Bryn Mawr College Top Questions

Bryn Mawr is wonderful. I never thought I would of ended up at an all women's college but I could not adore Bryn Mawr more. The school gives so many wonderful choices for all the students. Every woman could find her own niche here. The bi-co with Haverford is very strong and I take advantage of both schools everyday. The mainline is a lil pricey but a very beautiful place to go to school.

Bryn Mawr is a really diverse school with more smart women than I could have imagined being in one place. It is a place that makes women feel comfortable, but challenges them to go beyond their comfort zones. It is a place that makes women feel confident and assures them that they can tackle whatever it is they want to achieve. Athletics are not widely supported on campus but they are starting to become really competitive. We play in the Centennial Conference, one of the top conferences in Division Three athletics, and for a small women's college, we put up a good fight. At Bryn Mawr, you can do whatever it is you want to do, and be supported, whether it is arts or athletics or a political club. It's a very conducive environment for growing as a person.

The best thing about Bryn Mawr is the sense of family and community that you gain throughout the years here. The size of the student body is great, its small enough that you are hardly ever in a huge seminar class, but large enough that you don't feel like everyone knows everyone. Bryn Mawr is a prestigious institution and has a good academic reputation. It is easy to get into Philadelphia if desired, but is also close to the town of Bryn Mawr which much quieter than the city. The school is about to come under the administration of a new President, which is very exciting. Also, the student body is self-governed for most things so we have the ability to make changes that we feel are important for the students. Although there is a good sense of community here, recently there has been some controversy surrounding race and ethnicity issues on campus. Athletics have not been a huge part of campus life, but the program is growing under the guide of a new Athletic Director. Bryn Mawr has many fun traditions to help foster the community, although to non Bryn Mawr students they often sound very strange.

I am absolutely in love with Bryn Mawr. Entering as a freshwoman, I felt supported by both the staff, faculty, and students. I think Mawrters very quickly become a part of the large Bryn Mawr Sorority. Our four major traditions (Parade Night, Lantern Night, Hell Week, and May Day) really bring the students together in a way that both creates a space for each class but also allows individuals to push themselves outside their comfort zones. I will never forget that during Hell Week, my best friend, who is not an especially extroverted person, got up on the stage a Goodhart and did an awesome lipsyncing number with myself and a few others. This was a huge step for her and she has never regretted it and remembers it fondly.

One of the best things about Bryn Mawr is the great support system created by the professors and your fellow students. The professors are always willing and ready to help whatever the problem. Study groups are also a great way to better understand the materials and Peer Lead Instruction (PLI) and Teacher Assistant (TA) sessions are offered in almost all subjects. These additional meetings offer supplemental study information or time when students can get help with work or ask questions about topics they found confusing. One thing I would like to help change is the atmosphere surrounding racial issues. There is more racial tensions than need be and it is often hard for people to speak openly without feeling like they are offending others on the subject. The school is a good size. With several hundred graduate students and Post Baccalaureate students in addition to about 1300 undergrads, the campus is more widely integrated than most prospective students originally realize. Bryn Mawr is not really in a college town, but it is surrounded by several other towns that also have colleges and it is very close to Philadelphia. Bryn Mawr is also connected to Haverford College, Swarthmore College, and the University of Pennsylvania. Bryn Mawr is full of traditions and school pride which makes students feel even more connected. I will always remember Hell Week, all the Step Sings, and May Day several of the more prominent traditions Bryn Mawr celebrates.

The best thing about Bryn Mawr is that, as at a lot of liberal arts college, the professors are very accessible. Also, like at liberal arts college (and any other institutions that have honor codes (Bryn Mawr does)), they trust you, and many exams are take home, timed, closed-book/notes. You pick it up in an envelope at the beginning of the week, turn it in at the end of the week, and sign a statement that said you only spent, say, 2 hours on it and didn't use any materials not provided in the envelope. It shows what a great academic community this is that this is so common place. I have also found, in the courses I take here, that the professors are very straightforward in their teaching style as well as their expectations. If you do your work, study at least a day or two before each exam, and think before you open your mouth or put your pen to paper, you will probably get an A. No surprises, no subjective grading (so far as I can tell). Very fair. If you put in a decent amount of work, you will get an A here. Unfortunately, though extremely beautiful, it is probably one of the more boring campuses around. There are rarely any parties, almost never any loud ones, and even on Friday nights the campus is, most of the time, dead-silent. To follow that up, though, a second GOOD thing about Bryn Mawr is that it is positioned really close to Philly. If you don't like driving, or don't have a car, or don't want to pay for gas and insurance, or whatever, the train stop is less than a 10 minute walk from campus, and you can get to Philly for about $4 (in about 20 minutes or less). So, from campus to Philly (depending on your timing) would be about half an hour. Not bad.

This even sounds corny in my head, but the best thing about Bryn Mawr is that this is just a fantastic place to be. The Student Government Association is extremely strong, so campus life and administration are largely in student hands. It is not very often that students want to take up issues with administration, which is exceptional, because administration is largely students. The Honor Code, which prohibits cheating and stealing, is strong, so professors trust us to take self-scheduled, unproctored exams during finals period, and students never feel worried about leaving their dirty shoes in hallways and clothes on the drying rack in a laundry room. This may not seem like a big deal, but it feels great trusting your fellow students and having a college that trusts you; I have more than one friend who is at a college that treats students like the enemy.

We are a close community, which is great. We take care of each other and support each other. it's really nice

Bryn Mawr is small. Within a few weeks, it can feel like home, but it can also become incredibly awkward between people quickly, as you're likely to see any given person at least once a day somewhere on campus. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to going to a small school, but I think the cons are more prevalent on other campuses. Bryn Mawr students become close VERY quickly.

Bryn Mawr has a small and outdated gym. If I could only change one thing it would be to update and enlarge the gym.