<p>Other than location, can anyone highlight some major differences? Thanks!</p>
<p>One is a distinguished leader in higher education, offering a rigorous liberal arts foundation to young women whose curiosity, drive, and exuberance set them apart. It is a diverse intellectual community in a unique learning environment that provides the best of all worlds: small, intimate classes in a collaborative liberal arts setting dedicated to the advancement of women with the vast resources of Columbia University just steps away—in the heart of vibrant and electric New York City. And the other is Bryn Mawr</p>
<p>The preceding was an attempt at humor ;-)</p>
<p>I would like to emphasize the difference in location because I believe that our location has a huge impact on the campus culture.</p>
<p>At Bryn Mawr you’d be eating most of your meals in the dining halls because there are no other eateries around. Many (most?) students spend weekends on campus: you can watch a play that’s staged by your classmates, collect with friends around a laptop to watch a movie, sip bubble tea and play pool in the campus center, or get yourself invited to a private party in the dorm common rooms. Some students socialize with the opposite sex at Haverford or Swarthmore. Fewer take the train into Philadelphia and occasionally head to New York, Boston or DC. The college tries to keep us entertained by screening movies and bringing live performances to campus.</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr does not have anything like the big active party or club scene that you might find in Manhatten, nor do most students seem particularly interested in the cultural resources of Philadelphia. In contrast, when I visited Barnard and Columbia, students were eager to tell me how to get cheap Broadway tickets.</p>
<p>From an academic perspective, Barnard students have easier access to the resources of a major research university. All they need to do is cross the street. Bryn Mawr students have to put a bit more effort into getting to Haverford, and commuting to Penn can be quite a hassle. (I did it for 5 semesters and effectively lost 3 hours on the commute each day. I had a great time at Penn and I don’t regret my choices, but I did have to schedule much of my Bryn Mawr life around my Penn classes to make it work.)</p>
<p>What Bryn Mawr can offer is a very close-knit community of interesting young women, where everyone knows everyone else.</p>
<p>Its funny about davids earlier comment considering that Bryn Mawr is higher ranked on forbes that came like 3 days ago. Also I have heard time and time again that Barnard girls lack pride in their school. Essentially saying that they go to Columbia instead of Barnard. Its shameful if you ask me.</p>
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<p>@rachiedidit - Is that the same Forbes list that has Centre College, Whitman College, Union College, Colby College, Bates College, Air Force and Colorado College all ranked above Columbia?</p>
<p>Women’s colleges are sometimes the subject of jokes. Barnard is sometimes referred to as the Barn Yard. Sadly, she seems sometimes overshadowed by her big brother Columbia. What davidmarne mentioned in the second post also applies to Bryn Mawr–in fact, it’s a generic description of a liberal arts college. But Barnard is a strong college overall, obviously.</p>
<p>Forbes does its best (alas, no ranking system will ever be perfect) to measure the worthiness of investment into a college’s education. Apparently, per capita, and according to Forbes’ assessment, Barnard’s graduates earn less income, receive fewer postgraduate awards, are less satisfied with their faculty, have more student debt upon graduation, and have a somewhat lower 4-year graduation rate (Methodology here [America’s</a> Top Colleges - Michael Noer - Backslash - Forbes](<a href=“http://blogs.forbes.com/michaelnoer/2011/08/03/americas-top-colleges/]America’s”>America's Top Colleges)). 4 ranking spots seem insignificant, though. Even on US News, Barnard edges out BMC in a 4-way tie for #26. I think we’d be splitting hairs to compare them academically. I would suggest looking at the campus vibe and location if you end up deciding between the two–they are going to be different.</p>
<p>My cousin went to Barnard, I went to Bryn Mawr a few years later. We both loved our experiences. The city versus suburban atmosphere, the Barnard/Columbia partnership vs. BMC/Haverford and the culture it creates will be the deciding factor, academically each school has excellent options. And look at specific programs, especially if you know your intended interests.</p>
<p>Why bother going to a women’s college if it is not a real women’s college? Barnard hangs on Columbia’s coattails and is subsumed by it, all the while being looked down on by Columbia. Bryn Mawr has its own identity and traditions, as do Wellesley, Smith and Mount Holyoke. I am a Wellesley alum and my D is looking at Wellesley, Barnard, and Bryn Mawr. I really hope she does not choose Barnard. Just my two cents.</p>
<p>I was accepted at both Bryn Mawr and Barnard before ultimately choosing Bryn Mawr. I also attended a summer program at Banard before my senior year. While I enjoyed my experiences at Barnard, I chose Bryn Mawr because I knew I would receive the best of all worlds for my college experience.</p>
<p>I love that Bryn Mawr has a distinct, lush, beautiful, classically collegiate campus that fosters strong community and pride. I am extremely attached to my school and the student body’s active participation in traditions really brings everyone together in a way that is perhaps not as prevalent at other schools.</p>
<p>While I love New York, I wanted to feel I could escape the city if I needed to. I love having an aforementioned gorgeous and exceptional campus to come home to at night. I’m also appreciative of the charming town of Bryn Mawr itself with great restaurants and independent movie theatre all within walking distance. But what really sealed the deal was the accessibility of Philadelphia, New York, and DC. My first semester at college I spent two weekends in New York and two in DC, not to mention my countless trips to Philly, a mere 20 minutes away. Now, as a sophomore, I spend about 3-4 days a week in the city. I’m actually preparing to take the train in as I type!</p>
<p>I would argue that as an alum b@r!um’s comments are perhaps a little outdated. The campus I know and love now regularly explores the town for restaurants and shopping, frequents Philadelphia, and finds plenty of ways to have fun on campus. Just this past weekend my dorm threw a concert featuring several popular Philadelphia bands that was well attended by Tri-Co students and Philadelphia college students. I also always run into plenty of students on the trains in and out of the city.</p>
<p>To sum it up, I chose Bryn Mawr because I wanted an actively engaged and inclusive traditional campus setting with easy access to three major cities and plenty of activities within walking distance. Both schools offer excelellent academics, but it was Bryn Mawr’s overall attributes that really sold me. I’m offered a little bit of everything here and it’s made for a wonderful experience.</p>
<p>I would absolutely agree with Englishivy. I chose Bryn Mawr for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which was the campus and location. I knew I wanted to be close to a city without actually being in one, so Bryn Mawr was a perfect choice. I can enjoy my beautiful campus while still being able to access Philly within 30 minutes.
The town around Bryn Mawr College does have quite a few restaurants, however there are also a few other towns in the area, right off the train, that offer more restaurants, cafes, theaters, etc.
Additionally, Bryn Mawr has connections with several other liberal arts colleges in the area. We are involved in a college consortium with Haverford and Swarthmore, which allows us to take classes and even major at the other colleges. I’ve taken religion and Spanish courses at Haverford and have seen many Haverford students in my sociology classes. In addition to sharing academics, we also share some clubs, including the Bi-College newspaper, which has contributions form both Haverford and Bryn Mawr, and several a capella and dance groups. Having connections like these has been really valuable for me because it opens up the number and variety of courses I can take and allows me to explore other campuses.
More importantly though, I chose Bryn Mawr because I knew it was the right place for me. Every time I came to campus I felt welcomed by the students, who were genuinely interested in who I was and what I wanted to study. I knew I wanted to be in a community that would challenge me intellectually and personally. And I can say that still holds true; it’s not only my classes, but my peers as well, that that educate and inspire me. That was how I knew that Bryn Mawr was right for me.
Ultimately, the fit has to be right for you. My advice: visit the colleges, stay overnight, meet students. You’ll get a better sense of the college and how you’d fit in.
Good luck!</p>
<p>Dearest David,</p>
<p>I cannot assume that you did not attend Barnard based on name alone, because I have too many queer and transgender friends, am third-gendered myself, and know that the process of naming is an integral part of self-identity. So you could have gone to Barnard, and your school pride is thus showing. Fair game.</p>
<p>But why the attacks on Bryn Mawr? Have you been to Bryn Mawr? Did we paddle you too hard? I am confused.</p>
<p>I was accepted at both Bryn Mawr and Barnard, and ultimately chose Bryn Mawr because I wanted a school that was its own unit, as opposed to the Columbia-centred focus that Barnard students seemed to possess - yes, I also experienced girls who said they went to Columbia, as opposed to Barnard, when I visited. I call it the “Radcliffe Effect.” They are both excellent institutions, and I have extreme pride for the Seven Sisters, but the terms you used to describe Barnard seem to apply with equal vigor to the experience I have had at Bryn Mawr.</p>
<p>The differences to me are location and institutional arrangement. New York City is New York City, and the Main Line outside of Philadelphia is a suburban location that allows access to urban settings without placing the student constantly within those urban settings. I love a good urban environment precisely because I was raised in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, so cities are highly engaging places for me to visit, but the emphasis here is on visit. In my time as an academic, I wanted to be able to fully immerse myself in my schoolwork and my school as its own fortress of academia and tradition. Columbia is its own bounded fortress, true, but I like that the distraction of the city (and my bank account) are only accessible by twenty minute train at Bryn Mawr. I think living in New York City would be fantastic, and I’m actually headed to Brooklyn upon graduation in May, but I didn’t want that experience while I was in college. It’s that simple. I also think that the fact that Bryn Mawr is its own unique and independent institution, while still tied to the consortium and thus allowing access to a wide variety of classes and academic environments, was a selling point for me.</p>
<p>My advice to the original thread: visit both, experience both, and decide for yourself which is a better fit. What looks amazing on paper can sometimes fall flat in person, and it’s about the individual’s experience and YOUR feel for the college as opposed to the name on the back of your parent’s car. College is your time, not your parents’ or your teachers’ or your guidance counselor’s. Choose based on what fits best.</p>