<p>two or three words will do … thx</p>
<p>I have no idea, since I'm a prospie at both schools, but I will offer this: from when I visited both schools, you can't really define a student body by a couple of adjectives. Wellesley women are definitely intelligent and confident, but they're also friendly, interesting, etc. Likewise with Bryn Mawr--try confident, intelligent, articulate, understanding, funny, etc. </p>
<p>Have you been to visit at all? Good way to get a sense of the places.</p>
<p>Hard-working and amicable.</p>
<p>I have never seen Wellesley so I cannot make a comparison between the two schools, but to paraphrase a friend's observations:
Wellesley is focused more around the individual, while Bryn Mawr is all about community.</p>
<p>I agree with LaMariposaAzul that one cannot fully describe the student body in a few adjectives, but I assume MQD already knows that. And I have to admit that stereotyping colleges can be fun and even remotely insightful :)</p>
<p>I would like to add that visiting a college will not always give you an accurate sense of the student body, mainly because your interactions are very limited. Most college visits are dominated by your tour guide and whatever impression she gives you of the college.</p>
<p>Thank you b@r!um ... we have visited a few and found the women's colleges the hardest to figure out. One tour guide was shy and not very insightful and the other very sick ... we do not want to develop first impressionitis! I am actully finding this exercise quite insightful. THX</p>
<p>We will revisit and visit many of the Ws colleges this fall and oddly enough this Q has been the most effective for me in getting a sense of the different schools. Being form the left coast, I do no have any biases.. They all sound good to me but apparently, as I am learning, each has a different feel.</p>
<p>Oh that's a good question. I'd go for quirky and dedicated! All the BMC girls that I've met have something unique about them in a good way and are interesting to talk to. The work load is also supposed to be challenging so I've heard that if you're not ready to work to achieve the best and smartest you, don't apply.</p>
<p>P.s. I felt Wellesley was overblown. It was one of the only high ranked women's colleges that I didn't apply to (besides Barnard- but that's b/c I'm scared of NYC for undergrad)- it just didn't seem as warm and friendly as BMC when I talked to the representatives. But then again, I didn't visit the campus.</p>
<p>Visiting campus is definitely what made Wellesley come alive for me, enough so I could look past the whole snooty reputation deal and see that it's a pretty awesome place. </p>
<p>Same thing for Bryn Mawr. I'm applying to both :)</p>
<p>And MQD, sorry if I was a little snarky in my last post about how you can't quantify a college in a few adjectives...I completely recognize that it's kind of an interesting and fun way to find out what people think of various colleges. After all, if there's smoke, there's got to be some fire!</p>
<p>Yeah, the Wellesley campus is a big plus (it is BEAUTIFUL). The reputation does scare me a bit, but the quality of academics makes it a winner in my view.
Barnard - the whole "NYC is your campus" definitely scared me. Smith was lovely, but I think I'd pick BMC over Smith.</p>
<p>So like LaMariposa I'm applying to both W & BMC :)</p>
<p>Hey whedongirl, have you checked out MHC? It's also awesome.</p>
<p>No actually, I haven't. I don't really know much about it... are you applying there? What do you like about it?</p>
<p>Yep, I am (just can't get enough of the women's colleges, apparently). It's a very international campus, very solid academics, and ridiculously nice and passionate students--kind of a quiet confidence about them. It's kind of similar in character to BMC, I guess...a great all-round school, with lots of neat opportunities and friendly people and tight community. Oh, and random fact: on the front of their viewbook is an awesome quote: "The brain is wider than the sky." (Emily Dickinson). </p>
<p>If you can go visit, that's the best thing to do, I think. If I try to describe it any more, I'll probably end up writing out a pile of cliches. :)</p>
<p>Hmmm MHC also didn't really sell for me. I passed by their campus when I visited Smith (btw very dark gothic building...scary but cool). However, I think this was simply b/c I didn't know enough about it. A friend of a friend goes there and says she really loves it. </p>
<p>Has anyone looked at Scripps? I was waitlisted there (which makes me a little bitter) but it does have a beautiful campus. It isn't ranked exceptionally well compared to other all-women's schools and it isn't 7 sisters, but it is in a close consortium with some really fab schools (Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Harvey Mudd). I must admit that the reason I applied was b/c of the other schools- most of which I knew I couldn't get into (P, CM, and HM) but if they excel in something your interested I would go for it (It is however tougher to get into- they mostly accept students from CA and they are teeny tiny).</p>
<p>I haven't really looked at Scripps, but I am applying to Pomona which, as you mentioned, is part of the consortium. I visited CMC and P and they're lovely, rather small campuses that are a stone's throw away from each other.</p>
<p>Yep, their campuses are beautiful and they are both well ranked and quite hard to get into. I think P was #1 on the list of lowest acceptance rates for lib arts school. I mean, who wouldn't want to go to a great school in sunny CA?</p>
<p>I was accepted to both W and BMC. I should state from the outset that my impressions of Wellesley are tainted by my residence in the neighboring town and my feelings for Bryn Mawr, by my impending arrival.</p>
<p>To invoke Harry Potter metaphors, I would call Wellesley "Slytherclaw" and Bryn Mawr "Huffleclaw". Slytherin, for non-HP readers, is the house of the ambitious (and by reputation, the ruthlessly cutthroat); Ravenclaw is the house of the intellects (note the common suffix in both my combos). Hufflepuff is the house known for students whose consideration of others and strong moral precepts abound. I think it's hard to choose three concise, differentiating adjectives for two schools that in the grand scheme of colleges are so similar but in experience, rather different.</p>
<p>Realize that I am just using fun, pop-culture references. I do not view Slytherin (or more accurately, the traits I am trying to ascribe to it vis-a-vis W) negatively. These schools, IMO, are the most similar of the Sisters. Many adjectives overlap between the two. I think that Wellesley is more of a traditional NE LAC whereas Bryn Mawr is ostensibly of the PA Quaker tradition, which adds another element to campus sensation.</p>
<p>As a current BMC student, let me see what I can give you...</p>
<p>There are exceptions, of course, but most of the people that I've met at Bryn Mawr have been very intelligent. BMC students like to be a little rebellious, and I've met many BMC students who have a strong sense of self-confidence and of who they are. (Mind you, most of the people I met like that were upperclassmen; I found quite a few people that inspired me to better myself and work harder). BMC also has a fairly strong sense of community, and freshmen are made to feel extremely welcome; three of BMC's major traditions--Parade Night, Lantern Night, and Hell Week--are organized around the frosh, with the other classes having their own roles in each. Traditions help bind you to the college, current students and alumna, as these traditions have been going on since basically 1885.</p>
<p>Also, because Mawtyrs can't discuss grades, we all tend to bemoan our workloads haha. It gets amusing 'round midterms and finals. We all get together to make Done is Good lists before exam periods. (Oh yeah, our hall gatherings are called teas? It's awesome.)</p>
<p>DON'T be intimidated by what I said, though. People are pretty friendly and welcoming; they're absolutely not expecting you to be everything the admissions office says that their students are. If you're worried about the work load, don't be. Wait until you get there. Things only get burdensome if you didn't plan ahead, and now it's midterms and you're like "omg! I have two end of term essays and four midterms!! ahhh!"</p>
<p>Oh and last thing is that, I've met a lot of unique people, who aren't afraid to be who they really are; and a lot of people not afraid to drop who they were in high school and try something new. I even met one person who said, "Yeah I was a total b**** in high school but now that we're in college I can forget all that crap." (course I was like "o.O...")</p>
<p>Anyway, it's awesome. I couldn't be happier. So, wahoo for BMC!</p>