<p>Biology-- Not sure the Bio program at Bryn Mawr is that great, I think they are in the middle of making a lot of changes. Example, my D had Bio at BMC this past year and she was told it was a “new” way of teaching, they used a non-fiction book (“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks") to drive the course, no traditional Bio textbook… kind of diferent and she wasn’t real fond of the way the class went. You can take Bio at Haverford but they don’t let you take it till your sophomore year so that’s a problem for a lot of people. On the other hand it’s my impression that the sciences in general are pretty strong at Bryn Mawr. Look at the specific classes in the program, maybe she had Bio for non-science majors. I do think that both BMC and Haverford are committed to making changes to their Bio programs to best serve the students.</p>
<p>For international studies and poli sci I think Bryn Mawr would be strong-- for one thing, that’s the field of the new college President (“internationally known scholar of Islamic studies, the former Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgetown University”) so that can’t be bad! From “banter” (for what it’s worth) I hear that Holyoke is more of a “party school” than Bryn Mawr. On the other hand, My D has a friend there who is an international studies major and doing great things. If you for sure can’t visit, look closely at the programs and the reputation of the school in that field and make your decision from there.</p>