Bryn Mawr vs. Scripps

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I visited Bryn Mawr today and liked it more than I expected to; the only major drawback is the gender aspect. BMC isn't quite as tightly integrated with Haverford as Scripps is with the other Claremonts (bus vs. walking distance); overall, the gender ratio among the Claremonts is also less lopsided than than the Bi-Co's (62/38 vs. 79/21). Double-majoring will be difficult at both schools due to thesis requirements, but Scripps has a stricter (though interesting) core curriculum. Financial aid is a toss-up; Scripps has a 4k/year loan cap and reputedly generous policies for merit-scholarship winners, but a lot of middle-class/upper-middle-class students seem to attend Bryn Mawr because of a favorable package. BMC's acceptance rate is 18% higher than Scripps's, making it (I think?) a safety vs. a match w/ top stats.</p>

<p>Due to distance, I will NOT be able to visit Scripps until post-acceptance, but I'm only allowed to apply to one women's college (parental restriction, and not worth fighting them on since I'm only considering women's colleges because they are "academic bargains").</p>

<p>Bryn Mawr is stronger for my prospective academic choices, and known for being very rigorous (pos or neg?). I'd probably take many consortium classes and getting around is kind of a pain (e.g. to Swat for linguistics/creative writing, although the bus ride to Haverford is pretty short). However, I would have (difficult) access to Swarthmore's academic resources--Swat is currently my first choice. BMC's traditions sound a little wonky and almost-hazing (Hell Week); socially, it's definitely unbalanced.</p>

<p>Scripps is a school that has jumped on and off my list constantly, finally clawing its way onto the end. Somehow I'm attracted to the "vibe" (although how much of a vibe can one glean from research?) and the idea of socializing in a coed environment--Harvey Mudd, 60% male, is literally next door--while returning home to a clean, quiet, beautiful dorm. SoCal weather is a definite plus, although my parents would prefer Bryn Mawr's proximity to home. I love the idea of an interdisciplinary core curriculum, but I'm not such a fan of losing 4 elective slots plus distribution requirements.</p>

<p>Thoughts? Which school should I apply to, and why?</p>

2

<p>Well, just a as a first piece of advice - I highly doubt that Bryn Mawr can be considered a “safety” for anyone, even with top stats. A match, sure, but not really a safety. Self-selection is always key when examining the acceptance rates for women’s colleges. There are also other things to factor in here (i.e. how having the other Claremonts by affects applications vs. the TriCo, etc.)</p>

<p>But all that aside - I can see you’re very split between the two; it’s certainly a tough choice! Once thing to consider (and something that I’m not totally sure about) is that people sometimes say the Claremont Consortium doesn’t always work out as well as one might think (i.e. students from the different colleges don’t always get to interact that much)…but that’s just what I’ve heard; I can’t personally back it up. Scripps, I’m assuming, would be different from other schools on your list? It doesn’t sound like you have any other schools in CA, I’m guessing? That might also be something to consider. I’d also be sure to look into how students who’ve had to take a lot of classes through the TriCo consortium have felt - that sounds like it could potentially be tricky as well.</p>

3

<p>CaliforniaDancer–why do you believe Bryn Mawr should be considered a match, specifically? The most recent acceptance rate I can find is 49%–yes, self-selective, but so is Scripps–and I exceed all 75th percentile benchmarks by at least 30 points (for math, my lowest section).</p>

<p>Pomona is also definitely on my list. About half of the rest is composed of Midwestern LACs. I’m not opposed to moving across the country, although my parents would prefer that I remain within a day’s driving distance.</p>

4

<p>Hmm - well, you do have a point about the acceptance rates being pretty high. I guess I just consider those schools quite highly in an academic regard and don’t traditionally view them as safeties, especially since BMC is seen as the most academically rigorous. But whether it is a safety or a match is certainly disputable.</p>

<p>Ok, so I see you do have other schools further away - because it sounds like you really like both colleges, would you be willing to eliminate one on something as simple as location, or do you feel like you need other reasons (which would certainly be understandable)? I’d almost just say that since there seem to be an equal amount of pros/cons for each, you could really just choose on location? (i.e. stay within driving distance as your parents want… or get away, if that’s what you want…) </p>

<p>On another note - I just checked some of the other women’s college acceptance rates, and was quite surprised about BMC’s in relation to the others! Smith is 48%, Wellesley is 36%, Barnard is 28% (though that one isn’t as surprising)…interesting. I just thought BMC’s was a little lower.</p>

5

<p>I’m going to agree with CaliforniaDancer. The applicant pool is self-selected and the majority of the applicants who apply to women’s college are very very qualified. I’ve seen girls waitlisted from bryn mawr with 2200’s and strong EC’s. Also, this year Bryn Mawr saw a pretty significant increase in applications, so the acceptance rate will definately be lower than 49%. It’s not a safety for anyone. None of the remaining seven sisters are. </p>

<p>I think both are great schools, but recognition wise, bryn mawr definately has an edge over scripps (at least on the east coast). It’s a seven sister, whereas scripps is not. You are right about it being difficult to take classes at Swat, but lots of girls do it. The Bi-Co with Haverford though, is pretty much seamless. I was initially concerned about the traditions at BMC as well. I’m not really into that type of thing, but I talked to a lot of current students and they said that they traditions are really fun but there’s not pressure to participate if you don’t want to.</p>

6

<p>My D is seriously considering Bryn Mawr and has Scripps on her radar screen but is currently less keen on it. Some of it is personal: though we now live in the Midwest she mostly grew up on the East Coast which still feels like “home”—though BMC is also a goodly distance from her family, which for her is an attraction. </p>

<p>Mostly it’s academic, however. Bryn Mawr in her opinion—and mine—has a much richer and deeper academic tradition and culture, one of the strongest and deepest in the country, actually. Bryn Mawr also has much the stronger brand identity in academia and among the general populace. Bryn Mawr also struck my D as more feminist in orientation (a plus, in her view) than Scripps, which seemed a little more “girly girl” (a term my D picked up from our Pomona tour guide, who used it to describe Scripps pejoratively but in a way that seemed to fit with the student tour guides we met there). Then there’s the perception issue. Everyone we met at Haverford seemed to regard Bryn Mawr as a more-or-less equal partner; everyone we met at the other colleges in the Claremont consortium seemed to regard Scripps as a kind of weak link, possibly a notch above Pitzer but definitely either 4th or 5th among the Claremont Colleges. It’s easy to identify distinguished programs at Bryn Mawr; less so at Scripps. And while Scripps students can take classes at the other Claremont Colleges, cross-registrations are limited both by the core curriculum and by numerical caps on the number of cross-registrations any individual student can take; no such limits between BMC and Haverford, where cross-registrations are unlimited, and you can even take your major or live at the other school if you so choose.</p>

<p>Scripps has a lot going for it. The campus is gorgeous (as is Bryn Mawr’s), and the weather is hard to beat (certainly beats Philly, as you know). They’ve got orange trees growing right out in the middle of campus so you can snag breakfast on the way to your first morning class. And the San Gabriel mountains in the distance are spectacular on a clear morning (though you won’t always have those). But for sheer academic firepower, Bryn Mawr has Scripps beat hands down. Scripps is a good school, though, and the opportunities presented by the Claremont consortium are substantial. Perhaps you should apply to both, especially as you’re clearly leaning elsewhere, anyway, making these schools expendable “back-ups.”</p>

7

<p>“I’m only allowed to apply to one women’s college (parental restriction, and not worth fighting them on since I’m only considering women’s colleges because they are “academic bargains”).”</p>

<p>We are still pretty early in the game. You have time to work on both applications and make a decision later on. There also still is time for your parents to change their minds about this one.</p>

<p>I’m glad to learn you had a nice visit to Bryn Mawr. May is just about the best time of the year there, but then you know what the weather is going to be like since you are in Delaware. Don’t discount the relative convenience of going to school closer to home. At Bryn Mawr you would be one of the “local” students, and your mom would get to feed the midwestern and west coast orphans you brought home on the train for fall break, spring break, and any other weekend when you just had to get away.</p>

8

<p>Thanks for everyone’s contributions! Lots to think about. Bryn Mawr’s academic reputation is true, both as a selection factor and as a reason not to consider it a safety (although regardless of the classification, I will put 100% into every application).</p>

<p>Leaning toward BMC at the moment, but keep the comments coming!</p>

9

<p>As a recent Scripps grad, I’d have to say that both choices would be great. (I don’t know that much about BMC, but I did apply there and was waitlisted.) It is true that Scripps does not have the same long academic tradition, being a newer school, but that doesn’t mean that the academics aren’t top-notch or that the name isn’t respected in academia–far from it. Having just gone through the senior thesis process (with honors), I feel pretty confident in saying that Scripps has very high expectations, which students generally meet, and that our faculty is second to none in terms of helping us to grow intellectually.</p>

<p>As for the consortium issue, I tend to think that the consortium is more workable academically as well as socially, since one only needs to take a short walk to get from one campus to the next. And it’s very possible to major at another campus or live there, so happymomof1’s information is a bit incomplete in that regard. Some majors have joint programs, and I’ve found that the stated “limits” on the number of courses you can cross-register for are in practice non-existent. </p>

<p>As for perception issues, I think that people from the other colleges who regard Scripps as a “weak link” are in the definite minority, and are not the sort of people one generally wishes to associate with, as they seem to think that getting into whatever college is their life’s biggest achievement. One thing that I like about Scripps students vis-a-vis many of the other 5C students is that Scripps students are less pretentious and care less about prestige. (I can’t say anything about this with regards to BMC.) I think Scripps tends to have a lot of idealistic lefty types who end up working with social justice/nonprofit organizations, though I can’t say whether that’s self-selection or the institution itself. I know that BMC tends to produce a lot of academics, which certainly seems appealing. (To me, anyway, as a future academic.) There’s also geography to consider. Most Scripps students are West Coasters, which I imagine is different at BMC.</p>

<p>The women’s college aspect is worth considering, as is the core curriculum. I think Scripps is definitely “less” of a women’s college than BMC. I know a lot of people who came here in spite of the fact that it’s a women’s college, most of whom ended up liking that aspect of Scripps. (Though, having said that, young women who aren’t comfortable with the idea probably shouldn’t go to either.)</p>

<p>It’s a lot to consider, and I’d be happy to answer any Scripps-related questions. I don’t think you can go wrong with either choice. I might also look into seeing which schools waive application fees. My younger sister just went through the college application rigmarole, and I seem to recall that several of the women’s colleges on her list, including BMC, waived the fee.</p>

10

<p>Both are very good schools, I’d pick Bryn Mawr because it’s closer to you and because you think its stronger academically</p>

<p>But then again, you can’t go wrong with either choices :slight_smile: good luck!</p>

11

<p>^^ Thanks for reminding me of what I liked about Scripps. XD Like I said, I’m torn! And both of these schools would be high on my list if they weren’t single-sex.</p>

<p>BMC does waive the application fee, so it’s $40 cheaper than Scripps to apply to. I still have to pay for transcripts either way, though.</p>

<p>I referenced Bryn Mawr’s academic reputation as being “academic” in the traditional sense–producing academics. In Ph.D. productivity rankings, Bryn Mawr shows up constantly. On the other hand, I’m not 100% set on becoming an academic, and I would love to live on the West Coast for four years or even longer.</p>

12

<p>I agree with the majority of these posters that both of these schools are great choices, and you can’t go wrong with either one of them. It all comes down to the best fit for you.</p>

<p>I would like to counter the suggestion posed about that other Claremont College students see Scripps as a weak link in the consortium. I did not find this to be the case at all, and I never felt like I was disrespected by my school in my time attending there. Quite honestly, the school that gets ragged on all the time by the other 5Cs (unfairly) is Pitzer. I still remember an April Fool’s article one year in the 5C paper where the other Claremonts decided to raze Pitzer and use the space for their schools!</p>

<p>Also, Scripps tends to hire students who come off as very girly and feminine for tour guides and prominent leadership positions that interact with prospective students and parents. From my experience the school is very explicitly trying to counter the idea that every woman who attends a women’s college is a radical separatist feminist who shaves her head. In reality the student body has a pretty wide variety of students. I’m decidedly nerdy and not particularly girly at all, nor am I a separatist feminist who shaves my head, and I fit in just fine. one unifying factor with the Scripps student body is that most everyone is pretty studious and extremely nice.</p>

<p>sra08 wrote:
“The women’s college aspect is worth considering, as is the core curriculum. I think Scripps is definitely “less” of a women’s college than BMC. I know a lot of people who came here in spite of the fact that it’s a women’s college, most of whom ended up liking that aspect of Scripps. (Though, having said that, young women who aren’t comfortable with the idea probably shouldn’t go to either.)”</p>

<p>I would definitely agree with this. there are many more women who come to Scripps who came more for the overall consortium aspect and other wonderful aspects of Scripps than the fact that it’s a women’s college. We also retain some of the finishing school aspects (tea parties every Wednesday afternoon, candlelight dinners, etc), and as a result the school can seem confused between the feminist and traditional aspects. you would definitely find a more traditional women’s college experience (and more women who were gung ho about being an an all-women environment) at Bryn Mawr. Bryne Mawr also does tend to attract more PhD types (Scrippsies get advanced degrees in large numbers but more go onto be professionals), although I certainly do know recent Scripps grads getting PhDs.</p>

<p>I hope this helped you continue to determine that idea ‘fit.’ good luck!</p>

13

<p>“overall, the gender ratio among the Claremonts is also less lopsided than than the Bi-Co’s (62/38 vs. 79/21)”</p>

<p>I think this is a bigger deal than the perceived less-tight integration between BMC and HC. Academically, BMC/HC virtually function as one school. But if you’re not that enthusiastic about a woman-centered community, well, the Bi-Co is a thoroughly female-dominated place. That is far less true of the Claremonts.</p>

14

<p>From the above (Scripps-centered) descriptions, I am now leaning toward Scripps again–I definitely like Bryn Mawr’s academic tradition, but prefer “finishing school” traditions to “Hell Week” (it still sounds really uncomfortable, despite reassurances). And while I’m not opposed to a female-centered environment, I don’t really want a female-dominated environment. Location and weather cancel each other out, as does, I suppose, core curriculum and getting on a bus to use the consortium (I’m really in love with Swarthmore’s academic offerings, but logistically it’s difficult).</p>

15

<p>

You can see this difference right here at collegeconfidential.com. Fairly or not, Bryn Mawr makes collegeconfidential’s page of “Top Liberal Arts Colleges”, while Scripps does not.</p>

16

<p>“You can see this difference right here at collegeconfidential.com. Fairly or not, Bryn Mawr makes collegeconfidential’s page of “Top Liberal Arts Colleges”, while Scripps does not.”</p>

<p>Of all the reasons for choosing between them, this ranks about 1000th.</p>

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<p>I have to say I agree with johnshade on this one.</p>

18

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<p>That “finishing school” aspect was a turn-off for my D.</p>

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<p>Just to be clear, Bryn Mawr is no slouch when it comes to professional schools, either. In addition to ranking in the top 10 colleges and universities in the percentage of its graduates going on to earn Ph.D.s, Bryn Mawr also ranks among the top 10 LACs in placing its graduates in leading medical, law, and business schools, according to the Wall Street Journal. (I know, it’s a flawed survey, but it does tell you something useful in this context). Bryn Mawr grads report a 75% admission rate to medical schools and an 80% admission rate to law schools. They must be doing something right.</p>

<p>Keilexandra, you’re right that the distance between Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore limits students’ ability to cross-register between those two schools, though many Bryn Mawr students do take at least one or two classes at Swat in their four years. Cross-registrations at Haverford are a snap as the shuttle takes only 5 minutes—less time than it takes to walk from Scripps to some parts of the Pomona campus—and class schedules are coordinated between the two schools so there’s plenty of time to shuttle from a 9 am class at Bryn Mawr (ending around 10) to a 10:30 class at Haverford. And again, cross-registrations are unlimited, unlike the Claremont consortium. The Claremont consortium also doesn’t include a major research university for those really specialized or unusual courses. My D is interested in studying some less-commonly-taught languages like Portuguese and Hindi, both offered at Penn and therefore accessible to her if she’s at Haverford or Bryn Mawr. Can’t do that in the Claremont consortium, basically a consortium of 5 LACs. I’m sure there are other highly specialized areas where the same thing would be true.</p>

19

<p>bclintonk - Is your D at Bryn Mawr? I’m wondering how manageable the commute to Penn is; if you were taking language classes there, you’d have to make the trek quite often (especially for intensive classes).</p>

20

<p>Here’s the Scripps cross-registration policy:</p>

<p>Cross-Registration at The Claremont Colleges</p>

<p>Students may cross-register without the express permission of the adviser if off-campus courses fall within the guidelines below. Students are normally expected to enroll on the home campus for courses offered at more than one of The Claremont Colleges. Cross-registration may be limited or prohibited in certain courses. Priority in course registrations generally is granted to home-campus students.</p>

<ol>
<li>First-year students usually register for their entire first-semester program at Scripps. Second-semester, they may register for one course at one of the other Claremont Colleges.</li>
<li>Sophomores may register for one course per semester at one of the other Claremont Colleges.</li>
<li>Juniors and seniors may register for up to one half of their courses in each semester at another of The Claremont Colleges.</li>
<li>Cross-registration for courses in excess of those outlined above must have the signed permission of the student’s adviser. There is no additional tuition for enrolling in courses at the other Claremont Colleges.</li>
<li>Joint Science courses, courses in joint or cooperative programs in which Scripps participates, and courses listed as “G” (Intercollegiate) or “CC” (Claremont Colleges) are considered as courses offered by the home campus.</li>
</ol>

<p>Here’s what they have to say about the Intercollegiate Programs (which count as Scripps courses and aren’t subject to the limit):</p>

<p>Intercollegiate Programs and Majors</p>

<p>The Claremont Consortium has numerous intercollegiate, interdisciplinary programs and majors for students of Scripps, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and Pomona Colleges. To learn more about these programs, select from one of the links below.</p>

<pre><code>* American Studies

  • Asian American Studies
  • Asian Studies
  • Black Studies
  • Chicano/Latino Studies
  • Intercollegiate Media Studies
  • Jewish Studies
  • Legal Studies
  • Religious Studies
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Theatre
    </code></pre>

<p>Ditto for the Joint Science programs, offered with CMC and Pitzer:</p>

<p>Astronomy
Biology
Chemistry
Engineering
Environmental Science
Molecular Biology
Neuroscience
Organismal Biology
Physics
Science and Management</p>

<p>They also allow you to pursue majors offered at the other 5Cs, where the same major is not offered at Scripps:</p>

<p>Off-Campus Majors</p>

<p>Students who wish to pursue a major offered by another Claremont College may arrange to do so by fulfilling the requirements of the major at that college. Arrangements for pursuing this major must be made with an off-campus major adviser in the appropriate program. See guidelines concerning off-campus majors and cross-registration.</p>

<p>Students may cross-register within The Claremont Colleges when off-campus enrollments fall within the guidelines listed in the Policies and Procedures section of this catalog. Individual course restrictions are indicated in semester course schedules. Scripps College does not separately fund course costs, such as materials or travel costs, associated with courses at other Claremont Colleges.</p>

<pre><code>* Accounting

  • Asian Languages
  • Computer Science
  • Environmental Studies
  • Geology
  • Linguistics
  • Organizational Studies
  • Russian
  • Sociology
    </code></pre>