Bryn Mawr College Top Questions

The academics at Bryn Mawr are amazing. The professors know all our names. The largest class I had was an Anthropology class with maybe 40 students. It was a lecture with powerpoints and almost every day I'd end up falling asleep. My professor would always say my name to wake me up. My favorite class was a creative writing fiction class that I took in my freshman year. The professor was really intelligent and invested in our class and in return all the students took the class really seriously, yet still had fun and learned a lot, we all wrote great work and had really amazing class discussions. Outside of class, students can have intellectual discussions, but, like any school, this doesn't apply to everyone. I think that students don't really talk about what they've learned in their classes, though. And I think this is because of the honor code. At Bryn Mawr you aren't supposed to be competitive and discuss grades (though you can if both parties agree to, though this is slightly awkward). And I think this taboo on grades kind of translates to class material as well. I've been approved to do a Creative Writing Independent Major. There is currently only one other Creative Writing major in the school. So I guess you'd have to admit that our department is really small. But our faculty advisors -- Karl Kirchwey and Dan Torday -- are excellent. They seem to really care about our work and our growth as writers. Outside of class, I don't spend too much time with professors. I've been to professors' houses and had barbecues and such, but this is a little rare. Bryn Mawr's academic requirements aren't that bad. I mean, I got a math and science requirement finished by taking a purely conceptual physics class (no math at all; all we had to do was keep diaries). Because I took a high level French course in high school, that requirement was really easy to complete. All I have left to finish is the history-like requirement. It's true that there are many women who attend Bryn Mawr with the goal of getting a job. They've structured their course work in order to achieve this goal. But I think there are an even greater number of women who attend Bryn Mawr because they want to learn -- about academics and about themselves.

Academics at Bryn Mawr are fantastic. As a French major, I can honestly say the French department is simply a GEM. I feel completely prepared to tackle anything now that I have graduated. Do not come to Bryn Mawr if you aren't serious about your studies. Yes, people study a lot. But it's all about finding that balance between studying and partying. All of my professors knew me personally, and in some cases I spent time with professors outside of class. They're always willing to help, and in this day and age I feel as though this is a rarity.

IT'S INTENSE. Students study ALL THE TIME. No exaggeration. Class participation is part of the final grade in most classes and while not mandatory, very very highly recommended. Bryn Mawr really tries to make an all-around woman. Not only do we have academical requirements (liberal arts) in areas other than our majors, but also physical education requirements, swim test, etc.

I feel that the education at Bryn Mawr is geared toward learning for learnings sake. I am an English major. Yet, the career I want to pursue is teaching elementry school. Bryn Mawr doesn't even have an elementry education department -- it is at Swarthmore in combination with Eastern College. So, to graduate able to teach at the elementry level I must major in another subject and fill the rest of my schedule with education courses so that I can take the Praxis and student teach senior year AND write my English thesis. So, minus the title, I am a double major. I understand that in doing this, Bryn Mawr wants me to receive a well-rounded education and not concentrate on only learning the necessary skills for a later career. I like to think that when I graduate, I will be more than just a teacher. Yet, sometimes it is frustrating because it seems that I am being discouraged from pursuing such a traditionally female dominated position where I can get a job by the time I graduate. Very few liberal arts colleges don't have a full education department...

I have never met professors so involved with their students as they are here. I studied abroad at the University of Sydney and it wasn't until I was there that I really realized how special bryn mawr is. At Usyd I couldn't get extra help for assignments, professors didn't know or care about how I did in their class and that was awful. As soon as I got back to bryn mawr I made an appointment to meet with my dean just to remember how efficient our administration can be. I've had dinner at professors' houses, I know their spouses and kid's names, and I know they care about my life too.

Academics at Bryn Mawr are quite hard, but even if you are in a "big class" meaning 50 maximum, the teacher still wants to get to know you. They encourage anyone and everyone to participate in class.

One of the major good things is the small size of the classes. The biggest classes I took were my math classes, which had about thirty people. My physics classes last year had only 5 people. In the physics department the intro classes are large by Bryn Mawr standards, but the higher level classes are extremely small. You get so much opportunity to talk with your professors that way. And a lot of students in the physics department do research over the summer with the professors. The professors are willing to talk to you and they take you seriously. Class participation is sometimes common, sometimes not, depending on the class. Sometimes I wish the professors were better about centering the class more on class discussion. My college seminar was all discussion; my math classes were almost no discussion. Students are not competitive, which is so nice. The people I've met do not discuss their grades at all as part of the honor code, although you are certainly allowed to as long as the people around you feel comfortable with it. The academic requirements are not very restricting. Besides the requirements for your major and minor if you choose to have a minor, there is a language requirement (but at least for some languages a certain SAT II score will exempt you from it); you must take a quantitative class and some class with a lab component; you must also take two humanities and two social science courses. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing if you want a complete liberal arts education.

The education at Bryn Mawr is geared toward learning for learning. I am an Art History major and all of my classes have been on the small side. I think my biggest History of Art class has been around 22 students. I always know my professors name and they know mine. I have enjoyed many of my classes and do not have a favorite, but the most unique class I have taken is "The Stuff of Art," a chemistry art history class. Students do study a lot, since Bryn Mawr is a rigorous institution. Students are mostly competitive with themselves since we do not talk about grades. Students participate in class along with have intellectual conversations outside of class.

Our class sizes are small, but mighty. Students come to class prepared (although, we run ten minutes later than advertised, which we call "Bryn Mawr time"). Student- professor ratio is 8-1, so he/she will know each students' name. With the Honor Code, there's no competition, besides personal competition. And we have take-home exams, self-scheduled exams...The academics may be difficult at times, but totally worth the degree at the end.

I know all my professors and they all know me. I have been to all of their houses for many occasions. I have never had a class larger then 15 people. I love the personal attention. Professors have all been wonderful.

Professors all know your name. Classes are small, unless it's a science lab, but even then you are likely to have one on one time with professors if you want it. Class participation is common and encouraged. Students are competitive, but no one talks about grades because of our Honor Code. Professors are known for having students over at their homes and for bringing their kids to major picnics and other social events.

Classes here are usually small and discussion based, especially at higher levels of study. THere is an academic honor code that prohibits students from speaking about their grades in public, so no one knows how they are doing in comparison to others. WHile this is supposed to be a good thing so that students dont feel bad if they dont do well on an assignment or whatever, it fosters an underground competetiveness that is sometimes detrimental to a student. Professors are usually very available for help outside of class. As a small liberal arts college, Bryn Mawr has many areas of study that are not geared so much toward actually getting a job, but often a graduate from here will be prepared for many different kinds of jobs because of the wide variety of classes students often take.

The academics are rigorous here. There's a saying "Bryn Mawr: where your best hasn't been good enough since 1885." Although not fact, there is a grain of truth in that statement. The professors push you to think deeper and work harder than you ever thought possible. Comfortingly, though, they are always available outside of class and are more than willing to clarify and help. You really get to know the professors, especially the ones within your major.

All my professors know my name and make an effort to address me using it when I ask questions in class or see them outside of classes. Even in large lecture classes, my professors have made an effort to learn all of the students. One unique academic experience offered at Bryn Mawr College (BMC) is the chance to participate in undergrad laboratory work with professors in almost any science or social science. There are tons of opportunities for research or internship positions on and off campus, during the school year, breaks and summer. Students maintain an academic and social honor code and therefore do not directly discuss grades, but rather work together to understand their studies. You can often hear BMC students discussing class lectures, readings, lab work, and other intellectual topics that they are learning about all over campus.

I have not gotten to know my professors as well as other students, but that is only because I havent tried. Professors are always available. Often times they will complain that no one ever visits them during office hours. Students are not competitive amoungst each other. If a student wishes to push herself that is her choice and many do, but it certainly is not a requirement of every Mawrter.

Not the cream of the crop but very, very good. Some really good departments here are chemistry and geology. Biology, physics, and the arts are not so great, though. The upside, though, is that Bryn Mawr students can take courses at Swarthmore and Haverford at no extra cost (and there is a free bus to take you there that runs pretty regularly, going from campus to campus). What you can't get at Bryn Mawr in, say, astronomy or visual arts, you can get at Haverford, which is a 7 minute or so bus ride away. It is a solid college, though I would be surprised if there were any students here who didn't get As, except of course for the slackers who don't show up to class etc.

Academically, Bryn Mawr is intense. In freshman year students do have a fair amount of free time, if they want it, but even then there will be weeks in which students do not sleep or relax. Upperclassmen have a worse time of it. It is not uncommon for them to have six or seven hours of homework each night. That being said, students usually do manage to carve out a social life for themselves, but this is not the school to come to if you want to spend four years going to bars and goofing off with friends. It will not happen here. Bryn Mawr is also not the place to go if you want a highly tailored course program aimed specifically at getting a certain career. Bryn Mawr is a liberal arts school, so business courses or majors do not exists. This is a great school for those interested in graduate study. Many, but not all, of the students hear are deeply intellectual, but in different, often quirky, ways. You will find talk of philosophy and history over coffee, but you will also find entire parties planned around renting Disney's extremely inaccurate version of Hercules and showing it to Classical Studies majors. Most students are not competitive, and because of the Honor Code, do not discuss grades or GPAs to people not interested in hearing about them. Some students do find the school to be competitive; I just find it stressful. The professors here and at Haverford and Swarthmore expect a lot out of their students, but will not hesitate to bend over backwards for even the least talented among them. Any student at Bryn Mawr, Haverford, or Swarthmore can take a course or major in a department at any of the three schools, which supplements our own course catalogue nicely.

Professor often know your name, and are normally very interested in what the students have to say. They want to help you learn, it's really nice. Classes are normally small, barring a few intro classes. There is however a lot of work, and people are often rather stressed. Dinner and meal conversations are often very intellectual, though they can be completely silly like any smart person.

Bryn Mawr's academics are great. The professor's are friendly, accessible, and accommodating. Everyone at Bryn Mawr is very intelligent and passionate, so it's easy to find intelligent conversation.

The classes are a great size (about 15 students usually). The small size is nice, but if you skip class a lot your professors will notice. Also, the academic requirements are fine except the physical education requirement. By the time we enter college most of us work out on our own and don't need to feel forced to work out like we had been in high school.