<p>We finally got to visit Bryn Mawr recently. It is an absolutely beautiful campus…especially with the fall leaves! Wow! I loved it there. The campus is a true, enclosed campus, with most of the buildings around a very large quad. The students were friendly, in a proactive way…asking if we needed help, saying hi as we passed them, that sort of thing. The consortium with Haverford was obvious and certainly appeared easy to access. We took the blue bus, which was there about every 15 minutes, to the campus of Haverford just to check it out. I wish we’d had more time and we would have toured there as well.
D did an overnight and sat in on a class, and that is where the concerns came up. She really liked the people at the school, including those involved in the overnight, but found that they didn’t seem to be aware of anything going on on campus in the evenings. They tried to think of things, but came up with “there are movies sometimes”. She also noted that it was something of a slumber party atmosphere, with students attempting to do homework, but mostly socializing and not getting much work done. Fun, but she’d find that hard to deal with on a regular basis. Of course, this was during an overnight, so may not have been typical, but D got the impression that it was. I wonder how much has to do with the students being new freshmen. I’m surprised that is who the school would assign to host an overnight. They, perhaps haven’t had time to settle into good study habits or to learn about all the activities on campus?..Or maybe there really just aren’t that many events/activities?<br>
Then she sat in on a class, and found it, …long. She said it seemed set up as a discussion based class, but it was a lecture, and was not engaging, even though it was a topic of interest to her. Is this common there? I’m afraid those things (and lack of kitchens in the dorms) have moved Bryn Mawr down the list. It has soooo much going for it. I want to be sure she isn’t getting a wrong 1st impression, and to be fair, this is the only school where she’s done an overnight, so she can’t really compare evening dorm life .</p>
<p>I’m really sorry to hear that your daughter’s experience wasn’t what you had hoped for. My daughter is scheduled to go down this week Thursday for a tour/info session/interview as well as an overnight. She also plans to sit in on a class (in the Arts & Humanities). She’s been looking forward to this visit for over a month now, as BMC is at the top of her list. I’ll come back in and let you know how things went with her when we get back to home on Friday. Will definitely mention your D’s concerns to her prior so she can investigate things and fill us in. </p>
<p>As the mother of a Bryn Mawr freshman, I find your remarks surprising. I obviously don’t know what dorm your daughter stayed in or the particular students she met on her overnight–but I can assure you that Bryn Mawr women work extremely hard. Some may party hard as well, but It is not a party school–most of the girls are hard at work during the school week studying. It is fast paced and demanding. My daughter worked very hard during high school at a challenging school, but it pales in comparision to the amount of work she is doing at Bryn Mawr. She is a member of a varsity sports team and one or two extracurricular school clubs–but the academics are no joke–and yours and your daughter’s impression do not reflect the reality of the school. Bryn Mawr sends more students on to graduate and PhD programs and spends more per student in research dollars than almost any other small liberal arts school. Do a little more research. I think you will find that your daughter’s experience was an anomaly. We visited three times before my daughter made her choice–two of those three visits were overnights–and she never had an experience like the one you communicate or met girls like those you describe. All were thoughtful young people, serious about their educations and their goals. The relationship between Bryn Mawr and Haverford is very strong. With the exception of the freshman seminar, there are Haverford students in all of my daughter’s classes and when she does go to parties on weekends–they are often hosted at Haverford–though BM hosts a couple of formal parties for Haverford during the year as well. The traditions at Bryn Mawr are wonderful and really help the students form circles of friendships and strong bonds. Bryn Mawr was my daughter’s first choice and she has not been disappointed in any way. She is thriving at college in a challenging, safe and supportive environment.</p>
<p>Thank you @midcenturyms. I didn’t mean to imply that the students were partying, just that they spent a great deal of time distracting one another with socializing instead of focusing on the work. That certainly happens around here sometimes too! And I can imagine that, with several excited freshmen hosting overnight visitors, that could have lent to the more ‘relaxed’ atmosphere for the night. So it may not have been typical. We have read a great deal about the school, and on paper, it had seemed almost perfect. Even visiting, I was ready to move in lol…but D and I were having different experiences there. I still keep trying to play up the positives of the school, it just seems like it could be such a great fit. It hits the checkboxes for her: non-party school, not a football rah-rah school, near a big city, small but in a consortium, smart students… I do hope that what she saw, that were negatives to her, aren’t truly the norm…and that is very possible…as I keep pointing out to her. 
She did like the people there, and we both found everyone to be very friendly! But since it was a few things that added up, with students seeming to be unaware of activities or events going on in the evenings, and the class that was not what she’d hoped for (which I know was one class, on one day) I don’t know that she’ll be able to shake that 1st impression. </p>
<p>Some brief comments regarding your concerns, @shoboemom --</p>
<p>–Admissions sometimes pairs prospective students with first-years because their college application process will still be fresh for them. Also, first-years have less work than upperclassmen and, especially nearing finals, are more likely to volunteer to have a student stay with them overnight.</p>
<p>–It’s very common for students to study together in common rooms, hallways, dorm rooms, etc. However, these sessions tend to be a mix of socializing and studying. Bryn Mawr students study A LOT and it’s common for students to want to diversify their environments (i.e. a few hours in the library, an hour with friends in the common room, quiet study in their room, etc). </p>
<p>–It’s important to remember that finals are RIGHT around the corner so students are busy making their “done is good” lists (another BMC tradition) and prepping for exams and papers. Thus, there are far fewer student-run events on campus, especially during the week. Most events are on the weekends to accommodate busy schedules.</p>
<p>@shoboemom It took longer than I expected to get back in here to let you know what my D thought of BMC after her overnight. My apologies 
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<p>Well, to put it bluntly my D absolutely loved her visit! She had been in contact with the coach for her sport prior to coming down for the visit and this may have made a difference. He was at Admissions when she arrived and had a nice chat with us. He had arranged for her tour to be conducted by one of the athletes and had set up her overnight to be hosted by another frosh athlete. He also made time for her to shadow practice and meet the rest of the team so she could attend dinner with them. All of these things made D very comfortable and she found she really enjoyed the company of young women that enjoy the college as well as the sport that she loves.</p>
<p>The info session was fantastic. We were the only family in attendance so D got to “choose her own adventure” in our discussion with the admissions representative. The individualized attention really stood out to us. All the other college visits we did were during large group events so this one on one experience was wonderful and very appreciated. The tour was also spectacular. Our guide was very enthusiastic and her personality meshed well with our D. As parents we hung back and let the girls bond a little over the college and their sport. D had her interview after the tour and she says it went well. Interview lasted about 20-25 mins, as the tour had run slightly longer due to the extra time the girls spent at the athletic facility where they had run into several of the girls on the sports team. After the interview her tour guide walked her back to the athletic facility where D shadowed practice. She says it was very informative and she got a chance to talk to several of the athletes and the coach about the sport, typical practices and meets. </p>
<p>The next day D filled me in on the overnight. Her hostess and roommate were extremely nice and inclusive. They hung out and talked a lot and there was a hall or dorm event that evening so she got to mingle with more of the students in the dorm. She said many of the students told her they had busy social lives outside of studying. Parties at nearby haverford were mentioned as well as events/clubs on campus and concerts that were attended off campus. She noted that many of the students in the dorm were studying a lot that night and her hostess and roommate both did a lot of homework after the hall event. D said this was due to finals and end of semester assignments that needed to be finished up and she wasn’t at all bothered by their attention to studies. </p>
<p>The next day she sat in on a class with her hostess. It was a language class which was great even though it was not a language that D has studied. She still found it enjoyable and noted that the class was very small, and discussion was encouraged (all done in the language she didn’t speak lol). </p>
<p>By the time we picked her up D’s intention to apply to BMC was concrete. She absolutely loved her time there. So much so, that she finished the supplemental essay she had been slacking off on when she got home. Before her visit, Bryn Mawr was her first choice and she had already decided to apply ED2. We made her hold off on submitting until after the visit because we really wanted her to be sure. Last night she submitted her application for ED2 and now we cross fingers and wait. </p>
<p>@shoboemom, perhaps your D can attend another overnight? In the spring, maybe? BMC really has so much to offer and it would be worth a second look if you can fit it in. I’m thinking her experience in the overnight may have been skewed a bit due to timing so near the end of the semester. In any case, I wish you and your D luck on her college search and perhaps if the stars align they will both begin their frosh year at BMC together 
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<p>@rubaiyat, That sounds like a wonderful experience at Bryn Mawr! I can’t help but feel disappointed that my D just didn’t end up with those same impressions. I do think it’s a wonderful school, and D liked the people. That campus is amazing!
I have ‘mentioned’ it several times since the visit, but so far D remains unconvinced. She did tell me a bit more about the class she sat in on that left a poor impression. She said a couple of the other students in the class even apologized to her, saying that class was the worst…that sort of thing…so that implies that it isn’t typical, but that’s the one she saw, and it was a class that would be part of her major. :-(<br>
She wants to be near a big city, but I suspect Philadelphia just isn’t checking that box in the way that Boston and DC are. </p>
<p>There is still time. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out! Good luck to your D. I hope she gets good news when that envelope comes in!</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr is amazing. Blows the other seven sisters away. You must realize,however, Bryn Mawr is a highly academic school, it is not in the least a party state school. </p>