<p>D1 (a rising high school junior) and I will be flying in to Philly the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 1, and flying out sometime in the late afternoon/evening of Thursday, Sept 3. D1 has vaguely mentioned Swat. I'd like her to see Muhlenberg, though she knows little about it. It looks like a possible safety which might match her personality. Or not, what do I know? :) And I want her to see at least one women's school, though she insists that she has absolutely no interest in a single-sex school. No interviews. Oh, and I (we!) very much want to see Independence Hall. </p>
<p>My first cut at an itinerary is to do a Muhlenberg tour (no info sessions available in early Sept) on Wednesday morning, then drive back to Philly and do fun tourist stuff. Then, do Bryn Mawr/Swat on Tuesday. No Bryn Mawr info sessions on Thursdays, so it would only be a tour there. </p>
<p>I know there are other schools in the area, but there is only so much one can do and there doesn't seem to be a compelling urge from either D1 or me to tour elsewhere at this time. </p>
<p>Lafayette and Moravian are waaaaaay close to Muhlenberg, if you have any interest. </p>
<p>My daughter was a major pain in the butt about her visits, disliking every school we saw. We did Lafayette and Muhlenberg on the same day, Lafayette first. We all liked Lafayette (it is my favorite) and then we went to Muhlenberg. We didn’t know much about it other than the red doors and received really bad news from the extended family as we drove up, so I wasn’t optimistic. Goes to show how much I know. Daughter loved it and now wears the sweatshirt everywhere and has the logo as her screensaver. The people were warm, friendly and intelligent. So welcoming. The campus is lovely. I hadn’t expected it, but if the finances work out there’s no question but that I’ll be a Muhlenberg parent. Oh, did you sign up for an interview? Muhlenberg does a nice job of that.</p>
<p>Something to bear in mind about Muhlenberg: interviews are required for merit aid consideration. This was the case in 2008, at least - check their website for the final word. But if you think your d would be a candidate for merit aid there and you don’t expect to come back, you might want to see if you can do an interview while you’re on campus. </p>
<p>We had no idea what to expect, but wound up loving Muhlenberg. It’s a beautiful campus with some amazing facilities. The student body impressed us very favorably! Admissions handled the info session, tour, and interview process very smoothly and pleasantly. Have a great trip!</p>
<p>There are actually six schools very close to each other in the Lehigh Valley - Muhlenberg, Lafayette, Moravian, Lehigh, DeSales and Cedar Crest. Students can take classes at any of them, but I don’t know if they really do. [LVAIC</a> | Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges](<a href=“http://www.lvaic.org%5DLVAIC”>http://www.lvaic.org) </p>
<p>My only suggestion is to try not to travel on the main roads (476, I-95 or 76) between 6-8 am and 3-7pm. traffic around the Delaware Valley and Philadelphia is pretty bad.</p>
<p>Zoosermom - back to the Lehigh Valley, eh? How about that!</p>
<p>SlitheyTove,
I am very familiar with Swarthmore, somewhat familiar with Muhlenberg, and not at all familiar with Bryn Mawr. ( I have 3 boys. ;)) Since your daughter is only a rising junior, interviews will not be offered at these schools. Most schools will begin offering interviews to juniors late in their junior year. Academically, Swat will be a reach for everyone. Muhlenberg would probably be a safe school for someone who is academically ready for Swat.</p>
<p>If you can share what some of your daughter’s academic interests might be, I could possibly be of further help. As for the geography, it’s probably about a half hour to get from Bryn Mawr to Swarthmore. Since you will be in the area before Labor Day, when lots of people are still on vacation, the traffic will undoubtedly be lighter on the main roads than usual. I was there towards the end of last week and had no problem on I-476 or I-276. I think your plan is “doable.” Like other comments, I thought that Muhlenberg did a great job with their info session and tour. They have a very nice campus. Swarthmore has a gorgeous campus, registered as a National Arboretum.</p>
<p>I (parental) liked Lafayette a LOT … but my D gave me “the look” after about an hour so we headed off and never spoke of it again. Sigh. We stopped at Muhlenberg while passing through town, and were pleasantly surprised. It was summer, but the performing arts were going great guns. As for the Phila schools, I liked Bryn Mawr best. Since you’re already there, at least drive through the campus. And yes, Haverford is virtually across the street.</p>
<p>Although not a PA denizen, we get around to these areas with some regularity since H has some fondness for Philadelphia, having attended school there. If you want to see independence hall (and the whole area has been redone extensively over the last several years) get there early to get tickets (they’re free). Tickets are in the new information center. The liberty bell can be seen without tickets.</p>
<p>Bryn Mar/Swat should be very doable. S and I did a Swat/Haverford day and were able to do both tours and the Swat info session (Hav doesn’t do them, at least didn’t five years ago.)</p>
<p>Swat certainly was gorgeous. I wanted to go there! For some reason, we didn’t like Haverford–but visiting on a Friday morning could be why.</p>
<p>My sister lives literally a block from Muhlenberg. Beautiful campus. One of the nicest, smartest, and most talented kids I’ve ever known goes there and loves it. I’ve never heard anything bad about that school.</p>
<p>Oddly, people often like Haverford and not Swarthmore or vice versa, despite their seeming commonalities (small, excellent, Quaker heritage, Philadelphia suburbs). So I wold add to the chorus of people who say that if you are visiting BMC you should also visit Haverford, which is physically so close to it–aside from being a very appealing school academically, it is a lovely campus. </p>
<p>As a rising junior your D probably isn’t eligible to do interviews yet anyway so this trip is a great opportunity to get a feel for various schools and for both of you to get a sense of how different seemingly similar schools can be once you visit them. </p>
<p>Philadelphia is a great tourist destination–not just Independence Hall but all of Society Hill and the area just west of it, with its beautiful buildings and squares. Lots more of course, too, but I think walking around in historic areas is a real treat that those of us on the East coast sometimes take for granted.</p>
<p>I went to Philadelphia last summer with our nephew from Arizona and my youngest son. My suggestion is to get the tickets for Independence hall on-line ahead of time if you know the time you will be there [Independence</a> Hall Tickets | Independence Visitor Center](<a href=“http://www.independencevisitorcenter.com/ihalltickets]Independence”>http://www.independencevisitorcenter.com/ihalltickets) They’re only $1.50 each and you won’t have to stress about lines. You still have to pick them up at the Independence visitor center, but you can just walk up to the window and ask for them.</p>
<p>That site ^, btw, has great info on all the historic sites which are conveniently located within a four block radius. I love the Constitution Center and have taken three different groups of people through it and have found something new each time. Late last summer my husband and I visited and lucked out seeing the liberty bell without any line by going late in the afternoon right before the building closed.</p>
<p>Another reasons to see Haverford with BM is that Bi-Co (bi-college) is so well integrated that the greatest likelihood is that if D attends one, she’ll take classes at the other.</p>
<p>First, many thanks for all of the suggestions and info. frazzled, zoosermom, your posts in other threads extolling Muhlenberg, along with many others, have all made me curious to see how D1 reacts to the school in person. No one ever seems to have a bad word to say about the school or the student body! I first saw it mentioned in the Reform Judaism magazine list of schools with a large percentage of Jews. We’ll be checking out Hillels as well.</p>
<p>Giving in to overwhelming thread demand, we will at least wander through Haverford, especially since it will show D1 that going to a women’s college does not mean you never have anything to do with men. I have a vague impression of Haverford as being more jock-y, which would not be D1’s cuppa, but wouldn’t impact taking courses.</p>
<p>momof3sons, I wish I could share what D1’s academic interests might be, but they seem to fluctuate from day to day. She’ll need to go somewhere where there are lots of options, not just one great strong program. </p>
<p>Two more questions. First, for the BMC/Haverford/Swarthmore day, is there any advantage to doing BMC/Haverford first, then Swarthmore in the afternoon? Or vice versa?</p>
<p>Second, do we want to stay in City Line, or in City Center West (or East)? Not that I’m having much luck reverse-engineering Hotwire today. City Line is more convenient to the campuses, but City Center might be more fun. </p>
<p>I’d scoped out the Independence Hall info before I even started on the campus visits details. There is clearly more tourist activity than we could fit into this trip even if we got rid of the pesky campus visits. ;)</p>
<p>^ Agreed on Haverford/Bryn Mawr; Haverford is an integral part of the Bryn Mawr experience and vice versa. Virtually everyone at either school takes some classes on the other campus, and some even take their major on the other campus. Don’t know much about Muhlenberg but DW, DD1, & DD2 just visited Haverford & Bryn Mawr. Took an early morning flight into Philadelphia and spent the afternoon visiting Independence Hall & nearby historic sites (second the recommendation to get Independence Hall tour tickets in advance online), spent the night at a nice B&B on the Bryn Mawr campus (see Bryn Mawr website). Bryn Mawr & Haverford are easy to do in one day. Bryn Mawr-Swat is a bit of a trek but if you go midday (between rush hours) you may be able to make it in as little as 25 minutes. They also took in the remarkable collection of Impressionist and Port-Impressionist art at the Barnes Foundation in nearby Merion (advance tickets required) and spent an afternoon visiting Valley Forge, a little further out past King of Prussia. Great trip.</p>
<p>SlitheyTove,
Muhlenberg has a great Hillel reputation. We visited and met with staff members. Staff and students report that they regularly get 200 students on Fridays for Shabbat dinner, some of them not Jewish. It’s supposedly a great, free, home-cooked meal. The Jewish population at Muhlenberg is reputed to be around 30%. Swarthmore’s Jewish population is a bit smaller. Hillel at Swarthmore has a kosher kitchen which serves vegetarian/pareve food for Shabbat and holidays. Students sign up and cook the meals each Shabbat. They have a Chanukah party, build a Sukkah annually outside the dining hall and run an annual Latke/Hamantaschen debate.</p>
<p>Oh, and we liked Haverford and Swat so it’s not an either/or proposition. I think the “jockiness” of Haverford is greatly exaggerated. Neither of the young men I know who were very interested in Haverford are jocky at all; in fact, neither plays a sport.</p>
<p>One attends; the other was rejected and ended up at Bard.</p>
<p>Hi Slithely- let’s see where to begin. My D graduated from Muhlenberg this May, started a job in center city Philly in June. I have been getting to know Philly quite well in the last two months. D moves into a two bedroom high rise apt in two weeks, with another 'berg graduate, who completed a grad degree from Drexel. </p>
<p>First, respect the AWFUL rush hour traffic in and around Philly, especially the Northeast extension you will be driving.
Berg’s campus is small- very small. Be prepared. Muhlenberg can be a school a student outgrows, so keep your ears open about the wonderful study abroad programs which are popular.</p>
<p>As a parent of a rising Junior, you are really just doing the initial touring, so it is smart to look at a variety of colleges, but I am confused why Bryn Mawr (when she doesn’t want single sex school), and, unless she is an uber student Swarthmore won’t be the best use of your time. </p>
<p>Lehigh and Lafayette, might worth a drive around if you have time, and less competitive than Swarthmore or Haverford. </p>
<p>And, my advice WEAR WALKING SNEAKERS! Those Philly sidewalks are brutal, and Philly is a very walkable city. The Phlash, is such deal, for $2 you can take a lovely tour of Philly if you ride the entire loop. For $5 you can get a daily pass, and they run continuously until 6 pm!</p>
It’s supposedly a great, free, home-cooked meal. The Jewish population at Muhlenberg is reputed to be around 30%. Swarthmore’s Jewish population is a bit smaller. Hillel at Swarthmore has a kosher kitchen which serves vegetarian/pareve food for Shabbat and holidays. Students sign up and cook the meals each Shabbat. They have a Chanukah party, build a Sukkah annually outside the dining hall and run an annual Latke/Hamantaschen debate.</p>