I sat down with two of my softball teammates to talk about their individual experiences at Swatstruck. Victoria Overbeck is a freshman from Plainview, NY who is undecided about her major, and Emily Bowman is a senior from Ellicott City, MD, majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Film and Media Studies. Both of them play softball at Swarthmore.
Lucy: How was your experience at Swatstruck?
Emily: It was still called Ride the Tide when I was a senior in high school, so it’s funny that the name is different now. I still remember a lot about my experience, even though it was so long ago, particularly the other prospective students that I met and my hosts, even though they were seniors and we didn’t even attend Swarthmore at the same time. I particularly remember that it was really nice to have familiar faces when I got to Swat in the fall, and I felt really cool when I was able to smile at seniors.
Victoria: I was on the fence between Swat and another school when I came to Swatstruck, but I was really won over by my experience and ultimately decided to come here. I remember that I met a bunch of people from New York, where I’m from, and that made me feel a lot more comfortable with my decision to come here. Another standout experience was a soccer match with Dean Bock, which was a really fun experience.
Lucy: What dorm did you stay in at Swatstruck?
Emily: I stayed in Parrish. The room that I was in was a little small, but my hosts were so great that it wasn’t too much of an issue. My host’s roommate, in particular, was so helpful and helped me to plan out my day and find fun things to do. She really went out of the way to help me, and it had a big impact on my experience. It was comforting to be in a new place with someone so welcoming. It made me feel like Swarthmore would be a good home for me.
Victoria: I stayed in Woolman. The dorm itself was very homey with huge rooms, and my host was really respectful and lovely. One of her friends baked me cookies, which was so sweet and really above and beyond.
Lucy: Do you any advice for students attending Swatstuck?
Victoria: Take advantage of all the opportunities being presented to you, because there are a lot of them! Go to sports games, events with deans, talks about the programs that are offered here, classes. Try to attend as many events that you can and that you are interested in, it’s so worth it!
Emily: Try to make connections with new people! I remember staying up until 1 a.m. in the amphitheater, just talking with some other prospective students. A lot of them ended up coming to Swarthmore, and I still say hi to them, even as a senior. It was so nice to have friendly faces once I got to Swat, and attending Swatstruck made my transition so much better.
