<p>I am having second thoughts about Bryn Mawr…</p>
<p>Can people convince me otherwise?</p>
<p>I got into some very good schools like Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Bucknell, UCSD, University of Rochester (scholarship), Scripps and others and I am beginning to think if Bucknell might be a better alternative… or maybe the other ones.</p>
<p>why do you think that you might prefer bucknell? i could understand preferring scripps if you wanted to go west... smith and mt. holyoke are pretty close to what bryn mawr offers (though of course there are differences that only you could decide which is right for you...)</p>
<p>How interesting :) I've been accepted to many of those colleges as well (Smith, Mt Holyoke, Bucknell, etc...) I narrowed down my choices to Smith and Bryn Mawr. I suppose I'll tell you how Bryn Mawr made the cut :)</p>
<p>For one, when I visited Open Campus, I was just in awe of how intelligent all the students felt. Just...wow. I was very impressed. The students also seemed very welcoming and excited that a bunch of prospective students were there. During our over night, a few girls came down from the dorms and started talking with us (I think perhaps 3 or 4 offered to show us their dorms.) I don't want to go to a place where people are lukewarm about education/the staff/etc, and I know I won't find that at Bryn Mawr.</p>
<p>I also think that the traditions at Bryn Mawr are really awesome. To me, it seems like that through the traditions, you grow closer to the rest of your class/school. Bryn Mawr's community seems amazing; I didn't find that at Bucknell (but I did at Smith, alas. Now things get hard. :) )</p>
<p>I'd write more, but I'm awfully tired. Good luck with your decision! Remember, just go with whichever school feels best.</p>
<p>What are your doubts about Bryn Mawr?</p>
<p>CA girl, have you been reading the threads on the other colleges? While virtual conversation and fact-getting doesn't substitute for actually experiencing a college, at least you can get a sense of the differences/characters of the other schools.</p>
<p>I notice how you pulled Bucknell out of that list of mostly women's colleges. Is it the all-women thing that has you concerned?</p>
<p>My D is having second thoughts too... She absolutely LOVED BMC's Open Campus and it probably was her first choice when she left... Now, however, she questions whether she will have as many post-college opportunities (grad school or whatever) with BMC.</p>
<p>Oddly enough, she is basing her decisions on "gut" -- so, her reasoning is not simply "rational." She has narrowed her choices to UNC-CH (big school, fun atmosphere, co-ed), Duke (she's always been a fan) and now Bryn Mawr (small, but thinks the personal support would help her confidence). </p>
<p>Any insights on how BMC is valued if she wants to go to a grad school or professional school after college?</p>
<p>Here's a list I copied from another thread:</p>
<p>Here's the most recent data (percentage of grads receiving a doctoral degree). This data does include Ed.D..</p>
<p>Academic field: ALL </p>
<p>PhDs and Doctoral Degrees: ten years (1994 to 2003) from NSF database</p>
<p>Number of Undergraduates: ten years (1989 to 1998) from IPEDS database </p>
<p>Percentage of graduates receiving a doctorate degree.
Note: Does not include colleges with less than 1000 graduates over the ten year period</p>
<p>Note: Includes all NSF doctoral degrees inc. PhD, Divinity, etc., but not M.D. or Law. </p>
<p>1 California Institute of Technology 35.8%
2 Harvey Mudd College 24.7%
3 Swarthmore College 21.1%
4 Reed College 19.9%
5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 18.3%
6 Carleton College 16.8%
7 Bryn Mawr College 15.8%
8 Oberlin College 15.7%
9 University of Chicago 15.3%
10 Yale University 14.5%
11 Princeton University 14.3%
12 Harvard University 14.3%
13 Grinnell College 14.1%
14 Haverford College 13.8%
15 Pomona College 13.8%
16 Rice University 13.1%
17 Williams College 12.7%
18 Amherst College 12.4%
19 Stanford University 11.4%
20 Kalamazoo College 11.3%
21 Wesleyan University 11.0%
22 St John's College (both campus) 10.6%
23 Brown University 10.6%
24 Wellesley College 10.4%
25 Earlham College 10.0%
26 Beloit College 9.6%
27 Lawrence University 9.5%
28 Macalester College 9.3%
29 Cornell University, All Campuses 9.0%
30 Bowdoin College 9.0%
31 Mount Holyoke College 8.9%
32 Smith College 8.9%
33 Vassar College 8.8%
34 Case Western Reserve University 8.7%
35 Johns Hopkins University 8.7%
36 St Olaf College 8.7%
37 Hendrix College 8.7%
38 Hampshire College 8.6%
39 Trinity University 8.5%
40 Knox College 8.5%
41 Duke University 8.5%
42 Occidental College 8.4%
43 University of Rochester 8.3%
44 College of Wooster 8.3%
45 Barnard College 8.3%
46 Bennington College 8.2%
47 Columbia University in the City of New York 8.1%
48 Whitman College 8.0%
49 University of California-Berkeley 7.9%
50 College of William and Mary 7.9%</p>
<p>51 Carnegie Mellon University 7.8%
52 New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology 7.8%
53 Brandeis University 7.7%
54 Dartmouth College 7.6%
55 Wabash College 7.5%
56 Bates College 7.5%
57 Davidson College 7.5%
58 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 7.2%
59 Franklin and Marshall College 7.2%
60 Fisk University 7.1%
61 Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL) 7.1%
62 University of California-San Francisco 6.8%
63 Allegheny College 6.8%
64 Furman University 6.6%
65 University of Pennsylvania 6.5%
66 Washington University 6.5%
67 Bard College 6.5%
68 Northwestern Univ 6.4%
69 Rhodes College 6.4%
70 Agnes Scott College 6.3%
71 Spelman College 6.3%
72 Antioch University, All Campuses 6.2%
73 Kenyon College 6.2%
74 University of Dallas 6.2%
75 Ripon College 6.1%
76 Colorado College 6.1%
77 Bethel College (North Newton, KS) 6.1%
78 Hamilton College 6.0%
79 Goshen College 6.0%
80 Middlebury College 6.0%
81 Erskine College 6.0%
82 University of the South 5.9%
83 University of Michigan at Ann Arbor 5.8%
84 Drew University 5.8%
85 Wake Forest University 5.8%
86 Tougaloo College 5.8%
87 Goucher College 5.8%
88 Chatham College 5.7%
89 Cooper Union 5.7%
90 Alfred University, Main Campus 5.7%
91 Tufts University 5.7%
92 University of California-Santa Cruz 5.6%
93 Colgate University 5.6%
94 Colby College 5.5%
95 Bucknell University 5.4%
96 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 5.4%
97 Concordia Teachers College 5.4%
98 University of Virginia, Main Campus 5.4%
99 Sarah Lawrence College 5.3%
100 Southwestern University 5.3%</p>
<br>
<p>Any insights on how BMC is valued if she wants to go to a grad school or professional school after college?</p>
<br>
<p>Any clues about what kind of professional school we're talking about? When it comes to law school, Duke is in a different class than UNC and BMC. Unlike PhD programs and med school, most people can get into SOME law school if they want to; but again unlike med school, WHICH law school you go to plays a huge part in your career options, even years after graduation. I'm not a Duke fan in general, but Duke does a phenomenal job of getting kids into the top 3, top 6, and top 14 law schools -- it is mentioned in the same breath with Harvard, Yale, and Stanford on that score. To give you some idea, BMC sent one alum into the Harvard Law class of '02 and one into the class of '04 (both of whom I know well); there are no BMC alumnae in the classes of '06, '07, or '08. Duke, with a student body about four times as large as BMC's, sent about twenty kids a year to HLS during the '02-04 period and currently has 55 alumni enrolled.</p>
<p>Duke and BMC are so different that I'd be surprised to meet a student who'd be equally happy at both. But if that's your daughter's situation, and she's really interested in law school, I'd give this some thought.</p>
<p>Thank you for the information already given -- very helpful!!</p>
<p>Hanna, you have isolated part of my D's problem -- she doesn't really know what she really wants to pursue in college and so doesn't know "what she wants to do when she grows up." She has a passion for math and physics, foreign language, and writing. As her parent, of course I'd like her NOT to limit her options any more than necessary with her choice of college.</p>
<p>She wants to have a college experience which will help her discover what her gifts/interests are -- and not be pigeon-holed too soon. Also, not just get involved in subjects because she she has the ability(there is a real push for women and science now, but she doesn't want to be herded in that direction just because she's good at it...)</p>
<p>She is also aware of the great differences in the campus experiences. She knows folks at Duke and thinks the more typical college experiences would have appeal -- parties, Duke basketball mania, co-ed experience, etc. On the other hand, she knows no students at BMC, but still thinks she just might enjoy the quirkiness of Bryn Mawr -- especially since there are options to study/socialize at other campuses. (She sees herself as kinda quirky herself.) Each campus would "draw" on different parts of her personality.</p>
<p>"Everyone" she talks to thinks she's crazy not to go to Duke. They tell us its prestige factor is greater and that will help her when she is ready to work or study after college. On the other hand, my gut tells me she might have more "guidance" and a more patient ear at Bryn Mawr if she needs mentors to help her figure out her path. But, that's just a feeling -- and could so easily be wrong.</p>
<p>Yes, this is a long-winded -- and perhaps too self-indulgent -- post. But, we'd really appreciate any more light anyone could shed. Right now, we're thinking about just pulling out a coin to toss!!</p>
<p>These are important factors: "On the other hand, my gut tells me she might have more "guidance" and a more patient ear at Bryn Mawr if she needs mentors to help her figure out her path. But, that's just a feeling -- and could so easily be wrong."</p>
<p>The wonder of the small liberal arts campuses is that this kind of guidance and mentorship is readily available and hard to miss. It can happen in big university settings but there is competition for it and distraction from it. </p>
<p>Just don't minimize your gut feelings and don't let your daughter overlook her inner gyroscope about what might be best for her, despite what others suggest. The stats below on Bryn Mawr and doctoral admissions also tell an important story about how the school is perceived in academic circles further down the road...Good luck with it all</p>
<p>Good points, Mmaah.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider: high school students are often caught up in their peers' assessment of college prestige - and sometimes make choices based on that. Yes, prestige is a factor when selecting a college, but that perceived prestige is better judged by other universities and employers, not by competitive 17 and 18 year olds.</p>
<p>I feel like I know that I am going to Bryn Mawr, but I feel so apprehensive about it. It's just that I will be diving into a new atmosphere and it scares me a lot even though I visited and I liked it there.</p>
<p>It also scares me so so so much about the course load there... the work i hear is really really rigorous. and i don't think i'm quite ready for it.</p>
<p>what do you think?</p>
<p>CA_girl, go over to the Smith College thread and read "Why a Women's College?" Although many of us are Smith supporters, the points made are relevant to Bryn Mawr as well.</p>
<p>Hi :)</p>
<p>I ended up at Bryn Mawr from the "gut" feeling as well... I loved that they called you to tell you that you got in, and even though I completely swore I'd never go to an all-girls school, I'm here... and I really love it. I was freaked out about going to college and making the transition, but I think Bryn Mawr's really great about that... because it's so small, you're always being looked out for, and if you need anything, the dean's are amazing and everyone's just so available and open. The student body... if you came to open campus day, you saw, there are definitely some super strange people- but you really love it- no where else can you wake up and look out the window and see such fun stuff (like the people who wear capes around).. and the people here are really genuinely nice people. I never thought I'd be at a non-coed school, but Haverford's right across the street, and if you want male friends or dates, it'll happen :)... good luck!!</p>
<p>I am going to send in my deposit for Bryn Mawr really soon... :)</p>
<p>It's exciting. :) :)</p>
<p>It was my dream school and now what everyone posted made me confirm my belief that Bryn Mawr is the right choice for me. :) Thank you so much.</p>
<p>It just bothers me that none of the people I know around me know what Bryn Mawr is... to be 100 percent honest, I thought that since Bryn Mawr is such a prestigious institution, there would be at least someone who would know what a great school it is... but no one seems to know about it. :(</p>
<p>Once you get to the East Coast you will find a world of people who have "never heard" of Pomona, Claremont, Harvey Mudd or Reed. Smaller colleges often don't make it big in the popular media beyond their regions--but once you are ensconced in academia you will find it quite different. Notice how on the PhD list below, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale all fall below a number of schools that could make some folks in any region ask "Where"? You're making a great choice. Congratulations...</p>
<p>Here's another list I found that might reassure you: please note it is only related to graduate PHd's in history, but I thought it was very telling. It deals with a ratio of degrees, so accounts for differences in numbers (for example you can't go buy only numbers as obviously an big institution like Michigan would have many more "raw" numbers of people getting a B . A. in history.)</p>
<p>Select 25
Programs Sending the Largest Proportion of History Majors on to PhDs<br>
School PhDs with Bachelor's from School, 1989-2002 </p>
<p>History BA's from School, 1987-2001 Ratio PhDs w. BAs from School to Total BAs </p>
<p>Wesleyan University 100 607 16/100<br>
University of Chicago 119 727 16/100<br>
Pomona College 43 284 15/100<br>
Bryn Mawr College 40 267 15/100<br>
Swarthmore College 52 350 15/100<br>
Wellesley College 45 307 15/100<br>
Reed College 42 306 14/100<br>
Johns Hopkins University 36 274 13/100<br>
Oberlin College 90 693 13/100<br>
Stanford University 110 985 11/100<br>
Mount Holyoke College 43 389 11/100<br>
Smith College 49 446 11/100<br>
Cornell University 112 1029 11/100<br>
Kalamazoo College 15 141 11/100<br>
Carleton College 58 550 11/100<br>
Earlham College 17 162 10/100<br>
Amherst College 44 437 10/100<br>
Grinnell College 37 380 10/100<br>
Harvard University 250 2707 9/100<br>
Brown University 141 1539 9/100<br>
Macalester College 39 428 9/100<br>
Georgetown University 84 927 9/100<br>
Lawrence University 20 221 9/100<br>
Yale University 235 2733 9/100<br>
Rice University 32 376 9/100 </p>
<p>Source: National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDs Completions Database. Data collected from the National Science Foundation's WebCaspar database. See footnote 7 for specifics on calculation.</p>
<p>Also, its really true as others have said that most people on the East Coast have never heard of outstanding schools like Reed or Pomona...unless they are in more knowledgeable circles. YOu can get a great education at many places, I think you should pick what feels right to you, and dont worry so much about prestige based on others opinions, though its hard to ignore peoples comments, I know.</p>