Bryn Mawr College Top Questions

I met my closest friends at Bryn Mawr through the Customs program. Customs, the student orientation program, works really hard throughout the year to help the freshman adjust to the Bryn Mawr environment. It gave a set group of girls from the first day of orientation who's names and faces you knew. That really helped give a sense of security that there was always someone to eat dinner with or help you find class on the first day -- maybe they would even be in the class. By the end of the year my friendship circle has branched outwards to girls I've met in my other classes.

I play lacrosse, and one big pitfall of the bryn mawr community is that no one really cares about athletics. Our facilities are crappy and so is our fan attendance to games. Little to no respect is given to athletes and all the hard work they put into their sport. I guess that's what you can expect from a women's college that is so involved with academics- nothing else matters to them.

There are four traditions that happen every year: Parade Night, which happens at the beginning of the year, Lantern Night, Hell Week, and finally May Day, which takes place the Sunday after classes end, before exams. I won't bother describing them here. Some people enjoy them; At least at the beginning of the year I personally didn't like the traditions because I felt that they were meaningless and I felt socially obliged to take part in things I thought were a waste of time. But May Day could be fun; it's basically a time when you can get together with your friends and sit outside on the lawn on a blanket and just take a vacation for one day. On the weekends some people do normal college things like go out with their friends or into Philly; a lot of people probably watch movies with their friends, but I am also sure that people also spend a lot of time doing their homework. I for one take advantage of Friday nights as much as I can to start my homework, or at least I am thinking about work while taking care of other obligations.

I am involved with 2 christian organizations and mixed company, a club dedicated to talking about people's mixed backgrounds. Students on campus do leave their doors open and athletic events are kind of popular. Bryn Mawr is not a big athletic school, but when there are soccer or lacross games on campus people go and cheer. It is the same way with the theatre. Bryn Mawr is not a big theatre school, but when there are plays a lot of the campus and town attends. Guest Speakers I feel are the most popular, Bryn Mawr has had some really good ones. There is lots to choose from when it comes to the dating scene. There are colleges all around and plenty of people to meet. I met my closest friends freshman year in classes and on my hall. If I am awake at 2 am on a Tuesday, I am studying. Most Bryn Mawr students do not party during the week. The weekends are the time for the parties. Bryn Mawr does not have sororities, but we do have traditions such as hell week, duck pond run, parade night, may day and lantern night. Also if you don't drink or don't party there are plenty of other things to do on and off campus. Philadelphia is a nice city for its museums and music scene.

The social life is what you make it- as it the case with other facets of Bryn Mawr life. If you're a party-goer, there's always something going on in the Tri-Co as well as on-campus itself. Philadelphia is close and fun for those over 21, and New York and Atlantic City are around two hours away. During the week, however, most people study or hang out in smaller groups.

Typical "party" life happens at Haverford. But the times Bryn Mawr has huge parties they are great.

There are hundreds of clubs on campus. There are also frequent (and often famous) guest speakers. Those have included Bill Clinton, Rebecca Walker, among others. We also get free admission to speakers and events in the Tri-Co (Haverford and Swarthmore). Most students live in dorms on campus--housing is guarunteed all four years. People party pretty often, and often go to Haverford and Swat on weekends to party as well. There are also tons of non-partying options, such as a Friday and Saturday night movie almost every weekend.

Bryn Mawr is obsessed with cultish traditions. While some may find these enchanting, I find them annoying, stupid and creepy.

Bryn Mawr has many different events going on at all times, from speakers to performances to just general activities. Students here can always find something to be involved in either on this campus, or at our neighboring school Haverford who we share classes and events with. There are endless opportunities that can be found in Philadelphia, but hanging out with friends on campus is always a popular choice as well.

Although the Bryn Mawr party scene is a little dead, the institution works hard to provide activities such as crafts, movies on the green, and visiting performers. Fortunately, for party girls, we're just a stone's throw away from Haverford College and Villanova University where parties are a bit more abundant.