<p>Hi guys! So I am having a little problem with choosing my ED1 college
Currently, I am leaning toward to Bryn Mawr, but I still want to hear more opinions/experiences from others too :)
For me, Bryn Mawr's location was the biggest deal and its clubs and Freshmen classes seem really helpful.
Mount Holyoke, which I am not as well informed as Bryn Mawr, seems like they have stronger International relations and study abroad programs. They also ranked #1 at the best classroom experience! +higher chance to getting in? i dont know</p>
<p>Actually I visited Bryn Mawr this friday and the campus wasn't as appealing as I thought. (hoping to visit MHC soon)
Campus is a big deal for me, so it was a little disappointing, but the Gym was soooooo nice and their dance studios were so gorgeous that they could cover my disappointment haha</p>
<p>Also my mom was wondering how hard will it be dating with a guy in all women's college in the scale of 1-10
Haha that's a weird question, but my mom desperately want me to date in college, so... :p</p>
<p>Campus and location was a big reason in why I chose BMC over MHC. I just really didn’t want to be that isolated from the world. The students I stayed with, though nice, never really left campus and that wasn’t a scene I wanted to pursue. I like having the option to stay on campus, but also the freedom to go to another campus only a mile away (Haverford) or a major US city only 20 minutes away.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, my daughter is a first year at MHC and while she herself does not go off campus much, she knows lots of girls who attend parties and social/cultural events on the other campuses (mainly Amherst College and UMass, but also Hampshire sometimes) at least 2-3 evenings a week. They are not having any trouble meeting boys!</p>
<p>Eh…not so sure about that. Meeting boys at a large college dance party v. meeting boys at dining hall /libary/ gym/lab/ are two completely different “meeting boys” dynamics. </p>
<p>Yes MHC women have access to “5-college life”. But most of the day to day encounters are with other women. Pretty sure the same can be said of Smith & Wesslyn. Maybe less so at BMC with the Havenford connection. Definilty less at Barnard. Remember women don’t usually select a “womens college” because of the abundance of male dating opportunties. I</p>
<p>If dating a male classmate is your priority, apply to Williams or Middlebury or Bowdin. If being part of encouraging, empowering community that knows no bourdries to success is your priority then apply to a womens college. All will deliver a world class education.</p>
<p>Poli sci is a popular major at MHC. Look at the MHC course catologe on line for details on the offerings. Students land impressive domestic and international interships: United Nations, etc. MCH particpates in the 5-college programs which allow students to take class of interest at the other schools and gain a 5-college concetration dregree (like a minor). </p>
<p>Check out the stats of allum from womens collges in the political arena: Clinton, Albright, etc…</p>
<p>OP, you probably know that BMC and Haverford have their course catalogs combined and the bi-co really does overlap so that there will be guys in many BMC classes and the dining halls on both campuses are open to students from both colleges. On the other hand, it sounds as though the dating thing is your mother’s priority not yours, so you keep your eyes on what will really matter to you! </p>
<p>If you didn’t love BMC campus, maybe another visit is in order? I’ve been on campus for 3 visits with different D’s and had quite variable experiences. On one spring visit we thought it was absolutely glorious, saw the amazing dorms, attended a great symposium and were surprisingly taken with the campus (BMC was an add-on to a Swarthmore trip that time). Another rainy day near Thanksgiving, we took a miserable tour, didn’t love the info session or the campus and left feeling underwhelmed. Then another fantastic summer visit with a wonderful tour guide who made the campus and traditions come alive (and yes that gym!!!) and the buildings seemed just classical and perfect…
so maybe a re-visit is in order if you can swing that - an ED decision is for keeps!</p>
<p>We’ve only been to MHC once for an afternoon - did the tour and info - but the consensus, even from women who are very happy there, is that it is secluded, isolated, quiet, and you probably have to appreciate that aspect of daily MHC life, even if you’re one of the girls who makes an effort to get off campus sometimes. </p>
<p>@momneeds2no, what is Wesslyn? Smith & Wesslyn sounds like the gun…</p>
<p>@momneeds2no, nevermind I just realized you must have meant Wellesley. IDK why I didn’t think of that sooner…I think the Smith & Wesson resemblance threw me - sorry :"> </p>
<p>D is a freshman at BMC. She can’t say enough about how happy she is that she chose this school. </p>
<p>The area is fantastic! Not only are there cute shops nearby, but the school provides regular shuttles to Trader Joe’s and other stores. Last week was fall break and she took the train ( for the first time) safely and easily to and from the airport. </p>
<p>We visited MHC as well and they do have a beautiful campus, however IMHO, Bryn Mawr is also lovely. D has met boys and has plenty of opportunities to go to parties or just hang out with her new friends from the dorm and from the extracurriculars she joined during culture week. Classes are work as one would expect and there is so much genuine care and support for my D from administration and from her Culture Group that it feels like she has found a new home in a few short weeks. </p>
<p>Her roommate assignment was a successful match based on a thoughtful analysis of their residence life questionnaires. And they truly live in a beautiful castle.</p>
<p>I was in a sorority in college and thought my D would be missing out. Not at all. I wish I could have had her experience!</p>
<p>mom4art—your sorority comment is interesting. D graduated from MHC two years ago and I joke that MHC needs no sororities, because the whole place is one big sorority!! I mean that in terms of the positive aspects of sororities, just so I am not misunderstood. The sense of sisterhood and empowerment at women’s colleges is amazing.</p>
<p>Second MADad’s comment on empowerment and sense of sisterhood at women’s colleges. That was certainly my daughter’s experience (she graduated from BMC two years ago).</p>
<p>Wow, these women colleges sound awesome. Does BMC give merit and if so what are the usual stats? I know actually that they give merit but have not gotten a good feel for the type of student they would give this to. Early on in the college hunt, my daughter was not too excited about women’s colleges but now has BMC on her list. Another young woman I am helping, is very interested in International Relations and I just read that MHC is very well known for this. Could someone let me know more? What student would they offer merit to?</p>
<p>@goingnutsmom I know that MHC gives a fair amount of merit aid; from what I understand they give much more than, say, Smith. (I do not know BMC’s reputation for merit aid.) I know several young women for whom that merit aid made MHC far less expensive than other peer schools. If you look at the Common Data Sets for the GPAs and test scores of accepted students, you can compare them against the potential applicants and see whether they are in the top range. Another easy way is to plug the students stats into the College Board’s Big Future web site and then you can see on a graph where they fall for each school (under Apply> Grades or Test Scores.) I’ve also heard that the MHC Net Price Calculator may (?) give you an estimate of Merit Aid… but I do not have personal experience with that - I think another poster here may have mentioned it at some point.</p>
<p>A merit aid comparison between MHC and Smith is difficult. Smith awards $15,000-$20,000 to 200-250 admits, but only ~50 women accept the offer and matriculate. Smith’s non-need based aid is $1,947,070. MHC’s non-need based aid is $4,871,510. While significantly more, the difference could result from the fact that MHC’s yield for merit aid recipients is greater than Smith’s. My guess is that MHC does indeed award more merit aid than Smith. Either way, the amount of merit aid MHC allocates is impressive.</p>
<p>Another fact that complicates comparisons, or how beneficial the merit award is to the bottom line, is that merit awards cannot be added on top of student’s federally determined need.</p>
<p>While I think all the women’s colleges are academically strong in the social sciences-- if a student knows that she is most interested in IR, the places that are generally known for IR programs at the undergraduate level are: the Ivys, Georgetown, Stanford (Hoover Institute), Tufts, University of Chicago, and American University. At the graduate level–Johns Hopkins SAIS and Tufts Fletcher School.</p>
<p>Don’t know about financial aid–my D was full pay at Bryn Mawr and while I think it’s a great liberal arts college–I wouldn’t necessarily direct a young woman who was passionate about IR in that direction. If the student isn’t really sure about IR, then I’d have her look at the women’s colleges.</p>