Enrollment: 1287
Average SAT: 636
Average ACT: 29
Most Popular Majors: English Language and Literature, General,Mathematics, General,Psychology, General,
Regular Application Deadline: 01/15
Student Faculty Ratio: 8:1

Undergraduate Receiving Need-Based Financial Aid: 53
Average Freshman Total Need-Based Gift Aid: $28,170.00

2009 Best Value Colleges – Private
Best Campus Food
Dorms Like Palaces
Nobody Plays Intramural Sports

Students Say - Academics
Bryn Mawr College is "a community of women scholars" that offers "an amazing, intense, multifaceted," and "pretty tough" academic experience. Coursework "can be stressful, especially around midterms and final times, but in the end it's worth it." The faculty is mostly stellar. "One of the main things I love about Bryn Mawr is the personal relationships formed over the years with the professors," boasts a chemistry major. "Anywhere you go to school you will have some bad teachers and some boring classes, and Bryn Mawr is no exception," relates a junior, "but overall I have been extremely impressed with and challenged by the classes I have taken at my college." The highly popular administration is "here for the students' success." "Bryn Mawr is an extremely autonomous place where students are given a lot of freedom to do as they please." "If you need something and you go to the right people, you can pretty much make it happen." Additionally, students can take courses at nearby Haverford, Swarthmore, and Penn. And upon graduation, Mawrters can take advantage of a loyal network of alumnae who "are doing amazing things and have a really strong connection to the school."

Students Say - Campus Life
Bryn Mawr's "absolutely beautiful" campus is "ensconced in collegiate Gothic arches." The dorms are gorgeous, and the food is "delicious." It's all a little slice of heaven-except for the "bleak" athletic facilities. Neat traditions at Bryn Mawr include Hell Week, which allows first-year students to bond with everyone else, and May Day, an entire day of catered picnics, live music, and hanging out on the greens, which always involves a Maypole dance, a Robin Hood play, and a late-night screening of The Philadelphia Story (starring BMC alum Katherine Hepburn). "These traditions are unique, intimate experiences that bring the whole school together and make you feel proud to be a Mawrter," explains a junior. When students aren't basking in the warm glow of ritual, they "love to study, study, study," but other activities are plentiful. "There is always something to do on campus, whether it's a student theatre production, an a cappella concert, an improv group show, movies being shown, outside groups coming to perform, speakers coming to campus, you name it," says a senior. Sports and dance are big extracurricular activities, too. Mawrters drink "more than you'd think for an allegedly quiet, nerdy women's college," but "Bryn Mawr's party scene is more of an intimate-friends-over-to-your-room type of deal." Trips to Swarthmore, Villanova, or Haverford provide "plenty of chances to interact with the opposite sex, if that's what you're after." "There are tons of great restaurants, music venues, galleries, and shopping all within minutes of campus" as well, and nearby Philadelphia offers more urban recreation.

Students Say - Student Body
Many students say that diversity "is one of the things that makes Bryn Mawr stand out." Others say that students looking for diversity "may not find it here." Whatever the case, "Bryn Mawr is a bunch of brilliant women." They are "nerdy, ambitious, driven, talented" people who "can occasionally be over-competitive" and are "swamped with work yet thriving on it." "We all came into Bryn Mawr with a background in leadership, and all intend to leave Bryn Mawr as future leaders in our respective fields," asserts a junior. It's definitely a left-leaning crowd. "A lot of students at Bryn Mawr are adamant about being politically correct to the point that it begins to become annoying." "Contrary to popular belief, Bryn Mawr isn't a haven for lesbians," though "homosexuality is common and visible." Socially, there is a variety of types of people at the school-from awkward, socially uncomfortable people to very outgoing, social butterflies" to "mud-splattered" rugby players. "Some of us fly that freak flag high and proud," declares a senior. However, "there are plenty of average girls who look at Cosmo," too.

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