Bryn Mawr or Agnes Scott?

College Search & Lists
1

<p>My daughter (junior) and I have been on two exceptional tours and info sessions. Bryn Mawr and Agnes Scott really impressed me for much the same reason. Both are easily accessible to large cities, seem to have more of a sense of community than a college, have small class sizes and professors who are willing to devote the time to help a student, if asked. </p>

<p>For these reasons, my daughter has narrowed her decision down to these two institutions, and while she prefers Agnes Scott, I would like to see her in Bryn.</p>

<p>Now, she is a Floridian and on our visit up to Pennsylvania it snowed. It was her first experience with the white stuff and the biting cold that accompanied it. She was not happy in the least. I think the cold really shocked her system but even with that, she enjoyed her visit and really got a long with a few of the students, even exchanging emails.</p>

<p>At Agnes, our visit was more with the admissions and staff, with little interaction with the students. However, we both did have very good exchanges with whomever we spoke to and we left there thinking highly of the place.</p>

<p>While listing the pros and cons of the two, it pretty much came down to she wants to be closer to home, and believes the spread of academic rigor not that wide for her to justify freezing her backside off every winter.</p>

<p>I believe nothing can replace the options Bryn provides to take classes at Swarthmore, Haverford or Penn. Those four schools are widely held as four of the best liberal arts colleges and/or universities in the country. This would open up to her more classes, more degrees, more friends and more opportunities to network. So, while her assumption of the academics between Bryn and Agnes may be correct (and even that could be up for debate), I do think when everything is weighed up, Bryn is the much better choice; however, if she is miserable up there I suppose it would adversely affect her grades.</p>

<p>Any input on either of these two schools would be wonderful. I am conflicted on all of this. I wanted the best education for my daughter, but I also want her to be comfortable in her surroundings and yes, closer to home too. </p>

<p>Thank you very much.</p>

2

<p>I would recommend that your D apply to both and see what the COA turns out to be. </p>

<p>My D also applied to both and ended up somewhere else. She did, however, find both ASC and Bryn Mawr to be appealing. Bryn Mawr is more selective and does have the bi-co arrangement with Haverford. However, ASC seemed like a very close-knit and supportive community with a beautiful campus and good curricular and extracurricular opportunities. I would let your D decide. I would not choose Bryn Mawr or any other college on the basis of consortia alone; your D may well take all or most her classes at her home campus, and the quality/fit of that campus needs to be the primary consideration.</p>

3

<p>Has she considered Meredith College (Raleigh,NC)?</p>

4

<p>@ NJSue</p>

<p>Thanks for the reply. We still have a few more visits, but those are more just to see other types of schools. She is most interested in seeing Rhodes, but that is co-ed and she didn’t really want to have to deal with that. If I might ask, where did your daughter end up going? </p>

<p>@ PackMom</p>

<p>Had not considered it, but we have to drive past it to get back up to Pennsylvania this summer so I might just schedule a visit. It has everything she wants, close to a big city for internships, small class sizes, and closer to home. I am sure she will do some more research on it, thank you for bringing it to our attention.</p>

5

<p>imike, she is at Wellesley.</p>

6

<p>Wonderful choice, excellent school! Congrats! :)</p>

7

<p>Hi imike,</p>

<p>I’m a current junior at Bryn Mawr and would be happy to elaborate on any questions or concerns you might have. </p>

<p>In terms of weather, I split my adolescence between Chicago and Maine so coming to Bryn Mawr was a very pleasant shock to the system – it’s so temperate! One of my closest friends at Bryn Mawr is from Miami and she had a similar experience when first faced with snow, however I will emphasize that winters here are really very moderate. It rarely gets below 30 degrees on the coldest days (whereas Chicago can be -15!). The seasons here are really defined and the transition seasons, fall and spring, seem to last longest and are really beautiful between the leaves and cherry blossoms. While I know this will still be a transition, she will definitely not be the only student new to this climate-- there are lots of students from warmer climates trying to find a balance. The cherry blossoms alone make the winter worth it for me (<a href=“http://media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com/550x/a9/68/98/a968982fae021c3a00d13b51273d2ea8.jpg[/url]”>http://media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com/550x/a9/68/98/a968982fae021c3a00d13b51273d2ea8.jpg&lt;/a&gt;).</p>

<p>I do think the consortium is an invaluable asset to Bryn Mawr. I was shocked during my first week as a freshmen by how many of my peers, including freshmen, were taking tons of classes at the other colleges. It’s a very seamless consortium and extends beyond academics to extra curriculars and activities. I love that I can experience other colleges and cities (Philly, New York, DC), but still come home to (literally) my castle. </p>

<p>Ultimately this is your daughter’s decision, but I would encourage her to look beyond a month or two of cold weather. I’d also suggest an overnight stay if she hasn’t already. An overnight was what sold Bryn Mawr to me, particularly my interactions with such friendly and worldly students.</p>

<p>Best of luck to you!</p>

8

<p>Hi englishivy!</p>

<p>I will say this, we had been to a few visits before we made it up to Bryn Mawr (Thursday, March 21), but our experience with everyone at your school was exceptional. I spoke at length to Dean Koehler, along with Rebecca and Peaches in admissions. The tour and info session gave a pretty good look at the school, but left us wanting more. BMC is my preference for her, without a doubt.</p>

<p>I would like to ask you a few questions… I know what I was told, but how well do freshman transition to life at BMC? Are they welcomed and do they make friends as easily as what seemed? Also, do many students hop on the train to NYC, Boston, DC? Do they use the train near campus to go to Philly often? Are their school shuttles to take you to such places as The King of Prussia Mall? I guess what I am trying to get at is this, with not having a car freshman year, would she have difficulties getting around on those occasions where she needed a break from her studies and needed to get away for a shopping trip or a movie. </p>

<p>Thanks Ivy!</p>

<p>Ps. Love the pic, thank you, it is beautiful there isn’t it! Also, your class color, dark blue? She actually went down to the bookstore and purchased a few things in dark blue, they told her that would be her class color for the entering class of 2014.</p>

9

<p>imike,</p>

<p>Because Bryn Mawr is small even on the liberal arts scale (1,300 undergrad), the community really thrives on welcoming and including freshmen. 3 of our 4 major traditions literally revolve around freshmen and are campus-wide activities designed to integrate new students into the community. Each tradition is really special and, frankly, magical. Traditions I experienced as a freshmen are some of my most cherished memories at Bryn Mawr. </p>

<p>Additionally, because each dorm integrates all four classes, it’s easy to get to know upperclassmen. Some of my good friends as a freshmen were seniors. Bryn Mawr is also mindful to incorporate a structured support system for all students in the dorm. Each hall has a hall advisor who serves as a resource person for any student. But we also have “Customspeople”-- 2-3 sophomores selected by the college to work specifically with the freshmen on their hall. Two of my customspeople have become my best friends at Bryn Mawr.</p>

<p>Although I have a drivers license, I haven’t driven a car since high school and I absolutely hate driving. Bryn Mawr is an excellent campus for non-drivers, whether it be by choice or circumstance. Since freshman year I have spent a lot of time in Philly, DC, and New York. My very first semester at Bryn Mawr I spent two weekends in New York and two weekends in DC. It’s as easy as buying a megabus ticket for as little as $2.50 roundtrip. In addition to taking classes at Penn, I also have friends who live in Philadelphia and spend about half of my week there. The train is an easy 5 minute walk from campus and gets me right downtown in about 20 minutes. In Chicago it easily takes me upwards of 40 minutes to get somewhere WITHIN the city, so for me the train doesn’t seem that inconvenient. </p>

<p>As I mentioned before, it’s very common for students to have friends across classes. This also makes it likely that your daughter will have friends with cars on campus. This is a great resource when carpooling with friends to malls, restaurants, Target, etc. However Student Life does organize free shuttles for students throughout the year, including trips to IKEA and Target during move-in. </p>

<p>Yes, dark blue is my color and I absolutely covet it!</p>

10

<p>We’re from near Bryn Mawr (and have a child who attended Haverford) but our D wanted to go farther afield for college. She applied to Agnes Scott and was accepted with a very nice merit scholarship. Agnes is less pricey than Bryn Mawr to begin with, probably because cost of living is less in GA. We just got back from visiting and were very impressed. The campus is smaller but even more beautiful than BMC’s in my opinion. The buildings are extremely well-maintained and although old-fashioned gothic-type architecture on the outside, thoroughly modern and up-to-date on the inside. Lots of alumnae support, school spirit, traditions. Small classes and close interaction with profs. No grad students to compete with for attention. Internship opportunities in metro Atlanta. Cross-registration at Emory, GA Tech and numerous other area colleges. Very diverse student body. Decatur is a great area of Atlanta, with independent stores and restaurants. Yes, BMC is better known nationally and more selective, but ASC has much to offer.</p>

11

<p>Regarding the weather, your D should realize that there is a huge difference between the gradual transition she would experience if she were living there, and abruptly moving from one climate to another. I know that when I have flown from New England down to Florida in May I’ve found the heat and humidity there stifling…and it isn’t even bad yet at that time of year. (It is highly likely that, as a Floridian, she didn’t even own the right kind of clothes to be comfortable. :slight_smile: ) I’m sure Agnes Scott is a nice place, but I would chose BMC in a heartbeat for the reasons described above.</p>

12

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</p>

<p>First, I’ll say that I don’t know anything about Agnes Scott, so I can’t offer any comparisons. My D is a 2011 BMC grad and I can tell you about her experiences there. To answer your questions: you doesn’t need a car to take a break and get away from campus. It’s incredibly easy to get to Philadelphia–you walk to the commuter rail just a few blocks from campus. My D went into Philly all the time–in fact, she stayed in Philly after graduation. You don’t even need to go to KOP for shopping–Ardmore, which is just a few miles away, has great shopping options. Movies and restaurants are in Bryn Mawr as well as in Philly. My D went to NYC fairly often (as her finances permitted–train or bus service is easily available). </p>

<p>The alumnae network at Bryn Mawr is quite impressive. My D was shocked by all the information and assistance she received. She’s working in Philly now (she’s an actor) and she’s often been helped in auditions and such by her BMC connection. Her mentor at BMC still offers advice and assistance–D landed a part-time teaching (after-school acting class) gig at a private school due to the help of her mentor. It’s just one of the many things she does to support herself as an actor. Her three best friends at BMC (who weren’t in fine arts) all got jobs right after college. One works for a national non-profit in DC, another is at an energy development firm in San Francisco, and a third is working for an architectural firm in Boston (she wants to eventually apply to architecture school). Two of these young women were Cities majors (it’s like Urban Studies and it’s a very popular major); the other friend was a political science major.</p>

<p>You mentioned transitions–my D is incredibly outgoing and should be a politician, so transitions weren’t difficult for her. However, she was a Customs person (described above) and I know that she felt strongly about doing her job and worked hard at helping freshmen feel comfortable with college life and make a place for themselves. The school is small and I think it’s not that difficult for a student to find her niche. </p>

<p>Also, the bi-co consortium offers lots of opportunities for academics as well as socializing. My D took a course at Haverford or Swarthmore every semester of her college career (except for her first semester and when she studied abroad in Moscow). She never took one at Penn–that was a little more difficult (distance and scheduling issues). I don’t think your D would go wrong at Bryn Mawr. Good luck with the decisions.</p>

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<p>My daughter is just finishing her first year at Agnes Scott. She also applied to Bryn Mawr, and was offered a good merit scholarship there. She chose Agnes Scott I think because their scholarship offer was better and she wanted to stay closer to home. She loves her school, her professors, and her classes. She also enjoys the diversity of the school, which is very different from the blander atmosphere of her high school. She does sometimes get frustrated with some classmates who were perhaps at the lower end of the admit pool.</p>

<p>Agnes Scott has a longstanding connection to Georgia Tech, but more of a social connection than the academic connections Bryn Mawr enjoys. D visits GT and Emory frequently for social events, etc. D says cross-registration is not something you should count on like you would be able to at BMC.</p>

<p>I sympathize with your D because I do not suffer northern winters well either.</p>

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<p>Where did your daughter choose to go, OP?</p>

15

<p>Thank you all for your replies, she and I have read them a few times and has lead to more research and debates. </p>

<p>Over the last few months we have had the pleasure to view a few more campuses but not a one has impressed us as much as Bryn or Agnes. We are still searching for a “safety school” in Florida, just in case.</p>

<p>My daughter, Ashleigh, will be applying ED to Bryn Mawr in November. She will also apply to Agnes Scott EA in November (as I believe their Early Action is non-binding), if it is bidding she can apply EA II on February 1st (if she has not been accepted to Bryn Mawr). </p>

<p>Hopefully everything will be in order and she will get into either one of these schools. If not, she has a list of 4 other schools (a few of the remaining 7 Sisters I believe) plus her “safety” school (which she has yet to pick) to apply to RD.</p>

16

<p>To piggyback on this…what is the heterosexual dating life like for Agnes Scott women? I know the BM students have ample dating opportunities and many date through the consor.
With AS, how does this play out? Also, does either campus have a larger more active group of heterosexual students or lesbian students…as a general rule?
hsg</p>

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<p>I knew a student at Emory who was dating an Agnes Scott woman. I’d imagine they just branch out into area colleges and/or the broader Atlanta area. There’s also Georgia Tech which has the notorious “ratio”.</p>

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<p>Either school is a great choice - best of luck to your daughter.</p>

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<p>There is a long history of connection between Agnes Scott and Georgia Tech, which was all male until the 1960’s. Being in a large metropolitan area like Atlanta also offers lots of social opportunities.</p>

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<p>Hi, I think Bryn Mawr is nice as well as ASC. Both are awesome colleges. OI am also in you D shoes and I am international. I am applying BRYN MAWR ED and EA at Agnes :slight_smile: I hope to see ur daughter at colleges n we both get accepted. :slight_smile: Good Luck :)</p>