Swarthmore College

Welcome

Letter from the Swarthmore Quest Liaison

Welcome to the Swarthmore College page. My name is Rebecca Senft and I am the Liaison for the Swarthmore Quest Scholars Network chapter this year. When I applied to college through the National College Match, I read that Swarthmore has a reputation as being a very quirky school. After being here a year, I can tell you that indeed, we are. But we’re much more than merely “quirky.”

Here at Swarthmore, we have a very strong sense of unity; despite the academic rigor, “Swatties” aren’t competitive with each other. In my personal experience at Swarthmore, I have spent many long nights in the library pondering my future career and second-guessing my academic choices. At times, I’ve felt utterly lost, but I’ve never felt alone. Students here support each other, an effect intensified by our small size. In our QSN Chapter, we aim to provide a similar support system and a common space for fellow low-income students to whom college may seem an especially intimidating experience. This last year, our chapter was made an official campus-chartered group, and since then, we’ve worked to establish ourselves as a cohesive network through regular meetings and an active mentorship program.

In the future, we plan to expand our chapter’s interaction with the greater campus community by hosting larger events. We also hope to increase collaboration with nearby partner schools. As our chapter continues to grow, we hope to solidify our group by volunteering and spreading awareness about QuestBridge and Quest Scholars Network. Together, we can share our experiences as Quest Scholars and grow as students and individuals.

If you’d like to know more about the activities of our QSN chapter or my college experience (as a Quest Scholar or at Swarthmore in general) please do not hesitate to email me. I’d love to share my experiences or connect you with another Scholar who could answer your questions if I can’t. On behalf of the Quest Scholars of Swarthmore, we look forward to meeting you soon!

Rebecca Senft, Swarthmore '15