Transferring to Bryn Mawr

Colleges and Universities A-Z Bryn Mawr College
1

<p>I’m a student who was waitlisted for the Class of 2015, and am now contemplating applying for transfer to Bryn Mawr. I’m happy with my current school but Bryn Mawr has better departments in what I want to study (English Lit, Comparative Lit, and Classics), and Bryn Mawr was and remains my first choice school.</p>

<p>What I want to know is, is there anyone here who transferred to Bryn Mawr and could give me some perspective? Was anyone waitlisted as a freshman but had success applying as a transfer? What was the adjustment like socially and academically? What was your financial aid package like? Were you alright or even content at your old school but still wanted something more, and are you happy at BMC? (Oh, tiny point of curiosity: Do transfers get class lanterns too? Silly question, but the traditions always interested me and I’d love to be a part of them.)</p>

<p>Thank you. <3</p>

2

<p>Hello! </p>

<p>I’m a current transfer student in my senior here at BMC. I transferred in the first semester of my sophomore year and I would be happy to answer your questions. </p>

<p>First, YES! Transfer students absolutely get lanterns along with other Bryn Mawr swag (mugs, bags, and so in) in the appropriate class color for their graduating years. That is not a silly question at all. The traditions are part of what makes Bryn Mawr’s community so tight-knit and transfer students are incorporated really well into that community. </p>

<p>I’m sure if you toured Bryn Mawr then you know that all new students get a customs group and customs people. These folks live on your hall with you during your first year here and essentially form an instant friend network that aids with the adjustment from high school to college. The same is true for transfer students, but transfer customs focuses more on the adjustment from one college to another. The transfer students who were admitted in the fall of this year all live on the same hall together. I’m friends with some of them and they all seem like they are really close. It’s nice to know people who are also transfer students because it certainly gives you a different kind of appreciation for Bryn Mawr. </p>

<p>Speaking of appreciation for Bryn Mawr, I absolutely love it here! (Which means quite a bit that I can still say that now during finals week when everyone is sleep deprived, haha). It was a big adjustment coming here because my hometown is far away and my other school was co-ed, with a fraternity and sorority life, and much much much larger. I felt like, and literally was at times, just a number and I wasn’t being challenged enough. Bryn Mawr is exactly the kind of change I was looking for. I love the small class sizes and discussion, I love the traditions, I love the friendly and intelligent student body, I love the campus, I love the psychology department (that’s my major)…as you can see I love just about everything! I’ve also had so many great experiences here from eating dinner at the homes of my professors, to traveling to Japan and Indonesia, to researching for my thesis (which is a lot of work, but so rewarding). </p>

<p>Just so you know, financial aid is need based, but transfer students are given equal chance at getting financial aid as any other student. </p>

<p>If you think that Bryn Mawr might be a good fit for you, and it seems like you have a good reason to transfer (which you do), then I recommend applying again. It is totally worth going through the college application process twice to find a place that you really love. I’m really glad I transferred, and I hope that you can find a place that suits your needs.</p>

3

<p>Hi! I don’t know if you are still looking for transfer student perspective, but here goes:</p>

<p>I transferred to Bryn Mawr at the beginning of my sophomore year (just finished my first semester here); I spent my freshman year at a huge state university and I was miserable there. But I love Bryn Mawr! Transfers do get lanterns and everything and participate in traditions. I don’t know how transfer customs was done in past years, but this year we transfers had our hall customs groups (i.e. mostly first-years) as well as a separate transfer customs group. Having a transfer customs group has been really helpful because while we are like first-years in the sense that we didn’t know Bryn Mawr yet, we had the whole college thing down already, so we had different worries as well. Like the person above me said, all the transfers from this fall (12 of us, which is apparently a big group) live in the same residence hall, and our roommates are other transfer students. (Really, as a whole the transfer students on campus have been supportive, including past transfers–and I actually happen to know the person who posted above me :))</p>

<p>But apart from our lovely group of transfer students…one of the thing I’ve noticed about Bryn Mawr academics-wise is that there is an expectation that you will get things done and try hard and learn and work hard, and reach for opportunities (which is how it should be; but it’s a big contrast from my previous school, where there unfortunately wasn’t a large amount of academic expectation). I’m a Russian major and I absolutely love the department and the people; I love Bryn Mawr’s small classes and small campus, the random exciting conversations I’ve had with professors after class, how easy it’s been to get to know people. For the most part it wasn’t a difficult adjustment socially; I got to know people from my dorm, classes, extracurricular activities, and my job (I work for dining services), and people were really welcoming. Adjusting socially as a transfer was much like as a first-year–get involved in things you’re interested in, and you’ll meet people all over the place!</p>

<p>I definitely agree that it’s worth going through the college application process a second time to find somewhere you love. If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to ask!</p>