Marple Newtown grad wins full scholarship to Swarthmore

chairman and CEO of Scott Paper who also served as a director of General Electric, Campbell Soup and the Peninsula General Hospital in Salisbury, Md. His many tangible contributions to the college also include the Scott Amphitheater and the Thomas B. and Jeannette L. McCabe Library.

Candidates are chosen among admitted students. The award is available to two individuals from Southeastern Pennsylvania (Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties), two from the Delmarva Peninsula and two from the balance of the United States. The final grant is offered to an international student.

The scholarship is significant, as tuition for the 2017-2018 school year will be $50,424, which combined with room, board and student activity fee, totals $65,774, said Jim Bock, vice president and dean of admissions. Swarthmore believes in need-blind aid and according to the college website, 52 percent of students received need-based aid for the 2015-2016 school year.

“Mr. McCabe was so generous during his lifetime,” said Bock. “To be able to offer this is an honor and a luxury and parents appreciate the fact it allows their son or daughter to remain close to home.”

With the exception of Harvard, Holt focused on the “close to home” aspect by applying to colleges within a three-hour radius, including Bucknell, Dickinson, Lehigh, Princeton, Penn, University of the Sciences and Villanova. Living on campus a mere 15 minutes from family will allow her to immerse herself in college life while maintaining connections with high school friends attending Temple, West Chester and Widener. The convenience will also afford the chance to attend her sister’s track meets at Marple Newtown High School.

“Swarthmore is a smaller school and I like the fact I won’t need a GPS just to get around,” she said. “Some classes have a few as 12 students and I feel that will really give me the opportunity to develop a personal relationship with my professors.”

Holt plans to major in neuroscience on the path to medical school and neurosurgery. While she admits she “doesn’t want to leave high school and doesn’t like change,” she is no doubt anticipating the fall semester.

“I’m excited to be starting college,” said Holt. “It will be wonderful to be surrounded by such intelligent and passionate people for the next four years.”