Campus life on wknds and other questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Bryn Mawr College
1

<p>hello all,
I toured Mills College this Friday and it was terrible. With only 950 undergrads the campus was very very quiet, and my tour guide said it was totally dead on the weekend. In addition, there was a poor class selection, and I didn’t like most of the buildings.
Anyways, this raises some doubts for me about BMC. How active is the campus on weekends? Also, is the no boys thing an issue? I’ve been in coed schools all my life and I’ve never dated or anything and I’m looking forward to that in college.
More questions:
how many classes are outsourced to swarthmore/haverford?
how are the dorms? are they mostly singles? I would prefer to have a roomie, I think.
do you think I could get in? my stats:
from a California public school of ~800 kids
3.57 UW GPA, 3.93 W
1800 SAT (wouldn’t submit this)
29 ACT (would submit this one)
5 on ap lit test, 4 on ap euro and ap us
waiting on results for SAT IIs in bio E, us history, lit
moderately strong ECs
I think I could write a good essay with some help. </p>

<p>Thank you to those who reply!! :)</p>

2

<p>btw, my class rank is #32/205 (I think) which puts me at about the 15% mark (this is using my W GPA). My public school is very strong and we have lots of smart kids with the best california state tests in the county. would this make my kind of poor class rank look beter?</p>

3

<p>

Most majors are self-contained on campus, with the exception of a few departments that are explicitly designated as “Bi-Co” and funded by both colleges (e.g. theater, education and East Asian studies). Haverford, Swarthmore and Penn can significantly expand your academic opportunities if you choose to take advantage of them, but no one is forced to take classes off campus. As with any small college, our course offerings are somewhat limited. That’s what makes the Quaker Consortium so special in my opinion: you get the academic resources of a big research university together with the tight-knit community of a small college. </p>

<p>

Most students are on campus over the weekend. Or in the city or maybe taking a weekend trip to NYC or DC. Unlike Mills, Bryn Mawr draws most of its students from out of state and our social life revolves around the campus. </p>

<p>

I would encourage you to think through the logistics of this very carefully. Where would you go to meet guys? How long do you need to get to the dating stage? (Can you pick up a date at a party, or are you more likely to go through a friendship phase first?) How much time are you willing to spend off campus, when most of your Bryn Mawr friends will be spending most of their time on campus? </p>

<p>Dating can be done but it is rather inconvenient. It’s not a priority for most straight students on campus.</p>

4

<p>thanks for the report! :)</p>

5

<p>“How active is the campus on weekends?”</p>

<p>I’m staying partially on campus (and partially in Philly) this fall break and last night there was a loud party with a lot of people on the green in front of my dorm. Despite most students being gone for vacation, people still manage to congregate and have a good time. The great thing about Bryn Mawr is that there is truly something for everyone. Want a quiet movie night with pizza and friends in a dorm? A round of beer pong? Dinner and a movie in town? Weekend trip to NYC or DC? A free concert? A fun night in Philly? You’ll find what fits you best here and the greatest part is you don’t have to commit to one concept-- sometimes I like to stay in, sometimes I like to go out, and that’s totally okay!</p>

<p>“Also, is the no boys thing an issue? I’ve been in coed schools all my life and I’ve never dated or anything and I’m looking forward to that in college.”</p>

<p>Speaking from personal experience, I didn’t date at all in high school. at all. I was a little nervous about being able to put myself out there, but if you put an effort into attending social events, you will get opportunities. I dated a few boys here and there my freshman year, but now, as a sophomore, I’m currently in a serious relationship with a guy that isn’t even in the Tri-Co! (He’s premed at Temple in Philly). So, to sum it up, it’s how much you want to make an effort. There are guys in many classes/study sessions/extra curricular activities but there are also guys at concerts, events, parties, and don’t forget the wonderful resource that is Philadelphia itself!
That said, dating isn’t a number one priority for most students. First and foremost, we come here to better ourselves and get the best academic experience possible.</p>

<p>“how many classes are outsourced to swarthmore/haverford?”
b@r!um explained this pretty well. A lot of majors are shared between the Bi-Co-- for example, History of Art, Geology, Growth and Structure of Cities, and Italian are at Bryn Mawr while Fine Arts is at Haverford. You also have the option at majoring at Haverford even if Bryn Mawr has the same department to allow you to select which program you prefer. I know students that major at Haverford and I also know plenty of Haverfordians that major at Bryn Mawr!</p>

<p>“how are the dorms? are they mostly singles? I would prefer to have a roomie, I think.”</p>

<p>Most freshmen are in doubles, triples, and quads. A few can request singles, but typically they stick you in a multiple occupancy room, which adds to the college experience, in my opinion. The dorms really are like palaces and each is unique-- you will not find any cinder block cells here. For example, my room this year has four window seats and I know many students with (non operational) fireplaces.</p>

6

<p>wow, that sounds awesome. I had decided not to apply to BMC but I’m reconsidering it now.
how many minutes away is haverford and swathmore?</p>

7

<p>Haverford is 2 miles away and easily walkable/bikeable. However, the free bus interchange operates every 15 minutes and it’s about a 5 minute ride. </p>

<p>Swarthmore is a little farther, about a 20 minute ride, also available through the free bus system. I took a course at Swarthmore last semester and did not find the commute frustrating. I also frequent Swarthmore on weekends for free concerts and events.</p>

<p>UPenn/Philadelphia is an easy 20 minutes by train. The station is literally next to campus!</p>

<p>Let me know if I can help answer any other questions!</p>

8

<p>Haverford is close enough and the course schedules so well-coordinated that we can take back-to-back classes at the other campus. For example, one might take a 10-11 class at Bryn Mawr followed by an 11:30-12:30 class at Haverford. </p>

<p>Swarthmore and Penn classes are a bit trickier to schedule because the commute takes a bit more time, and neither SEPTA nor the Swat van schedule are particularly well coordinated with classes. I’ll take Penn as an example. Suppose you wanted to take a 1:30pm class at Penn. Then you have three options transportation-wise:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Leave Bryn Mawr at 12:40pm for the R-5 train that gets you to 30th Street at 1:15pm. You’ll have a 15-20 minute walk to class, so you’d be late. If SEPTA is running a few minutes behind schedule (to be expected), you could easily be 10 minutes late to class on a regular basis. Not a good option.</p></li>
<li><p>Leave Bryn Mawr at 12:10pm for the R-5 train that gets you to 30th Street at 12:45pm. </p></li>
<li><p>Leave Bryn Mawr at 12:20pm to use the commuter rail and subway instead of Regional Rail. This option is cheaper than Regional Rail. The subway gets us closer to Penn than Regional Rail, but the commuter rail station is a 20-minute walk from the admissions office corner of campus. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>Either way, you need to schedule at least one full hour for a one-way commute to Penn. Many students sign up for two Penn classes and spend much of the day at Penn to make the commute worthwhile. For example, in my junior and senior years I used to spend my Tuesdays and Thursdays entirely at Penn (e.g. with classes from 10:30-noon and 1:30-3:00, a seminar from 3-4 and TA sessions at night), and scheduled all of my Bryn Mawr+Haverford classes on Monday/Wednesday/Friday. If you make your Penn schedule too tight, you may not be able to join study groups, talk to a TA or make it to office hours.</p>