Bryn Mawr vs. Scripps vs. Wellesley vs. Cornell

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I've narrowed it down to four colleges. I am a potential religious studies/science major and I hope to eventually go to grad school at Oxbridge (leaning heavily towards Cambridge). I made a pros and cons list and I am just curious to know what you guys would do in my situation. I am able to afford any of these four choices, but I would obviously like to save some money. </p>

<p>Bryn Mawr:
Pros
-15k scholarship
-Amazing sisterhood community
-Close to home so I could still be involved in community activities
-Great reputation and academics
-Recently produced Rhodes and Gates Cambridge Scholars
-Lots of interaction with Haverford and Swarthmore students
-Awesome alumni network
-Beautiful campus
Cons
-Would be taking religion and astronomy classes at Haverford
-Close proximity to home means same environment as I grew up + more parental control
-May be going to school near brother (I want distance from my family)
-Lowest ranked of top four choices Forbes-wise
-Afraid I would never leave this area
-Visit was kinda ehh but I'm staying overnight today</p>

<p>Scripps:
Pros
-10k scholarship
-California! Need I say more?
-Fairly close to Los Angeles yet not located in a city
-Sisterhood
-Member of SITA consortium (South India Term Abroad)
-Great place in rankings...above Cornell and Bryn Mawr
-Lots of social opportunities with consortium
-Loved my interviewer...seems like women from Scripps really have it together!
-I have family in San Diego, so I wouldn't be totally alone if I needed help
-Campus looks beautiful
Cons
-Would be taking A LOT of classes at other colleges
-VERY far away
-Not as much recognition as other choices
-Parents are against it
-I have yet to visit </p>

<p>Wellesley
Pros
-Amazing academics, highest ranking of all schools
-Has a South Asian Studies major
-Near major city but not in major city
-MIT consortium
-Sisterhood
-Great reputation
-Good distance away from home
-Loved my interviewer, gave me a great sense of the school
-Awesome alumni network
-Study abroad opportunities
Cons
-No merit or financial aid
-Socially isolated
-I have yet to visit
-Boston is a bit overwhelming
-Some students from Wellesley seem unhappy</p>

<p>Cornell
Pros
-Ivy League!
-Parents are pushing it
-Good distance away
-Amazing course options
-Campus seems pretty
-Lots of study abroad opportunities
-Seems like a good social scene
-Lots of famous alumni and professors
Cons
-HUGE
-No sisterhood
-Big Greek system
-I have yet to visit
-No merit or financial aid
-Drinking/party culture?
-Some say that the academics are great, but not excellent</p>

2

<p>Shameless bump</p>

3

<p>Is money an issue? If not then Cornell.</p>

4

<p>I’m worried that I would get lost in Cornell’s large student body.</p>

5

<p>Yeah there are lots of things to worry about - but that’s part of growing. You’ll worry everywhere you go. I say Cornell - the student body isn’t THAT big compared to say Ohio State.</p>

6

<p>If you want to save a bit of money for a semester abroad, or so that you can take a couple of unpaid internships, then BMC or Scripps.</p>

<p>If you want full-on academic challenge, then Wellesley.</p>

<p>If you want a more varied student body, then Cornell - after all, that is the only one of these four that has an Ag. College.</p>

<p>As for your comment that “Some students from Wellesley seem unhappy”, you will find unhappiness everywhere. Cornell and Wellesley are far enough north so that some students who tend toward seasonal affective disorder will indeed suffer in those longer, darker winters. Which of course makes a stronger argument for Scripps.</p>

<p>There is not a bad one in this bunch. You can flip a coin if you have to.</p>

7

<p>Bryn Mawr, not as socially isolated as Wellesley and still academically strong. I think it’s splitting hairs to choose from amongst these schools by rankings.</p>

8

<p>Especially forbes’ rankings! You can find plenty of sisterhood at coed colleges. Iget out of your comfort zone. College is a time to grow! I’d choose Cornell.</p>

9

<p>There is a big difference between the environment at a women’s college and at a coed university. Been both places, and done both of those things myself. It really is OK to choose the environment that you believe you will be most successful in. Stop worrying about the rankings. At this point, they are meaningless for you.</p>

10

<p>I’d go with Bryn Mawr or Wellesley, if you feel comfortable with a historically female college. Personally, I’m recommending a coed college to my daughter, simply because we are a single-parent family with one female child, and I feel that she should learn to deal with men in a natural setting, and not always on “dates” or at “mixers”.</p>

<p>Wellesley has a lovely campus that seems secluded, but is close to Boston. And far from being overwhelming, Boston is one of the more walkable and knowable of the big cities in the U.S. It also is next to Cambridge, where you will probably spend more time, because of the cultural resources, the presence of Harvard and MIT, and so on. It is extremely strong academically. And it is not isolated socially. College men flock to activities at good women’s colleges, and you will almost certainly find lots of flyers advertising social activities at Harvard, MIT, and other schools on the bulletin boards.</p>

<p>Bryn Mawr doesn’t have the reputation of Wellesley. Still, it is a very, very fine school, and the ability to take courses at Haverford is a plus. If you can attend without having to live at home, that’s great; I think that you, like most undergrads, should get the experience of living away from home, but in the somewhat controlled environment of a dorm, where you don’t have to worry about paying rent, paying the cable bill, calling the plumber, etc. like you would in an apartment. The fact that it will give you a good sized scholarship is the icing on the cake.</p>

<p>I fully understand your wish to live away from your parents. I was terribly overprotected, and couldn’t wait to go to college to practice having some independence – not to do bad things, but to follow my own interests, take responsibility for my own life, etc. I was living in NJ, and a school in Massachusetts was a perfect distance away. I would NOT have wanted a NJ school, even though I selected a “safety” school there because my parents insisted. However, it is possible to live on your own in a college that is in the same state where your parents live, as long as you don’t live at home and don’t go home every single weekend.</p>

<p>Sharon</p>

11

<p>I’m leaning towards Bryn Mawr. I visited Wellesley, and the whole place just seemed unhappy. I visited Cornell and it was okay, but I feel such a strong pull to Bryn Mawr. </p>

<p>I don’t plan on living with my parents or coming home every weekend.</p>

<p>I know it has the least reputation out of all of my choices…am I making the right decision?</p>

12

<p>Bryn Mawr is a great school. Follow your heart and go there. Bryn Mawr is highly respected among people who are knowledgeable about higher education.</p>