Bryn Mawr College Top Questions

Acapella concerts are a popular draw. Theater isn't usually. Dating is difficult if you're heterosexual but not into partying or clubs. Traditions and the events surrounding them are well-loved. There are a lot of places that deliver food at the wee hours of the morning. Going into Philadelphia is fun but can get expensive. The town of Bryn Mawr doesn't have much of a college-friendly nightlife.

Social life is more low-key unless you belong to a specific culture group or other organisation on campus (such as sports). Haverford does tend to have a larger party scene, and you'll often see busloads of Mawrters going there on a Friday or Saturday night before realising that it's not that great anyway and coming back at 1am.

The most popular groups on campus are SGA, Sisterhood, and Cultural clubs. Students used to leave their doors open - then theft began now they lock them to take a shower or put garbage out. None of the events have ever been massively popular. Dating scene is non-existent unless you work at it. But if you have a long term boyfriend it can work out just fine. Though Bryn Mawr does create this "cult of singleness" that encourages girls to dump boyfriends or not get boyfriends - be single and stay focused, though this usually makes girls more miserable and apathetic. I met my closest friends when I was HA. They were under-classwomen just as fed up as I was. We bonded. I am always awake tuesday at 2am - I am writing my thesis and bemoaning the amount of work professors dump on one human being. Traditions that happen - Parade Day, Hell Week, May Day. People party but they are either huge and lack alcohol and funds or small and they watch tv and play board games. There are no frats or sororities - at least that is what BMC says - then why does Sisterhood get a house? confusion... Last weekend - I sat in my "off campus" apartment and wrote my thesis while spending time with my housemates and my boyfriend. On a saturday night on campus? do you have a car? if so get out and go somewhere, if not pjs, a movie and an early bedtime.... I love the city, parties with my nova boys or my boyfriends friends, taking car trips, south street excursions, and concerts.

The social life here is what you make it. It's easy to have any kind of social life you want to have, and I really don't know many people who are unhappy with the one they've created.

I've always said that the social life at Bryn Mawr is very a-la-carte. By this I mean, students have a very wide variety of social options to choose from and what you do is up to you. With regular on-campus activities, there are plenty of students (myself included) that rarely leave campus. However, many others find they spend a lot of their social time at Haverford, Swat or Penn. Philadelphia is also a common destination for those looking to get off campus. There is also so much to do in the immediate area (other schools, restaurants, movie theaters, malls), much of which can be accessed by train or by foot. While it may seem like a lot of the social life that Bryn Mawr has to offer is off campus, most students agree that at the end of the day, its nice to come back "home" to Bryn Mawr's nice clean, safe, and quiet, campus. You can go off and have your fun and come back to find everything just as you left it.

The rugby team is very popular on campus; they are our main source of pride when it comes to sports teams. There aren't many parties on Bryn Mawr's campus, but students who want to go to one usually hop onto the bus to nearby Swarthmore, Haverford, Villanova, or UPENN.

Social life at Bryn Mawr is a really unique experience. While some people atted parties at Penn or Haverford, I would say the majority of people just hang out with friends on campus. Going out to dinner and hanging out seems to be the most popular weekend activity. But, Philly provides the opportunity for anyone to have whatever kind of social life they want, as does the connection with Haverford. Clubs are a huge part of life at Bryn Mawr, and they are huge time commitments. I know very few people who aren't completely over scheduled, but loving it.

Rugby has a huge following. The team, though it's a club, is the largest team by far on campus. It helps that it is a Bi-Co team and has members from Haverford College. The acapella groups are all popular and the improv comedy group, Lighted Fools, is a big hit. Their shows are always packed. Sports teams get very little support outside of the athletics world. As a part of one of the Christian fellowships on campus, it can get a bit depressing at some of the meetings when very few people show up. It's hard to get people motivated to put their studying down during the week. Students in dorms would leave their doors open if they could - the doors have hinges that automatically close and because they're so old, they're also very heavy. A common "tea," or hall event, is a "door stop tea" and we all paint bricks that are meant to act as door stops on the hall. Still, it depends. Some halls are very open and active, while others are quiet and introverted. The theater program is apparently very strong, though I've only been to a couple of shows. The dating scene is emotionally unhealthy. I met my closest friends on my freshman hall or in the fellowship I'm a part of. I can't be awake at 2am on Tuesday because I have crew at 5am on Wednesday. If I were, though, it would be to write a paper. Traditions include Parade Night, where the freshwomen get soaked with water as they run through a crowd of upperclasswomen; Lantern Night, where the freshwomen are given their lanterns; Step Sing, which happens three times a year and involves some serious songs and some comical songs; Hell Week, where the freshwomen choose a sophomore to Hell them for a week of goofing off and letting loose; and May Day, where everyone on campus throws down the books for a day of bathing in the sun on Merion Green and dancing to live music. People can party every weekend, but large campus-wide parties only happen a handful of times each year. There are no sororities here. Last weekend I went to a party on Friday night, went to a coffee shop on Saturday, went to church on Sunday and took part in plenary, our self governance association's reaffirmation of the constitution. On a Saturday night I often choose to stay in and watch a movie with friends. There are also campus events available, such as movie screenings, coffee houses, comedy shows, performances, etc. Off campus there are bars, coffee shops, and Philadelphia!!!

My social life has been based around my customs group, which is a family-like group of freshmen you live with your first year. We always do things as a group, and we are all very close. I am involved in a few groups that have to do with volunteering or tutoring, but I have made more friends through working, my customs group, and random encounters. Even if you're not involved, it's very easy to make friends, since we are all such a community. Athletics are practically nonexistent. Bryn Mawr has a really good rugby team, but the other events generally don't bring a crowd. Bryn Mawr has so many other aspects that unite us that athletics really aren't that important. The biggest events are traditions: Parade Night, Lantern Night, Hell Week, and May Day. Each has its own concept and each unites the student body that much more. There are usually pretty good events going on at either Haverford or Bryn Mawr on the weekend if you look (speakers, music, theatre), and they are usually popular. There is also the occasional party (Halloween and Pem Parties are famous), but people generally go off-campus to party, especially because there is no Greek Life at Bryn Mawr or Haverford. A lot of people also go into Philly to have fun because there's a train station practically on-campus. Bryn Mawr is not a party college; it's the place you come home to.

I've found that because my closest friends don't live in my dorm, I often will spend my nights with them and then feel really stressed out when I get back to my room and my roommates are asleep and I still have so much work to do