Bryn Mawr College Top Questions

Overall, I adore my school. I think that the best thing here is that everyone comes to BMC because they are incredibly passionate about learning. This creates an environment of supportive, interesting people who all value their education. The campus is gorgeous, making this a wonderful place to live. The dorms are also great. The school creates awesome dorm life because we have a great DLT (dorm leadership team) that makes dorm life fun. The only thing I hate here is the food. The dining services budget has been cut recently, making the food quality absolutely abismal.It's essentially disgusting.

Here, you'll find some of the nicest people in the world, as well as some of the brightest. Bryn Mawr students know that they attend a top school and they're proud of it, though not to an annoying degree. Moreover, the school's Honor Code permeates -- and in a very positive way -- almost every aspect of campus life. With those things said, Bryn Mawr is only a great school for anyone for whom it is the right fit. For this college, I would do extensive research and, if possible, a visit.

Bryn Mawr is well known for its traditions, and I truly enjoy them. I must admit that at first I was a bit skeptical about a few, but after experiencing them I really felt like a member of a community. The school is small, but as small as it seems it very easy to venture off into different paths. One can go a week without seeing a friend. Benefits of going to a small school is that we have lots of resources available and more one-on-one meeting times with faculty and staff. People are often shocked when I inform them that I attend Bryn Mawr, because it's an all-womens college. I reassure them that it's not what it seems, we are a member of a Tri-Co as well as the Quaker Consortium. This allows students to take classes at Haverford College, Swarthmore College, and University of Pennsylvania. We also reside within minutes of Harcum College, Rosemont College, and Villanova University. I love that Bryn Mawr is in a beautiful college town, and only a train ride away from Philly.

I find Bryn Mawr to be too small, and lacking in economic and cultural diversity, though full of sexual diversity. It's also in a very safe but boring suburb. The academic are great except for the science program which is small.

I fell in love with Bryn Mawr upon first arriving on campus. I applied to no other all-female schools, and wasn't really interested in feminism before getting in. The experience has been a magical one; I haven't regretted my college choice in my four years here. I am graduating in May and going to Bryn Mawr was the best decision I've ever made. I enjoy the small community here, recognizing most of the women around me even if I haven't been introduced to them yet. Girls here are quirky, and I never feel like I have to be anyone else to fit in.

Bryn Mawr is a unique place, and being outside of Bryn Mawr and trying to explain why it is so great is hard. Then I come back to Bryn Mawr and feel a great sense of relief because people here understand. They get me. And so saying that, as much as I love Bryn Mawr, it's not for everyone.

the traditions are definately the best thing about bryn mawr. i love the consortium... take tons of classes at haverford (and swarthmore and upenn)- they all get you off campus, and could be your leads to meeting new interesting people and your lead to parties and dating, if you so choose.

Freshman year Bryn Mawr felt like the perfect size. By Sophomore year it felt too small. By Junior year I left to study abroad for both semesters. I spend most of my time on campus either in my room or in the library, generally studying. A lot. When I tell people I go to Bryn Mawr, I get a genuine mixture of reactions. I live in California, so more often than not people in my home town haven't heard of it. But in the wider world of academics, I get met with quite a few "oohs" and "ahs", followed often by questions about it being all women.

small, welcoming place with liberating studies, but some academic and social issues that can be difficult to overcome, kind of like a "you're with us, or against us" attitude.

The college is a small well renowned liberal arts college... and it is all women. We do have a tri college consortium with Haverford and Swarthmore which opens up the college size, possibilities and yes, presence of the male sex. I love the housing on campus and our food is pretty good (especially the specialty dinners!). We are about 20 minutes from Philly which if you didn't know , belongs to College students! We're so many, we rule the place! Bryn Mawr town is really quite and a typical suburb so it's cool that you can easily make a get-a-way to Philly or even New York. The plus side of living in suburbia is the safety of the neighborhood. The college is really beautiful and a work of art... we live in castles (literally). We have a self government (the oldest one in the country) and it does work. There are however times when I want to strangle some people but the self-government association provides a forum to address issues that arise within the campus. Of course I can't go without mentioning the traditions! We have traditions all year round and they play an important role in bonding the students together. From Parade night, Lantern night, Hell Week and May Day there is no way that you can go through a year feeling left out (especially as a freshman). Also, another important aspect is the fact that if you are passionate about something you can be assured that you will have the opportunity to voice it. Everyone won't necessarily be on your side but you will get the chance to air your opinion. Whether it is about your political affiliations or religious beliefs, there is no need to conform!

Bryn Mawr's size is fairly small for a liberal arts college, however having a Tri-College Consortium both adds to and takes away from the perks of the size of Bryn Mawr's student body. The close academic and social relationship with Haverford is something that I have truly valued during my time at Bryn Mawr and I wish that I had remained more involved in the Bi-College community aside from athletics. I'm always fairly surprised when East Coast people haven't heard of Bryn Mawr. I can understand someone from the West Coast having never heard of a small liberal arts college for women, but I find it hard to believe that there are college-aged people from the East Coast who have NEVER heard of Bryn Mawr. A big controversy right now is Transgendered students and their place at Bryn Mawr. I will always remember Hell Week, but that's all I can say about it! Frequent stndent complaints are by far the amount of work and time put into classes in and outside of scheduled class times. This holds particularly true for science majors, who balance lab and class time.

There are so many things that go on at Bryn Mawr that only the Mawrters know about. I LOVE that. Bryn Mawr is very focused on diversity... which is great. But it is shoved down your throat the whole first year you are there. It gets to be annoying. The size of Bryn Mawr is great. Sometimes it gets to be claustrophobic, but there are many ways to avoid that. It's nice because you can ALWAYS get off campus at ANY time. There are many schools around and Philly is a twenty minute (or less) train ride. Tip: Make local friends OFF campus too. The only people who react to the name of Bryn Mawr are those who NEED to know (aka those who will be hiring you in the future). Some have never heard of Bryn Mawr, but those who have will rant and rave and congratulate you. During the week, my time is spent in the classroom and the library.. (and hopefully the gym too). On nice days, everyone studies outside. BM is not truly a college town but Haverford is right down the street and Villa Nova is a little further. Plus, Philly is home to many schools. So there are plenty of college students in close reach. Everyone (for the most part) is proud to be.. Bryn Mawr.

Bryn Mawr really is a great place, and I honestly love it with all my heart. I get all the time, "OMG Whyyyy are you at a women's college?!?!" but it really doesn't phase me. One of the greatest things about Bryn Mawr is its relationship with nearby Haverford. Granted, the schools were closer before Haverford started admitting females, but they still share a lot of academic programs, and most social offerings on the campuses are open to all students. I always try to explain how great it is living with women. Honestly, my guy friends who live at Haverford are FILTHY! I love them to death, but I would HATEEEE their mess. Bryn Mawr is just WAY cleaner. And have you checked out our dorms? There is NO way to go wrong...you will ALWAYS live in a castle...with its own cleaning people! My housekeeper last year actually found us bowls to mix Jello in (for Jello shots, although I'm not sure she knew that) The staff, faculty, and administration are GREAT, and go above and beyond for us. President Vickers (the now-retired President from last year) and I had a great relationship...she frequently commented on how much she loved my ballet flats. Its such a small school that you CAN have relationships like that, even with the College President!

Bryn Mawr is a tiny school. At one point you'll feel like you know everyone. This can be a good and a bad thing at the same time. It can be hard to find yourself in that little community for a long time so breaks are always awesome. There isn't a lot to do around Bryn Mawr-there are some restaurants and a cinema. We are only 25 minutes away from Philly, which is cool but expensive. There are always activities in the school or in the TriCo. However, don't be fooled by this whole TriCo thing. In general, Bryn Mawr girls are disliked by the TriCo. There are almost no parties on our campus, so we have to go to the other schools to have a fun night...but it can be no fun to have to take the Blue Bus. I guess that we pretty much try to make our social life out of our campus and I can see how that would piss off students from the other schools. But afterall, if you come to Bryn Mawr, you need to be really serious about studying and maybe even coming thinking that you will have to give up an intense social life, I mean, some girls do get out there and network, but as social as you may be...it can be f*** hard!

Okay, this is a really broad topic to write about. There are are lot of "what to write about" suggestions, so I'll chose the two most interesting: "What was the biggest recent controversy" and "is there anything unusual about Bryn Mawr"? The first one first then. About Feburary of 2008, Bryn Mawr had its annual Religion on Campus week. It started smoothly, however soon there was minor vandalism to signs put up on campus, from ones for Muslim Clubs to my Atheist Club. The administration had to get involved and so forth. A second controversy was over our recent SGA elections, where there may or may not have been people working within SGA against a specific candidate. It appeared that someone in SGA was specifically targeting and obessively following a SGA presidential canditate in attempts to force her out of the election. This is an on coming controversy, which had gotten a lot of student upset and involved. The second question: What makes us unsual is our traditions, hands down. The main four are: Parade Night, Lantern Night, Hell Week and May Day. Oh yeah, and we're a women's college. I guess that's significant.

I would change the apathy towards social justice issues on campus.

Bryn Mawr is a great place, but prospective students should know that the community is unique and not for everyone. People often overlook basic information about the college and complain about it later. For example...I often find myself grumbling about the lack of boys on campus or at social events, before remembering I'm at a women's college. It sounds petty and obvious, but it's easy to forget silly facts in a stressful academic environment. On the same note, it's not uncommon to hear people complaining about seeing the same faces every day (yes, it's a small campus!) or about the general PMS that strikes the student population during particularly stressful times. It's important to remember that Bryn Mawr is designed for women to grow into free-thinking, socially conscious, and scholastically well-rounded individuals. I try to focus on these ideas, and I find I don't actually have anything substantive to complain about.

Nothing in particular I like about the school. The admin is pretty unaccomodating except for a few people. Theres absolutely NO college town. Its not that easy to go to Philadelphia since its pretty expensive for a college student- $8 round trip. There are a lot of race issues on campus. People are definitely not as open minded as they may pretend. SGA is a farce and is an exclusive club. People are very unaccepting of different religions and beliefs. I am appalled by how little people know about the world. Very ignorant. The biggest recent controversy was not letting a student run for SGA president because of non-existent reasons that the current SGA made up (the real reason is because she was of a very contested and debated faith). There are scary traditions that one should be weary of. Life is very mundane and secluded in that school- Its horrible if you are very outgoing.

After two years, Bryn Mawr has me entirely torn. On one hand, I feel that the academics are challenging and rewarding, and that I have had the opportunity to meet a number of bright, dynamic, interesting people in my peer group. However, I dislike the competitive nature of the school (Despite whatever the literature says about our honor code, etc eliminating competition, it seems like everyone is pushing for the best grade, and even to seem as if they are under the most pressure), and I have found that a great number of my peers, while highly intelligent and good-natured, are rather immature and closed-minded. The social opportunities are also lacking; I've often told friends at home that I feel that I am not having the normal college experience, and I mean that in a negative sense.

The academics here are wonderful, and the campus is unbelievably gorgeous, especially in the spring. There's very little partying, but for the few parties there are, like May Day, the whole campus usually turns out. The fact that there are no sororities masks the fact that Bryn Mawr is one giant sorority (crossed with a pagan cult), including all the silly trials required for "joining" (Lantern Night, Hell Week). The traditions here are very strong. There's a good community feeling and even if you don't know everyone personally, it's pretty easy to recognize faces. Bryn Mawr as a town is pretty nice. There's a grocery store, a Borders, and an artsy theater. Unfortunately many of the restaurants are pretty expensive, but it's easy to take the train to Philly or any of the other suburbs, so you can pretty much find anything you could possibly want.