Congratulations to everyone accepted to Bryn Mawr’s class of 2017. I’m sure you are all thinking tirelessly about this momentous decision, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a pro and con list was involved. I’d like to give you a few more things for your pro Bryn Mawr column, although to be completely honest, my decision happened to come down to a coin toss.
Why a women’s college?
While I hadn’t originally been looking for a women’s college, I ended up applying to most of the Seven Sisters schools. At a time when women are so underrepresented in many occupational fields, I liked that women’s colleges devote all of their resources to women.
This is a topic I explored in my Junior Seminar class last semester, and a post I have written for the Bryn Mawr College Undergraduate Initiative blog.
In short, women’s colleges have been linked to achievement, satisfaction with experience, satisfaction with institution, self-esteem and leadership opportunities. In the environments facilitated by women’s colleges, women participate fully in all kinds of leadership activities, women see women in leadership roles, and choices of whether or not to participate are not mediated by gender.
Moreover, Secretary Hillary Clinton says that her all-women’s education, at sister school Wellesley, guaranteed a focus on academic achievement and extracurricular leadership that she might have missed at a co-educational college.
This was great for me, especially considering I hope to one day work in politics.
Why Bryn Mawr College?
Ironically, Bryn Mawr was the college I had spent the least amount of time touring. I visited one afternoon with my mom, walked around campus and ate lunch at Uncommon Grounds Café. But I immediately fell in love with the picturesque campus, and I couldn’t help but use the college as a comparison to the other schools I was visiting.
I also loved the location. It is in a small, beautiful town, the town of Bryn Mawr, but 20 minutes away from a thriving city, Philadelphia. And it’s only 2 hours away from New York City, and 2.5 hours away from Washington, D.C.
Bryn Mawr College is truly a spectacular place and I’ve met the most incredible people here. College is a drastic change, no matter where you go, but Bryn Mawr does a great job of helping in this life changing transition. Ultimately, Bryn Mawr has made me into the women I always wanted to be, but never thought I could be. And for that I’ll be eternally grateful.
