Questions About Bryn Mawr

Colleges and Universities A-Z Bryn Mawr College
1

<p>I am seriously considering UCSD over Bryn Mawr… so I need some people to help me out.</p>

<li>Do you think Bryn Mawr students are all work and no play? That’s what I heard from so many people who’s siblings go to Bryn Mawr. I definitely don’t want to go to a school where there’s virtually nothing to do.</li>
<li>I am concerned that Bryn Mawr is so tiny that I won’t be able to find my own niche. 1200 people for a college isn’t that large… it’s smaller than my high school, so I am concerned that there are so little amounts of people that if everyone is going to be elitist, I won’t be able to escape from the environment.</li>
<li>How strong is the relationship between Bryn Mawr and Haverford/Swarthmore? Is it a strong enough relationship that you can become friends with Haverford/Swarthmore students? Or is it not quite like that?</li>
<li>How is the environment around there?</li>
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<p>Thanks so much. I really would appreciate it if there is some input from any Bryn Mawr alums or current students also.</p>

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<p>You just have to visit and see for yourself. It is true that at a school that small, there aren't as many different niches, and if you don't like the environment, it's tough to escape. But if the environment feels like home, and you are surrounded by people you love, then none of that will matter. A person only needs one niche, and if yours is at BMC, the size won't be an issue.</p>

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<p>Stronger with H than S, but absolutely, you will become friends with H students. You'll take classes with them, even go through orientation with them. Making S friends requires a little more effort, but is still easy to do.</p>

<p>4...I don't know what you mean? The neighborhood? It's a very pretty, safe, wealthy suburb. Not much nightlife, but lots of gorgeous houses, trees, etc.</p>

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<p>My high school was also larger than BMC -- but I'm always surprised by how many Mawrters (or Mawrtyrs) I meet now that I never knew during school. During your freshman year, you'll do a lot of hanging out with your Customs group (the group of frosh within your own dorm), and as you settle into a major and activities, you'll make friends there. But unless you're really outgoing, there's little chance that you'll meet even half of your incoming class.</p>

<p>That's not to say that Bryn Mawr is anti-social or snobbish -- I never found that to be true as a student, and now, as an alum, I would say we're some of the most outgoing people I know! I think that, with all of the academic rigor, once you make a your core group of friends, they pretty much remain with you throughout. (And beyond -- I'm still extremely close to my friends from Bryn Mawr, nearly 10 years after graduating.)</p>

<p>Also, depending on what you major in and/or depending on whether or not you get a job on campus, you may find that you become friends with grad students, postbacs, and staff members. </p>

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<p>The Bryn Mawr campus is just extraordinarily beautiful. The town of Bryn Mawr is quaint, but has enough to offer (bookstores, cafes/restaurants, film institute, comic book store, record store) to not be a bore. You can walk/bike/drive/take the train to Ardmore, for a variety of shopping opportunities. The King of Prussia mall (2nd largest in the US) is not far, nor is Philadelphia. </p>

<p>Bryn Mawr is among the wealthiest neighborhoods in the Philadelphia area, so walking around at night (like making an "A plus run" -- going to the 24-hour gas station/mini-mart) is perfectly safe. So, if you head into Philly for the evening, walking the two blocks back to Bryn Mawr is A-OK (though Public Safety will always come to pick you up, if you call).</p>

<p>Good luck with your decision!</p>

4

<p>I'm wondering how the social life is. I've worked extremely hard in high school, and I certainly value the academic rigor of a Bryn Mawr education, but I want to be able to date and see boys. For how many people there is that a reality?</p>

<p>I wonder if I am the only person thinking about that... :)</p>

5

<p>Dating... that's a tough one for me to answer, because I was close to home and ended up dating the same guy all through college, so I wasn't out looking for dates. I certainly know people that dated, though, so it's not as if it's unusual. (And, in case anyone was wondering, there <em>are</em> guys on campus. Some dorms are co-ed, and any steady boyfriends, like mine, were around on a regular basis.)</p>

<p>All of that said, even if you're not out to find a date, there are lots of things to do. I had to drag many of my friends into Philly! My love is music, and there are always great shows to go to. If you get out on a regular basis, you're always bound to meet people.</p>

6

<p>It's just... My friends and I were talking the other day about how we want to have the complete college experience. She got into Wellesley, UPenn, Cornell and Brown (lucky girl), and she's realizing that even though she loves Wellesley, there's a lot that she might be missing by going to an all girl's school. Namely, having that huge surge of school spirit for football games-- good stuff like that.</p>

<p>I think Bryn Mawr would be great for me. I just want to make sure that I still have a well-rounded time, with art and sports and music and both girl and guy friends.</p>

<p>Is there any prejudice that goes on between Haverford and Bryn Mawr? I know that Barnard girls get looked down on by Columbia.</p>

7

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Is there any prejudice that goes on between Haverford and Bryn Mawr? I know that Barnard girls get looked down on by Columbia.

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<p>I have the same question, but more about Swarthmore. From my interview and a few people I've talked to, I've been given the impression that Swatties are a bit, uh, full of themselves and know their school is ranked higher academically which is why they don't utilize the tri-co resources as much. Hopefully someone can comment on the accuracy of this, because I know there's always more than one opinion.</p>

8

<p>oh...I hope that's not true about Swat...</p>

9

<p>Is it really true that you can dorm at Haverford if you are goiong to Bryn Mawr?</p>

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<p>You can make guy friends at BMC, especially if this is a goal for you and you put effort into it. That being said, it is NOT the same as being at a co-ed school in terms of making guy friends. In my experience at BMC and a co-ed university, living together makes a huge difference (and so does a roughly 50/50 gender balance, vs. the ~75/25 in the bi-co). It's sometimes possible to live across campuses, but you can't count on that, and anyway, if you don't think you're going to be happy living on that campus, you probably shouldn't go to a small residential school.</p>

11

<p>At any school, I think, you have to make a conscious choice to get involved in the things you're interested in. Unlike the high school experience (for some), you won't be chased to join a sport or an activity. Essentially, you have to make your experience well-rounded; no one else will do it for you. </p>

<p>I can't say too many great things about Haverford guys (all of the ones I've known were obnoxious and, in the face of a classroom challenge against a Mawrter, were kind of weak) -- but I didn't know any HC guys in a non-classroom context. (By my own choice, FYI.) I didn't have any animosity for Haverford women, and I certainly didn't feel looked down upon by anyone at Haverford (other than one professor who was dismissed for discriminating against women). Bryn Mawr empowered me to always hold my head high, no matter what; not snobbishness, but a sense of self-worth and pride in myself and my accomplishments. That alone was worth going to a single-sex school. The only other women that I've met in the working world that have displayed such self-confidence all attended either women's schools or the school of hard knocks.</p>

12

<p>haverford people definitely dont look down on bryn mawr students. besides the fact that guys obviously dont go to bryn mawr, u cant tell a haverford girl from a mawrtyer and no one really cares. swat...i dont have much experience with them out of my own choices...from what ive heard and experienced, the guys are kinda shady. i dunno about the girls there. i think all you really need is haverford to keep u occupied, swat is farther away anyways. and of course theres about 3 other colleges down the main road that you could check out if u wanted.</p>