<p>I’ve visited BMC 2 times so far and I really love it. I have a lot of questions for anyone who is planning to apply to Bryn Mawr, or who is a current student. Please try to answer any of these questions:
-I know taking classes at Haverford is fairly simple, but how accessible are Swarthmore or Penn?
-Is there wireless internet in most parts of the campus?
-How is the local town? Do most students stay on campus or do they go to Philly?
-How are the biology and psychology departments at Bryn Mawr?
-Would you recommend using a bike or car for living on campus?
-Which dorm or dorms would you recommend for freshmen? Can we choose? </p>
<p>If you have any other tips or advice for the admissions process, especially early decision, that would be helpful as well!</p>
Penn is more accessible than Swarthmore. You would get to Penn with public transportation. You have a choice between the R-5 ($5-6 one way, 20 minutes to center city, 4 blocks from Penn) and the R-100 + MFL line ($2.55 one way, 40 minutes to center city, 1 block from Penn). If you receive financial aid, the college reimburses you for the cost of the R-100. Students often take two Penn classes on the same day to make the commute worthwhile.</p>
<p>There is a shuttle service between Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr but it is rather inconvenient. The shuttle leaves only once every 90 minutes and the schedule is poorly coordinated with Swarthmore’s class schedule. (For example, the shuttle might leave 5 minutes before the end of class.) You can work Swarthmore classes into your schedule if you are very motivated, but it’s usually easier to stay in the Bi-Co instead. I remember reading somewhere that there are only ~80 cross-registrations between Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore each year, compared to ~3,000 cross-registrations between Bryn Mawr and Haverford.</p>
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All buildings and some outdoor areas have wireless. In fact, it’s the only way to connect to the internet!</p>
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The local town is a suburban residential area and rather boring. Bryn Mawr students do all sorts of things over the weekend. Some stay on campus (the college screens 1-2 movies each weekend and frequently hosts guest artists), some socialize at Haverford, Swarthmore, Penn, Villanova or any of the other Philadelphia area colleges, some enjoy the culture of Philadelphia. I don’t think there’s a typical Bryn Mawr student in that regard!</p>
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Very few students have cars. Bikes are more common but still rare. There’s really no need for transportation: we can walk from one end of the campus to the other in 10 minutes; there’s college-provided transportation to Haverford and Swarthmore; the train station to Philly is one block from campus; and there are several grocery stores, drug stores, banks, hair salons, and all sorts of doctors within walking distance.</p>
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Each dorm has its own charm. Erdman is close to food while Merion is close to class. Denbigh has fireplaces while Haffner has window seats. Brecon has a very tightly-knit dorm community and Radnor has its famous halloween party. You can express a dorm preference on your housing application, but I recommend not doing that so that Residential Life can match you up with a good roommate. A roommate with similar sleeping habits is arguably more important than a fireplace ;)</p>
<p>The admissions office experimented with partial tuition scholarships for incoming students last year. I am not sure whether or not there will be scholarships for first-year students again next year.</p>
<p>There are a number of random small scholarships for returning students (like $300 for the best student in Intermediate Italian) and a few “significant” (not sure how significant) awards for graduating seniors. That’s pretty much it. </p>
<p>Most financial aid at Bryn Mawr is need-based.</p>