BMC from the HC perspective

Colleges and Universities A-Z Haverford College
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<p>So. I have visited both Bryn Mawr and Haverford, and eliminated HC for personal reasons; Bryn Mawr is wobbling around on the edges, largely because I don't quite "believe" in the Bi-Co. For instance, Bryn Mawr has no music program, its creative writing program is a poor fit for me, and I understand CS majors take a lot of courses at the other college. All this would not be a problem if the combined resources were truly one school, but I have a hard time believing that this is the actual effect. A 20-minute bus commute is still a 20-minute commute to class, and dependent on bus schedules.</p>

<p>In HS now, I go to a math/science magnet with an arts magnet right downstairs; my school provides the sports while the arts school provides the fine arts departments. Theoretically, the best of both worlds; but in reality, the situation is unequal (at least in fine arts; I hear the sports teams are far better integrated). The arts school teachers have little respect for students who prioritize academics or extracurriculars over their class; I've experienced this myself in music, and my friend has had issues with the annual musical for 3 years now due to the subtle inequalities. Things like the teacher willing to work around same-school extracurriculars, but not other-school activities. Things like the band being cut out of my school's graduation this year without notifying the director until the day before the graduation. I hope and assume that BMC/HC's relationship is more cordial--but tell me what the "worst" parts of it are.</p>

<p>Then there is the social aspect. I'm wary of attending a women's college, especially since I'm not the partying type. BMC claims that HC guys are well-integrated; the HC adcom rep told me that HC tends to keep to itself socially. And how does Swarthmore fit into the portrait?</p>

<p>I'm not posting this on the BMC board because I have little interest in sugarcoated assurances.</p>

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<p>It’s a 20-minute walk – not a 20-minute bus ride.</p>

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<p>Ah, my mistake. How long of a bus ride is it, then? (Taking into account actual commute time on the route, not just direct driving distance.)</p>

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<p>This link may help you answer your question about Swarthmore: [Ask</a> the Gazette: How many Swatties take classes in the Tri-Co? :: The Daily Gazette](<a href=“http://daily.swarthmore.edu/2009/2/26/atg-trico/]Ask”>http://daily.swarthmore.edu/2009/2/26/atg-trico/)</p>

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<p>The road distance from the Bryn Mawr stop to the Haverford stop is only about 2.5 miles. Blue Bus departures from Haverford are routinely [url=<a href=“http://www.brynmawr.edu/transportation/bico.shtml]scheduled[/url”>http://www.brynmawr.edu/transportation/bico.shtml]scheduled[/url</a>] just 15 minutes after departures from Bryn Mawr. This seems reasonable, given that the road distance from the Bryn Mawr stop to the Haverford stop is only about 2.5 miles. So the bus only has to average 10 mph.</p>

<p>You can read a detailed story about the Blue Bus, from the Haverford perspective, [url=<a href=“http://www.haverford.edu/newsletter/dec05/bluebus.htm]here[/url”>http://www.haverford.edu/newsletter/dec05/bluebus.htm]here[/url</a>]. It says that a full round-trip loop, from Bryn Mawr to Haverford and back, can run between 20 and 45 minutes. So 15 minutes each way seems about right.</p>

<p>Both schools offer majors that the other does not, and so it’s not unusual for students from the one school to major at the other. Getting from one school to the other does not seem to be a problem. </p>

<p>Swarthmore is another matter. I don’t think Swat is nearly as convenient.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the link; 15 minutes is still a longer commute than walking to class on the same campus, given that you have to walk to the bus stop as well, but it seems like lots of people make it work.</p>

<p>Any thoughts on the social aspect? I have a hard time believing that HC girls welcome an entire school’s worth of competition.</p>

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<p>There’s definitely lots of tension between Bryn Mawr and Haverford wimmin… MEOW!!!</p>

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<p>^ Honestly, though. A (male) HC rep and alum hinted as much.</p>

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<p>However, no situations are perfect. It’s best not to look at colleges looking for “the fly in the ointment” because you will most surely find it.</p>

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<p>I prefer to look for the fly in the ointment at every college, and then consider how palatable the ointment is after accounting for the flies.</p>

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<p>Well good luck. I didn’t mean to sound obnoxious. When helping my kids through this process we stressed positives, not negatives, and they chose the schools with the most positives. They have both been very happy, one at Barnard and one at Williams.</p>

<p>I didn’t mean to undercut you. I’m sorry if I did.</p>

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<p>Different people have different ways of approaching life, much less the college process; no way is inherently better than the other. I just tend to seek the negatives first, so that I know what I’m dealing with. That sometimes makes my posts sound overly critical, though I am also aware of the positives.</p>

<p>So: no worries and no apologies needed.</p>

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<p>I understand that you posted your questions here and not in the Bryn Mawr forum because you didn’t want to get a sugarcoated response from a Bryn Mawr student. Well, I am a Bryn Mawr student but I hope you value my input anyway.</p>

<p>Academically Bryn Mawr and Haverford are pretty much one school. I took 1 class at Haverford in my second semester, 3 in my third semester and 1 in my fourth (along with 2 classes at Penn). Next semester I am planning to take 1 class at Haverford, 1 at Bryn Mawr, and 1 or 2 at Penn. The worst part about taking classes at Haverford? The only negative I can think of is the extra trouble to get key-card access to all the rooms and buildings I need to get into. (It takes some communication between you, your professors and campus security but you will typically have access within a day of requesting it.) </p>

<p>The bus schedules are not an issue during the day. Bryn Mawr classes start on the hour while Haverford classes start on the half-hour. You can, for example, take a 10-11 class at Bryn Mawr, take the bus to Haverford and then take a 11:30-12:30 class at Haverford. Or if your Haverford class does not start until 12:30, you can have lunch at either Bryn Mawr or Haverford before going to class. In the morning and the afternoon there are typically 4 buses from Bryn Mawr to Haverford (and vice versa) every hour. I don’t watch the bus schedule during the day, I just go to the bus stop and wait for the next bus. In the evening there is only one bus an hour though, so I have to be more aware of the schedule.</p>

<p>Swarthmore and Penn are trickier transportation-wise. You have to get to Penn with public transportation. The R-5 station is literally one block away from campus, but the train only runs once an hour. The R-100 runs every 20 minutes but the R-100 station is more than a mile away. Bryn Mawr has a van to Swarthmore, but the van only runs once every 90 minutes which makes scheduling very tricky. I have heard that less than 70 students take a class at Swarthmore per year.</p>

<p>

In my experience Haverford professors do pay attention to cross-registration concerns. I took a Piano class at Haverford, for example, and the professor scheduled private lessons for Bryn Mawr students so that they would fit nicely around the Blue Bus schedule (e.g. start 5 minutes after the bus gets to campus). In another class the professor decided to schedule a few extra class sessions at night in the last week of classes because he wanted to make time for everyone to present their course projects. He was just as sensitive to my scheduling issues as to the conflicts of the Haverford students in the class.</p>

<p>

It depends. Haverford girls do get bitter when an entire bus load of Bryn Mawr students shows up to their party. But otherwise you can spend time at Haverford and be friends with Haverford students just like any Haverford student. And honestly, there is not that much competition. Most Bryn Mawr students do not spend much social time at Haverford. (Many are content at Bryn Mawr, some are too shy to go off-campus, some go to Swarthmore or Penn or Drexel, etc.)</p>

<p>

You can be friends with Haverford guys and date Haverford guys, but you will have to go to Haverford and initiate the contact. No Haverford student comes to Bryn Mawr looking for a party or social contacts. That being said, if you are not into parties, Bryn Mawr is about the best place in the world for you to be :slight_smile: What I really like about life at Bryn Mawr is that the dorms are quiet at night, even on weekends. Students who want to party go off-campus. The people who stay on campus might watch a movie or have tea at Uncommon Grounds or finish a paper or just catch up on sleep, but it is quiet enough to go to bed at 11 if you so desire. I heard that that is not true at most other colleges.</p>

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<p>^ Thanks for the extended reply!</p>