Bryn Mawr College Top Questions

There are a lot of feminists for sure, and there is an active queer community. But the great thing about Bryn Mawr is you can be yourself openly without having to worry about judgment. It's hard to see from the outside though.

nope. about the all-womens part, bryn mawr is solely like living in a sorority. you make yuor social scene as you want it... with or without men, or without women if you so choose. and you are accepted for whatever you choose.

Mawrters take their studies seriously; one weekend on campus would be enough to prove that to anyone. We're more likely to be camped out in a secluded corner of the library come Saturday afternoon than roaming Philly. And while there are the exceptionally odd students (such as those who don capes or show off their fashion skills in the form of a shrek-esque headband), most are just incredibly bright, interesting, determined young women.

to an extent, the liberal side is obvious, but the constant image of the women embracing a gay lifestyle is just wrong.

Number 1: .. ummm get over the fantasy people, it's not an admission requirement! Besides, I love living in such an open and embracing community! Number 2: ... I can't deny the fact that students here do spend some quality time with their texts; however, it should be known that there are some of us here (like me, and I'm definitely not alone on this) that read hard and relax too! From room parties to crashing Haver or Penn parties... we do exist!

Many of these stereotypes are "accurate" in certain situations, but you must recognize that they are stereotypes. They are common assumptions, rumors, opinions, views... of a school and a group of people. Sometimes these things hold true and sometimes they're quite misrepresentative.

The only stereotype that is accurate all around is smart. Proud to be..

I mean, arn't stereotypes based in some fact? Yes there are girls who wear capes...not every day though, and we all wear them for Lantern Night, and ONLY Lantern Night. And BMC is SO hard sometimes...there will always be the crazy girl who never failed and doesn't plan on it (not a very realistic lifestyle, in my opinion.) And its COLLEGE! Everyone wants to go crazy and party and hook up. That doesnt change at all, from college to college. But we are not DESPERATE, which is the cornerstone of the Havergirl argument.

1) To some extent, yes. Living in an all women environment can get very stressful and show the worst of people. If you come here, you better keep this in mind! 2) Not necessarily! But unfortunately, if you tell a guy you are a Mawrter, he'll pretty much want to get you in bed.

Hardly any! We're certaintly intellectual, but I'd hardly call us boring; I haven't met a Bryn Mawr woman I'd call a flake yet; there is no doubt an unusually high proportion of gay women, but very few are man-hating; and yeah, there are a few women who really like sex. Bryn Mawr is anything but homogenous.

Sometimes. However, because I am not one, this is definitely not the norm or the majority of Bryn Mawr students. The far left view can be a bit intimidating, however, when expressing more moderate views.

Let's see: Regarding (A), it is true that Bryn Mawr is a very diverse atmosphere. However, this does not mean that *everyone* is gay or bi. Many people are, many people aren't. Now, regarding the second stereotype, I would say that it's pretty true. As Mawrters we take our academics very seriously, sometimes too seriously. For me, I found a good balance in my freshman year of studying and socializing. However, some people do too much of one and not enough of the other. There have been plenty of times where I've been in the library on a Friday or Saturday night - something which you might not find at other schools.

No, they are not. Bryn Mawr students are politically diverse and express diverse sexualities.

For the most part, the negative stereotypes are untrue! Sure, Bryn Mawr has its share of lesbians, feminists, and nerds, but they're all really cool! We're actually very normal, college students who just happen to be especially academically motivated and socially tolerant.

Desperation one is for some people. Overworking is true. The no social life aspect is very true. Diversity may be there, but most people do not have diverse ways of thinking

There is a very visible queer presence on campus, but I doubt that the majority of the students are gay (I have to add that there would be nothing wrong with it if it were actually the case). As far as the other major stereotype, Bryn Mawr can be very high stress. However, the reality is more that people tend to talk a lot about the amount of work they have, thus giving the appearance that work is all we do, which is untrue.

While not the most socially active college students, mawrtyrs do indeed have a social life. And as most are assertive, independant women, they get along just fine in the Real World as well. As for being man-starved: there is remarkably little griping about the lack of men. In fact, there isn't really a lack of men to begin with; the bi-co is so integrated that nearly all classes are co-ed to some extent. My roommate this summer is a guy and I didn't have to go on an adventure quest to find him; we met in class. There are plenty of Haverboys etc. wandering around the greater Philadelphia area for those who want to date men, although a good many mawrtyrs are too busy to bother. Yes. There is a lesbian community. It's not a big deal.

Confession: sometimes I don't shave my legs in the winter time, but usually they're shaved and I think this represents a lot of the campus. Plus, who cares if your legs aren't shaved anyway? If you've noticed, lesbians and boy-crazed are opposites, so I think that they kind of cancel each other out and don't need more of an explanation.

They are absolutely not accurate. Bryn Mawr is an accepting campus, so people are more comfortable about being open with others, more specifically in regard to their sexual orientation. Bryn Mawr students can also take classes at Haverford, UPenn, and Swarthmore (all coed schools)! Being 15 minutes from the heart of Philadelphia means that you're anything but sheltered. The reason I chose Bryn Mawr was because I could choose to make it as small or as big of a school as I wanted it to be. This is rare!

Although it is an all-women's college, we're not all feminists who are lesbians. Most of the times, far from it. Although there are lesbians on campus, it's not overwhelmingly prominent that I feel uncomfortable or anything. Academia IS very intense at Bryn Mawr. I have never worked harder in my life. As for partying and having a social life, it really is up to the person. I love my social life at Bryn Mawr. I don't think I have been deprived of meeting guys or unable to party much or so on. Although I never imagined myself at an all-women's college in High School, now that I am attending one, I can't imagine myself anywhere else.