In preparation for applying for admission to the major and to the teacher certification program, students meet with a faculty advisor in their major and in Education to discuss their plans. In March students are formally admitted to the major and to the teacher certification program, or, if they have not met the requirements for admission, their application is deferred, usually until the end of the second semester of the Sophomore year.
Beginning with members of the class of 2004, who will begin to be admitted to the teacher certification program in March, 2002 (after completing three semesters at the College or a total of 48 or more credits), we will require that students admitted to the program have the following grade point averages: students entering in 2001-2002 must have a GPA of 2.6, those entering in 2002-2003 must have a GPA of 2.8 and those entering in 2003-2004 and thereafter will be required to have a GPA of 3.0. As alternatives to the 3.0 grade point average from 2003-2004 on, we will grant waivers for admission under the following conditions: l) a 2.8 grade point average and a combined score of 1050 on the SAT, with at least a score of 500 on both the verbal and math subtests (note that virtually all students admitted to Swarthmore meet these SAT cut-off scores in any case); 2) a 2.8 grade point average and qualifying scores on the PRAXIS pre-professional skills tests. In addition, we will grant waivers in unique cases, based on the 90% or higher pass rates of the previous year's PRAXIS test takers, which will allow us to reduce the GPA entry requirement for students who do not reach it under the other waiver conditions noted above.
Applicants admitted to the certification program must also present evidence of having completed 6 credits or the equivalent, in college level Math courses and 6 credits, or the equivalent, in college level English courses. (Because Swarthmore College courses are 4 units, rather than three, students will need to take two courses in each of these fields, if they do not meet the alternatives described below. Regular Swarthmore courses are counted as one credit each (4 units), and a total of 32 are required for graduation.)
As an alternative to taking two Math courses at the College (one of which we recommend be Statistics), students applying for admission to the program may present some combination of the following course equivalents: AP credits with scores of 4 or 5 in AP Calculus (AB Calculus, one course credit, and AB/BC Calculus, one and a half course credits); AP Statistics, one course credit; a score of 560 or higher on the SAT II Mathematics IC or IIC exam. Students may substitute a distribution requirement course in the Natural Sciences for one of the Mathematics courses.
As an alternative to taking two English courses at Swarthmore before admission to the program, students may present some combination of the following: One or two AP credits, with a score of 4 or 5 in English or Writing; or a score of 600 or higher on the SAT II English or Writing exams.
For students graduating in the class of 2004 who entered Swarthmore College before the finalization of Chapter 354 and thus could not be informed about the requirements for Math and English course credits in a timely fashion, we will grant waivers for completing one of the courses in each field before admission to the program this year only. We do not believe it is responsible to impose a requirement, post hoc, that could complicate a student's ability to complete College distribution requirements and courses in their intended major before they complete their Sophomore Paper and application to the certification program.
For admission to the certification program, students must have completed Education l4, Introduction to Education, with a grade of B- or higher. They must also have a positive recommendation from their Cooperating Teacher in Education l4, positive recommendations from all of the Education faculty who have taught the student thus far in his or her college career, and approval from the chair of the department in which they plan to major. Finally, they must meet with an Education faculty member prior to writing their Sophomore paper and their application to the certification program to discuss their plans. (See Appendix E for a copy of the Admissions Checklist.)
Enrolling a diverse student body is one of Swarthmore College's ongoing goals. The Admissions Office continually considers ways to recruit students from diverse backgrounds, especially students from low income families for whom Swarthmore College's need blind admissions policy and generous scholarship awards are an incentive. (See Swarthmore College Catalogue, pp. 28-29.) In both the classes of 2004 and 2005, approximately 35% of the class are students of color and/or foreign students. (See Swarthmore College Fact Book in the Document Room for further information about backgrounds of the total student body.) Enrollment in Swarthmore Education courses generally reflects the overall diversity of the student body, with about one-third of the students enrolled in Education courses from African American, Latino/a or Asian backgrounds. In some recent years, 50% or more of the students who complete teacher certification have been students of color, often students who are the first-college going members of their families.
