<p>My daughter is interested in Bryn Mawr College and Simmons College. After looking at the net price calculator, Simmons is a more affordable choice. Can anyone speak to the biology and English majors at Simmons?</p>
<p>What stripe of Bio and English is your D seeking? Career goals?</p>
<p>Excellent question. Evolutionary biology or animal behavior? She is a researcher not a health care professional for sure. She also really likes/studies psychology. My main encouragement to her is to keep math skills in her study so that she can do research. Lately she has been reading a lot about myths and psychology so I would guess something like comparative literature or writing.</p>
<p>I can’t speak to pure biology, but one of my roommates is a biochemistry major and she’s very interested in research and the opportunities are there. The campus is right next to Merck Laboratories and they’re encouraging more students to do research. There’s an annual conference where undergraduates present research so it’s taken seriously.</p>
<p>I also can’t speak to English majors but I can ask my friends if she’s interested!</p>
<p>(I go to Simmons and I’m a History major…)</p>
<p>Thank you dancegrl. We would love to hear your friend’s views on the biochemistry major. And we would like to know about your experience at Simmons.</p>
<p>Well, we’re all still first-years so we’re just delving into our majors so unfortunately we don’t know much about research. This semester she started off with chem and bio (plus she swims), which has been difficult for her but do-able. Biochem is probably one of the hardest majors due to how time-consuming it is with multiple labs per semester. The same thing happens to nursing majors.</p>
<p>Overall, I’d say there’s a lot of work but I love it here. It’s been especially surreal being so close to Fenway during the World Series - earlier this morning I walked 5 minutes down the street with my friends and we were at the start of the Rolling Rally with a great view. When they won we ran out of our dorm in our pajamas and joined in with the crowd. There’s so much to do off-campus when you’re not in class (both social and academic - I work in an elementary school in another part of the city) and enough to do on campus when you just don’t feel like going out far (i.e. there are people, stores around). For amenities, we live a .1-.5 mile walk from Bed, Bath & Beyond, Staples, Shaw’s, CVS, banks, the restaurants at/around Fenway, and the Green Line (your mileage may vary on whether that’s a good thing). It takes maybe 20 minutes to get to downtown Boston or Cambridge if you want to go there.</p>
<p>One of the things I love the most is Simmons knows it’s a women’s college, but isn’t overbearing about it. We’re certainly proud about it, of course, but not everyone came to Simmons because it’s a women’s college. Many are here because of the quality of the programs. It’s a very different atmosphere from say, Smith. My friend there sends me pictures constantly and I feel like she’s ramming feminism down my throat at times. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing (I’m a feminist myself), but there’s a wide spectrum of beliefs about it on campus. </p>
<p>But anyways, to be frank: there are guys on campus. My RD is a guy. (It’s really not awkward at all.) There are guys next to campus at the other Colleges of the Fenway and the rest of the nearby colleges. If you don’t want to see a guy ~ever, this is the wrong place for you. (but if you’re not into guys and/or like to stare at guys as they walk by, more power to ya)</p>
<p>Anyways, I absolutely love it here. People here are so friendly and helpful and welcoming. I love the wide variety of people I’ve met and lived with (i’m from a very homogenous white suburb, so I was lacking in that department). Being able to live in Boston (where I was born and have lived around for all my life) is probably one of the greatest parts of that, though. I don’t think any city can hold a candle to it.</p>
<p>Biology and English are two of the most popular majors at Bryn Mawr. I would encourage your daughter to still apply to Bryn Mawr and wait to consider what type of financial aid you receive. Because Bryn Mawr has a significantly higher endowment than Simmons (~$645.4 million versus ~$159.6 million in 2012), Bryn Mawr has more money to allocate to financial aid. Additionally, the majority of aid Bryn Mawr students receive is in the form of grants which students do not have to pay back upon graduation. The college also offers some academic scholarships - students are automatically entered for consideration for these scholarships upon applying.
Here’s some information on the types of aid offered: [Student</a> Financial Services | Bryn Mawr College](<a href=“http://www.brynmawr.edu/sfs/types/undergraduate.html]Student”>http://www.brynmawr.edu/sfs/types/undergraduate.html)</p>
<p>Back to the original topic of majors, Bryn Mawr is really top notch in terms of both English and Biology. I have many friends from both majors who have gone onto land major research jobs, medical schools, and competitive PhD programs at Ivy League institutions. Bryn Mawr offers students opportunities for paid internships and research during the summer - both on campus (for science research) or off campus (like publishing houses, museums, etc). It’s rare for undergraduate colleges to offer intensive opportunities for scientific research, but Bryn Mawr really prides itself on our investment in the sciences.</p>
<p>I encourage you and your daughter to check out the department websites for more information, especially the course offerings.</p>
<p>English: [Bryn</a> Mawr College: English](<a href=“http://www.brynmawr.edu/english/]Bryn”>Literatures in English | Bryn Mawr College)
Biology:[Bryn</a> Mawr College: Biology](<a href=“http://www.brynmawr.edu/biology/]Bryn”>Biology | Bryn Mawr College)
summer science research: [Bryn</a> Mawr College: Summer Science Research](<a href=“http://www.brynmawr.edu/scienceresearch/]Bryn”>Summer Science Research | Bryn Mawr College)
News on our STEM programs (science, technology, engineering, math): [STEM</a> disciplines : News](<a href=“http://news.brynmawr.edu/tag/stem-disciplines/]STEM”>http://news.brynmawr.edu/tag/stem-disciplines/)</p>