Our Bryn Mawr visit and some questions

midcenturyms
Tue, 02 Dec 2014 17:48:11 +0000

As the mother of a Bryn Mawr freshman, I find your remarks surprising. I obviously don’t know what dorm your daughter stayed in or the particular students she met on her overnight–but I can assure you that Bryn Mawr women work extremely hard. Some may party hard as well, but It is not a party school–most of the girls are hard at work during the school week studying. It is fast paced and demanding. My daughter worked very hard during high school at a challenging school, but it pales in comparision to the amount of work she is doing at Bryn Mawr. She is a member of a varsity sports team and one or two extracurricular school clubs–but the academics are no joke–and yours and your daughter’s impression do not reflect the reality of the school. Bryn Mawr sends more students on to graduate and PhD programs and spends more per student in research dollars than almost any other small liberal arts school. Do a little more research. I think you will find that your daughter’s experience was an anomaly. We visited three times before my daughter made her choice–two of those three visits were overnights–and she never had an experience like the one you communicate or met girls like those you describe. All were thoughtful young people, serious about their educations and their goals. The relationship between Bryn Mawr and Haverford is very strong. With the exception of the freshman seminar, there are Haverford students in all of my daughter’s classes and when she does go to parties on weekends–they are often hosted at Haverford–though BM hosts a couple of formal parties for Haverford during the year as well. The traditions at Bryn Mawr are wonderful and really help the students form circles of friendships and strong bonds. Bryn Mawr was my daughter’s first choice and she has not been disappointed in any way. She is thriving at college in a challenging, safe and supportive environment.