<p>My aunt and grandmother haven't seen the campus yet, so I'm swinging by tomorrow to take a walk. Very excited about it- I can get all the bragging and Bryn Mawr talk out of my system.</p>
<p>Mariposa- Hurrah for usernames in Spanish! I'm pretty much obsessed with Spanish. :D</p>
<p>Haha, me too...it just rolls off the tongue fabulously. and good luck in the fall with Bryn Mawr (you're a first-year, right?)! are you planning to take Spanish?</p>
<p>Sally, I completely understand the women's schools being a hard sell. If you want more ammunition, though as a good advisor I'm sure you avoid the prestige card, you could say that the Seven Sisters are the elite schools that were created for Ivy-calibre women. They comprise some of the most famous names in LACs (because, really, let's be honest: how many average people in, for example, NV, really know a lot about Grinnell or even, Amherst? However, a lot of people know who Hillary Clinton, Katherine Hepburn, etc. are even if the schools behind them don't ring a bell) and are as a group, somewhat easier to get into than the top ten coed LACs.</p>
<p>Mythmom, I owe you a belated thanks, which I will give publicly. Thanks so much for your support this winter; it really helped me through this tough admissions season. I am so grateful and excited to be attending BMC. It is such a cool place. CC is definitely full of very supportive, thoughtful people.</p>
<p>PS: I sold BMC to my lovely classmate, Brillar! Really, I did. I'm so glad she applied and will be attending with me! :)</p>
<p>LaMariposaAzul- I am definitely taking Spanish, hopefully majoring in it. Right now, I'm reviewing a bit before taking my placement test... gah... Have a ton of good luck with all your college applications! If you ever want a first year's biased opinion on BMC or Swat (I have a few Swattie friends), PM me.</p>
<p>And, yup, I admit it- Froghorn definitely convinced me to apply. BMC was coming off and on my list for weeks and in the end she said something about it and I decided I would apply. Hurrah!</p>
<p>My dearest froghorn (though I know you no longer really feel this name) I am delighted and honored that my support was of help. You, and your cohort here on this thread, are lovely young women and I wish each of you success.</p>
<p>Those about to begin on their Bryn Mawr adventure -- I wish you joy and satisfaction. Your school is beautiful and very intellectually stimulating. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time.</p>
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you could say that the Seven Sisters are the elite schools that were created for Ivy-calibre women. ... a lot of people know who Hillary Clinton, Katherine Hepburn, etc. are even if the schools behind them don't ring a bell) and are as a group, somewhat easier to get into than the top ten coed LACs.
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<p>You're absolutely right, froghorn. The list of notable women's college grads is so very long. And do be sure to put Gloria Steinem right up near the top with the other biggies. :) (Another one of my favorites is the late playwright Wendy Wasserstein, who is a Mount Holyoke alum.)</p>
<p>Barnard: Margaret Mead, Zora Neale Hurston, Jumpha Lahiri, Anna Quinlin, Judith Kaye (top judge of NYS Court of Appeals), Anne Brashares (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), Martha Stewart, Twyla Tharp, Cynthia Nixon, Lauren Graham among many, many others.</p>
<p>Congratulations to all you incoming BMC Frosh! My D graduated in May with a degree in Physics, and cherishes her Bryn Mawr experience. You'll be acquiring the lantern color of last year's senior class (light blue, very beautiful when lit). Traditions such as Parade Night, Lantern Night, and Hell week will warmly establish your place in the BMC community, and become cherished memories. D called me on the last night of Hell Week during her Frosh year, all choked up with emotion, saying that she now felt well and truly "home". You can't imagine how much of a relief it is to receive such a call and hear from her own lips that your child has found the perfect school. I wish this same thing for all of you!</p>
<p>S and I visited Bryn Mawr on a whim while in the area visiting the other (obvious) LACs. We were looking for D. We both came away thinking D should apply. If only D didn't have a mind of her own. We have a couple years to work on her though.</p>
<p>Ooop! I haven't been on in a long time. Sally, my intended major is Anthropology and BMC offers a 4-field approach while Smith is more culturally focused. Although I am more interested in social, I wanted to keep my options open and BMC has a really really great rep for getting Anthro majors into grad school. </p>
<p>Please do let the Admissions at Smith know that it was a tough choice and I look forward to visiting my friends on Smith's lovely campus!</p>
<p>On the subject of all-women's institutions it actually ended up being one of the things that drew me to apply. At first I was like "No boys!? No way" but then I met the people on-campus and it just made sense. All-women's institutions have higher acceptance rates to better schools. So if you don't mind not having men around all the time, why not make it easier for yourself to get in to a fabulous institution?</p>
<p>I'm a current freshwoman at BMC, and I'll answer any questions if anyone is interested in daily life, my first impressions, my application process, etc.</p>
<p>Hi, can you touch on diversity in economics and race at Bryn Mawr? My girls are looking at a couple of women's colleges including BMC, but were concerned with stereotypes.
We hope to visit, but any insight would be great. One D might want to go into accounting which isn't a major at BMC but will look into the Math majors they do offer. Thanks for any insight.</p>
<p>I can reply that my D actually has no idea how much money most of her friends have or do not have and does not care. They don't talk about that, I asked her. They seem to all have one thing in common: A recent conversation was how she and her friends were having trouble deciding which classes to take because there were too many classes they wanted to take and only so much room. That is the emphasis at BMC, not social minute'. </p>
<p>My D sent me a picture of her and friends. There are many colors in the group. Yes, the most common face is Caucasian, I do not know the percentage, but one reason my D chose BMC is the ethnic diversity was greater than many coed LACs she was accepted at. The only LACs visited that were more diverse ethnically were on the West Coast. They did not seem as diverse geographically as BMC, though. I am not entirely sure why that is (my gut feeling is that East Coast parents balk at sending their students to the West more than visa versa). </p>
<p>Few East Coast LACs will be as ethnically diverse as where she comes from, but she has friends from all over the country. Even if the faces were similar (and they are not), the accents, speech patterns, economic backgrounds, personalities and experiences are widely varied. She is seeing more diversity there in that way than she has ever been exposed to. Of course, she bit the bullet and traveled far from home, so I am not sure what the experiences are of those that live within 4-8 hours of BMC. Maybe one would answer.</p>
<p>I've encountered some weirdness with socioeconomic status- I'm towards the lower end at BMC and it can be interesting. It's not that people judge me for it, they just might accidently say something insensitive because they don't understand. The difference between Bryn Mawr and other places is that if someone doesn't understand, they'll be willing to have a talk about it so they can be more sensitive in the future. And that goes for ALL issues.</p>
<p>Note: My CSEM is on US Poverty and so issues like that come up a lot more with me than with most students. </p>
<p>And Citrusbelt is right- the students here are very diverse in a variety of ways, including (but going beyond) race. The students are very focused on eliminating stereotypes (although admittedlly some issues get more publicity than others). It's a huge change coming from the apathy-bordering-on-discrimination that was so common in my high school.</p>
<p>As a member of Brillar's Poverty class (nudge in the ribs and roll of the eyes), I think she is right on in what she says about BMC socioeconomic dynamics. BMC, like most elite LACs, IS very diverse in multiple ways. When a school costs nearing 50k a year, however, it is inevitable that issues of class will arise. I am of the opinion that most tension at BMC and HC is not racially motivated, but arises from issues of socioeconomic class. I also agree with Brillar's point about the focus on eliminating stereotypes. I came from a school that was liberal but apathetic and BMC is a BIG change. I think the bottomline on BMC and probably most top LACs is that students need to be prepared to discuss issues that are uncomfortable but realize that ultimately this candor behooves us; it is rare to be able to honestly discuss these issues and explore them from the experiences of a diverse body of peers.</p>
<p>Hello everyone, I am a first year applicant. I am really fascinated by everything of BMC. I am now writing ‘Why’ essays. I feel like I have tons of words to say. However, I am a little worried about Interview. ~~</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about the interview. When our daughter started the interview process, she was equally nervous, and afterwards, she couldn’t believe how enjoyable they were. Words of advice… be yourself, not who you think they want you to be, and let them know how much you want to attend. Something caused you to apply, so let them know what it was. Relax and enjoy the process as much as you can. Our daughter had many positive experiences in the interview process (both alumni and admin interviews). She felt very comfortable with the Bryn Mawr interviewer and said the interviewer made it feel more like a conversation, not an interview or examination. Best of luck.</p>
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<p>Good advice from macnell. But do also realize that it’s okay–sometimes even preferable– to tell your interviewer right from the get-go that you’re nervous … especially if you’re really nervous, despite making every effort to convince yourself that you shouldn’t be.</p>
<p>In such cases, it’s fine to say something like, “My brain says I’m excited to be here but my body is rebelling. I’ve never interviewed before so my hands are shaky and sweaty.” Your interviewer has probably already noticed that you’re ill at ease, and this discomfort can be the proverbial “elephant in the room.” So by drawing attention to it, you may actually make yourself LESS nervous, and your interviewer will be more comfortable as well.</p>