Bryn Mawr College Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Cassie

There is a ton of stuff to do here. We have a ton of clubs and groups and sports, so finding like minded people is not hard. Parties are not held on campus--people just don't really do that. If you do want to party, though, you can go to Haverford or Swarthmore. They're really close. Student Activities offers a lot of alternative ways to spend a Friday or Saturday if you don't want to go out. Just last week I went to a Build-a-Bear event, and now I have a BMC stuffed animal!

Maggie

SGA-student government association..etc. (a lot, which you can easily find on the school website:www.brynmawr.edu)

Emily

I believe Bryn Mawr has an inordinate amount of acappella groups, but the clubs you hear about most often are usually politically-minded, feminist-leaning or interested in social activism / social justice. Cultural groups put on a lot of shows and events as well.

Cant

To address a few of the questions: Rugby is the most popular sport. Ultimate Frisbee is only located at Haverford through a single-gender bi-co team. Many students do leave their rooms open, though we're advised by Public Safety to always keep them locked. Guest speakers, athletic events, and theater performances are all well-attended. The Bryn Mawr community is tight-knit. Couples of all kinds are welcome at Bryn Mawr.

Megan

Okay so I know people bitch about the lack of social life at Bryn Mawr, I wish we had more parties, blah de dah. I actually like the lack of partying at Bryn Mawr, and I don't consider myself anti-social (maybe you will, haha). There are always parties at Haverford (I am fond of hipster concerts at tiny Lunt basement) or Swarthmore, or now that I'm a senior, going out to bars. So you can easily go out to these places, and then come home to a nice, quiet, clean dorm. You don't have to worry about drunken madness during weeknights (like you do at many schools), and you don't have to worry about your place being trashed. We are more likely to have smaller parties with friends. If you really really think a crucial part of your college experience is going to large keggers, getting trashed, and getting groped by horny 19 year old frat boys every weekend then perhaps Bryn Mawr isn't for you. Sure, I miss the co-ed experience at times. That's why doing a semester abroad was nice, and getting out of Bryn Mawr at times is totally necessary. But mostly, I feel totally comfortable and at home here, and I have a lot of fun with amazing people.

Alex

movies, eating (nice dinners or late night pizza), parties, conversations, group study sessions.. whatever you choose. no one forces you to drink... the honor code is great if you want to date someone, YOU have to make the effort (most of the time). get off campus, meet people besides the ones you meet your first week, etc.

Emily

This is a safe campus. The Honor Code is taken very seriously, and students have to be reminded to lock their doors in the rare occasion that something goes missing. Traditions are at the heart of Bryn Mawr, with four important traditions every year: Parade Night, Lantern Night, Hell Week, and May Day. If students want to party, they generally go to nearby Haverford, or sometimes Swarthmore or U. Penn rather than stay on campus. Campus life has definite lulls. Sometimes it feels like all there is to do is study or watch movies, but if you make the effort you can find things to do.

Alex

many options, from parties and drinking to staying in with friends watching tv to study groups. there are clubs, sports, everything you could possibly want to do.

Cameron

Rugby! I have to admit that I m biased towards rugby since I was a team captain however I do truly believe that the Rugby team is one of the more popular groups on campus. We do a significant amount of community service, we throw fun parties, we are open to everyone joining/trying it out, and we're fairly loud and entertaining. OK - very loud. Students leave their doors open a good deal of the time if they're in their rooms. It also depends on the dorm, hall, floor... dynamic. Freshman have a more communal living situation so open doors are more common. Dorms like Radnor and Pembroke East are more social so students often have their doors open. Athletic events are fairly popular. Facebook has turned out to be the most effective way of getting people to come to events (basketball, rugby, lacrosse, frisbee). Guest speakers are generally popular. Poor advertising and scheduling are evident causes for low attendance of events however. Dating! Depends completely upon who you ask. It's easy to date on campus if you're looking to date women/post-bacs. It's easy to date at Haverford and a bit less convenient but completely possible to date at Swarthmore as well. All of the Center City and University schools are just a train ride away. If I'm awake at 2am on Tuesday I'm doing one (or more) of the following: 1. Dancing at an impromptu dance party with friends. 2. Finishing assignments. 3. Watching TV or a movie with best friends/significant other. 4. Having sex. 5. Fucking around on Facebook. 6. Filtering through my email. 7. Figuring out how to pay for next semester. 8. Stress-eating. Frats/Sororities don't exist at BMC.

Dale

People party on the weekends.. and on Thursdays. (we call it Thirsty Thursday). Not every weekend can be spent out though.. Usually people will spend their Friday evenings in the library and go out a little later.. then they will do more studying on Saturday morning and then have their weekend. There are plenty of things to do without drinking on the weekends.. Go to Philly for a show. The electric factory is easy to get to and same with the first unitarian. The four seasons is a great place to get dressed up and get dessert. Go to a restaurant, there are AMAZING ones. Or take a little road trip if you have a car. New York City is a bus or train ride away. 2am on a Tuesday is- studying.

Jordan

Freshman year starts off with a week orientation known as Customs Week. You gradually branch out during the year, making friends with people in your classes and clubs, but I have to say, my best friends are in my Customs group (meaning, they lived on my hall.) We are deeply rooted in traditions, of which there are four major ones and countless minor ones. I love traditions...they too are a great way to meet people and just bond. I am in SGA, which is the Student Government Association. We make our own rules...basically, the college doesnt really tell us what to do unless they've had student imput to a certain extent. If I'm not partying, Im hanging out with my friends, either at a rock concert at Haverford, grabbing a bite at Lusty Cup, or watching movies in the dorm. We feel totally safe at Bryn Mawr...I often left my door unlocked last year, although, since I'm living in a single next year, I probably wont do that as much. Bryn Mawr really stresses community, and that really does exist. We are family, even with people we don't really know.

Harper

Social life at Bryn Mawr is certainly uninteresting. There are random interesting events (in terms of parties), but for the most part I think that people leave campus to do something fun. If you are looking for cultural events and intellectual speakers, I would say we generally have something going on. They key to having a social life is making a group of friends who enjoy the same kind of things you enjoy, otherwise you are screwed! Literally! Bryn Mawr has a very clicky nature! Dating? Only if you are lucky or you are a slut or if you are interested in girls (though there is a lot of girl drama!).

Mawter

Again, I'm just going to go down the list of recommened topics. We have our fair share of partiers (some peole woudl argue that we have a drinking problem - I say definately not true - I don't drink and have never felt pressured to). There party dorm, Radnor, can be pretty crazy, especially on Halloween. Yes, students leave their doors open. No, athletics events aren't very popular (we're Div. 3) unless it's Rugby. Yes, theater can be pretty popular (come early to shows). I meet my closest friends through Customs Week, a week of being introduced to Bryn Mawr life and compus life in general, where frosh meet their hall and other frosh in their dorm. Generally, very busy, but great fun. No, frats clearly, no sororities either. On a Saturday ngiht, there's always some kind of play, concert, singing performance, comedian to see. You can always get games from the SGA house, or rent the kitchen, or get a movie, or go into town, or go out to eat, or go to the library or hang out on your hall/in your dorm. You can go to Haverford, to Swat, to UPen, into the city, see a baseball game, anything.

Stephanie

Bryn Mawr is big on traditions; however, I wish there was more enthusiasm for other social activities on campus.

Aarthi

I'm not going to lie: I really wish Bryn Mawr parties were better. We have one or two really fun times during the year, but you need to Swat or Haverford for the more generic college gatherings.

Alia

None. There is absolutely nothing to do in the surrounding town. Go to haverford but haverford parties are horrible and swat is too far. And if you go, you automatically get grouped into the stereotype of desperate bmc girls going to haverford to meet guys.

Louisa

There are not a lot of parties on campus. Philadelphia is right here, but many people do not take advantage of it. Haverford offers free concerts to Haverford and Bryn Mawr students, which are excellent and draw some big names. As for the dating scene: Dating is pretty normal for my friends who are interested in women. However, I've found that a majority of my friends who are interested in men simply do not want to date. I am a woman interested in men (and dating), and I've found it nearly impossible to meet men. There are just too few within the tri-co (Bryn Mawr/Haverford/Swarthmore). Frankly, it sucks.

Quinn

To be quite honest, I went to the doctor one winter break because I was having constant stomachaches. My roommate had the same problem. She told me it was just stress, and jokingly asked if my friends and I sat around having Tums parties. I told her yes, and it was true. I have honestly had weekly study parties with my friends where the only thing imbibed was coffee and Tums. It's not exactly a roaring social scene, but it's nice to have so much support when you're out of your mind with work.

Maggie

I think that student government is pretty popular. I work on the literary magazine, which isn't that great, but with work it could be amazing. I go to see most of the plays that Bryn Mawr and Haverford students put on, and I really love to watch screenings of films. Athletic events aren't that popular. I think that the events with the greatest amount of spectators was either Capie quidditch or prom dress rugby. Friend-wise, I think that a lot of Bryn Mawr students generally don't like to fully commit to friend relationships. They'd rather feel more independent. This mindset really bothers me, but for other women, it's really helpful and appealing. Over the weekends, it's fun to go to parties, to stay and play video games or board games, to reserve the student government kitchen and make meals. At Bryn Mawr, lots of women spend lots of time over the weekend with studying. Tradition-wise, Bryn Mawr has a whole lot of traditions -- from Parade Night, to Lantern Night, to Hell Week, to May Day. Plus more. These traditions really pull the school together and add magic to all the studying and hard work that Bryn Mawr is known for. Outside of campus, I see a lot of movies at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute which is within walking distance. And I love to take the R5 into Philadelphia to visit the art museum and Chinatown. And dating-wise, sure there aren't many boys. But if you want romance -- either with a woman or a man -- you can find it.

Nico

People who claim that BM deprives of a social life, are people who didn't try. They probably stayed put and expected the party scene to come to them. If you want a social life, you need to go out and try to meet people and change scenes now and then. I have a totally satisfying social life. Sometimes I'm thankful that Bryn Mawr's campus itself doesn't have as much (as often or as big) parties on campus, because it's easier for me to balance academia and partying at the same time. I attend church on UPenn's campus every Sunday (and often on Fridays as well) so I meet a lot of people though the church and have lots of friends on other campuses through that. My two best friends at BM are from my hall from freshmen year. One of them was my roommate and the other lived across the hall from us. We lived together (the three of us) sophomore year and will be hall mates senior year. Some of my other close friends are from classes/extracurriculars. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I'm studying (class-reading or writing a paper). Partying really depends on the person. On a Saturday night, other than drinking, I'd be ordering in and watching a movie with my roommates. Students in dorms leave their doors open (especially in the fall semester, because it's warmer). A lot of people leave things outside their doors as well - their junk, shoes, or even candy for passer-bys!

Meg

I met my closest friends at Bryn Mawr through the Customs program. Customs, the student orientation program, works really hard throughout the year to help the freshman adjust to the Bryn Mawr environment. It gave a set group of girls from the first day of orientation who's names and faces you knew. That really helped give a sense of security that there was always someone to eat dinner with or help you find class on the first day -- maybe they would even be in the class. By the end of the year my friendship circle has branched outwards to girls I've met in my other classes.

Shelby

I play lacrosse, and one big pitfall of the bryn mawr community is that no one really cares about athletics. Our facilities are crappy and so is our fan attendance to games. Little to no respect is given to athletes and all the hard work they put into their sport. I guess that's what you can expect from a women's college that is so involved with academics- nothing else matters to them.

Allison

There are four traditions that happen every year: Parade Night, which happens at the beginning of the year, Lantern Night, Hell Week, and finally May Day, which takes place the Sunday after classes end, before exams. I won't bother describing them here. Some people enjoy them; At least at the beginning of the year I personally didn't like the traditions because I felt that they were meaningless and I felt socially obliged to take part in things I thought were a waste of time. But May Day could be fun; it's basically a time when you can get together with your friends and sit outside on the lawn on a blanket and just take a vacation for one day. On the weekends some people do normal college things like go out with their friends or into Philly; a lot of people probably watch movies with their friends, but I am also sure that people also spend a lot of time doing their homework. I for one take advantage of Friday nights as much as I can to start my homework, or at least I am thinking about work while taking care of other obligations.

Catherine

I am involved with 2 christian organizations and mixed company, a club dedicated to talking about people's mixed backgrounds. Students on campus do leave their doors open and athletic events are kind of popular. Bryn Mawr is not a big athletic school, but when there are soccer or lacross games on campus people go and cheer. It is the same way with the theatre. Bryn Mawr is not a big theatre school, but when there are plays a lot of the campus and town attends. Guest Speakers I feel are the most popular, Bryn Mawr has had some really good ones. There is lots to choose from when it comes to the dating scene. There are colleges all around and plenty of people to meet. I met my closest friends freshman year in classes and on my hall. If I am awake at 2 am on a Tuesday, I am studying. Most Bryn Mawr students do not party during the week. The weekends are the time for the parties. Bryn Mawr does not have sororities, but we do have traditions such as hell week, duck pond run, parade night, may day and lantern night. Also if you don't drink or don't party there are plenty of other things to do on and off campus. Philadelphia is a nice city for its museums and music scene.

Sarah

The social life is what you make it- as it the case with other facets of Bryn Mawr life. If you're a party-goer, there's always something going on in the Tri-Co as well as on-campus itself. Philadelphia is close and fun for those over 21, and New York and Atlantic City are around two hours away. During the week, however, most people study or hang out in smaller groups.

Liza

Typical "party" life happens at Haverford. But the times Bryn Mawr has huge parties they are great.

Sarah

There are hundreds of clubs on campus. There are also frequent (and often famous) guest speakers. Those have included Bill Clinton, Rebecca Walker, among others. We also get free admission to speakers and events in the Tri-Co (Haverford and Swarthmore). Most students live in dorms on campus--housing is guarunteed all four years. People party pretty often, and often go to Haverford and Swat on weekends to party as well. There are also tons of non-partying options, such as a Friday and Saturday night movie almost every weekend.

Sarah

Bryn Mawr is obsessed with cultish traditions. While some may find these enchanting, I find them annoying, stupid and creepy.

Andy

Bryn Mawr has many different events going on at all times, from speakers to performances to just general activities. Students here can always find something to be involved in either on this campus, or at our neighboring school Haverford who we share classes and events with. There are endless opportunities that can be found in Philadelphia, but hanging out with friends on campus is always a popular choice as well.

Emily

Although the Bryn Mawr party scene is a little dead, the institution works hard to provide activities such as crafts, movies on the green, and visiting performers. Fortunately, for party girls, we're just a stone's throw away from Haverford College and Villanova University where parties are a bit more abundant.

Ryan

Although the campus is very safe, it is an 'open' campus (meaning the campus is in no way fenced in, gated, or locked). For this reason, all dorms and most academic buildings require special key cards that all students receive. After hours all academic buildings are locked and only people with these cards can enter. Within dorms, the Honor Code requires that people respect other students rooms and stuff. Many people leave belongings in the common rooms or outside their doors. Most people lock their doors when they leave the dorms. There are a tons of school traditions that are very unique to BMC history. Many of which are secret until students experience them. Some of the big ones include Step Sings, Lantern Night, Hell Week, and May Day. Not a big party school. Awake at 2am on a Tuesday? You are probably doing homework or procrastinating/taking a break to talk with friends, watch movies, or go on Facebook. No fraternities (women's college) or sororities. Saturday nights are filled with alternative events. Free film screenings on campus (in warmer weather they show films outside on the lawn), Ethnic club events, Dance parties. You can also go into Philly for the night, catch a show or eat out.

Jack

Not much to say here. If you wanna do something fun, go to Philly or Villanova. The honor code is a little unique in that it deals with social conduct as well as academic conduct. First honor code of that type I have seen. Some like it, some don't. Basically, you're not allowed to talk about grades, professors you dislike, or whatever in public places.

Annalee

Bryn Mawr students are very supportive of LGBT groups, and they are always extremely popular. Because of the size of the campus, I do not feel like much action can be taken to rally around more than one disadvantaged group at a time. So while LGBT organizations prosper, religious and racial ones can be left in the dust. There are, however, about a million organizations that you can join, and if you do not find one you like, you are free to start your own. However, with the large amount of work students ahve on campus, many groups shrink over time. There is a lot to do on campus. I almost want to, say too much to do on campus, especially with the amount of work we have, because some events are dramatically under attended because there is always something else to do. Big parties do not often happen on campus, but there are many small gatherings, some of which involve alcohol on any given weekend night. The Princeton Review has put us on the "Stone Cold Sober" school list; this is not true. Many students choose not to drink, but alcohol is relatively easy to find. At 2am on a Tuesday, I am generally working, and so is nearly everyone else.

Katie

Our campus is often considered to be pretty sober, but I would disagree with this. The thing is we have rather non-traditional parties. For example in and around most of our traditions, everything from Parade Night at the beginning of the year to May Day at the end, there's a lot of partying, campus wide partying. more traditional parties such as our infamous Halloween parties occur to, and normally if you want a party you can find it, but if you don't want a party you don't have to be near it. It's all really up to what you want to do. Bryn Mawr has four main traditions, Parade Night, Latern Night, Hell Week, and May Day. we take them very seriously, including the Duck Pond run during Hell Week. Parade night is where the Sophmores throw waterballoons at the Frosh as they run by, and is the night of the first monday of class. Latern Night is where all the Frosh and transfer students recieve their laterns. each class gets a different color latern, Light Blue, Red, Dark Blue, and Green depending on year. Hell Week is when the sophmores 'hell' the frosh, and make them do all kinds of crazy stuff. participation in these activies are all voluntary and you don't have to do anything you don't want to, though I recommend doing everything, espeiclaly Bedtime Stories when the seniors read the Frosh stories the night before the Frosh have to run to the Haverford Duck Pond. if they don't make it to the Duck Pond in time, they get thrown in! May Day is when we dance around may poles, may holes, and spend most of the day drunk on the main green. there all types of fun activities, good food and other traditions. At every one of these traditions, barring hell week, are step sings, where we sing songs, some in Greek, and also pop or traditional songs. each class has it's own song that they sing. it's fun.

Marissa

Bryn Mawr itself has no parties. If you want to see a play or an a cappella concert or generally not drink, stay on campus. Students go to Haverford, Swarthmore, or UPenn for parties. There are really only parties Friday and Saturday. Otherwise, almost everyone is studying. Radnor is the party dorm, and it's pretty intense, at least compared to everywhere else on campus. This is perfect for me, as I like coming home at the end of a long night. I've made most of my friends through class, and I'm dating a man at Haverford.

Chris

We have a lot of unique traditions that make our college feel like one giant sorority. Some girls love it, while others hate it and don't participate, but at least we have the option. The traditions usually bring people together.

Sarah

The most prominent organizations on campus are the SGA, religious groups, cultural groups, LGBT groups, political/activist groups, and the rugby team. There are many smaller clubs as well in a wide variety of areas, and most people are involved in some extracurriculars. My most rewarding activity this year is mentoring at an inner-city elementary school in Philadelphia. I go once a week (transportation provided, the majority of students do not have cars) and just spend a few hours with a second-grader talking, playing, and doing homework. In addition to the positive influence it is intended to have on her, it has opened my eyes to some of the ugly realities of the city poor, as well as reminding me of some of the miracles that come with being 8 years old. Athletics are commonly participated in but not commonly watched. Performances and speakers are more popular, and there have been a number of very prominent speakers. Recently, in the lead-up to the presidential primaries in Pennsylvania, Madeline Albright spoke and Barack Obama's policy director Karen Kornbluh (a Bryn Mawr alum) spoke on campus. There are no fraternities or sororities on campus, and the party scene is fairly quiet. People tend to get together in small groups, with a few annual exceptions, or go to neighboring colleges. However, partying virtually never happens outside of the weekend. That's not to say that people are boring or that this is a dry campus. Academics are simply sufficiently serious to keep people busy during the week--on 2am on a Tuesday I would be writing a paper or reading for a class, more than likely. But casual drinking is very common and popular, and Public Safety has very tolerant de facto policies regarding alcohol, which makes for a much safer atmosphere. At the same time, no one will ever feel pressure towards drinking or partying. As with everything else, Mawrtyrs tend to let people do as they like, and there are people who head to Haverford or Swarthmore every weekend, as well as people, like me, who spend most Saturday nights watching a movie or going to an on-campus event, or just hanging out with friends.

Sara

We have A LOT of clubs. there are clubs for pretty much anything. You want to ice skate? you can. rugby? yep. stained glass? uh huh. We are a 20 minute train ride from Philly. We are on the main line, a line of towns outside of philly that boast a lot of restaurants, a lot of cafes, shops, boutiques and other such things. If you want to stay on campus you can, there's always stuff to do, but you can also get off campus and do whatever you would like. If you're awake at 2am on tuesday, you are doing homework. and probably will be doing homework for at least another hour. I met my closest friends through the very first class I had at bryn mawr. it was a german class that met 7 days a week for an entire year. Even though we rarely have class with each other anymore, we are great friends, make sure to eat with each other as often as possible and are all living together next year. If you want to party, you can. it just tends to be on other campuses. If you want to stay in, watch a movie with your friends and share a bowl of popcorn or a bottle of wine, that's cool too, and tends to be what most students do.

Laura

Bryn Mawr has a very close relationship with Haverford college, we share departments and club sports, so most of the parties take place there. I'm a member of the Ultimate Frisbee team, which practices 5 days a week and has tournaments every weekend during season (we also throw the best parties on campus!). There are plenty of a cappella groups, comedy groups, theater performances, sport teams and clubs that host events, and all are very well attended. The party scene is basically up to each student, you can party here as much or as little as you want. And in most of the dorms you won't be bothered by loud parties going on.

Crystal

Athletics are not big here. However, we do have a very good rugby team. There are many different clubs on campus. I'm involved in the pre-health club, the Christian Fellowship Club, and the BMC Greens (environmental club). Many of the students in dorms leave their doors open so that people can pop in and chat. There's usually at least 2 guest speakers on campus each week, and we have 2 or 3 theater groups. Bryn Mawr's an all-women's college. Thus, if you like women, this is a dating paradise. If you like men, you're going to have to go to one of the many co-ed school's around Bryn Mawr (Haverford, Villanova, Harcum, Rosemont, Swarthmore, etc) to date. I really don't know what the dating scene is like, however, because I've been dating a guy from high school, who goes to Penn State, for the past 3 years. If I'm awake at 2 AM on a Tuesday, I'm writing a paper and venting to my hall mates. There are 4 main Traditions every year: Parade Night, Lantern Night, Hell Week, and May Day. There are also 2 main parties: Halloween and St. Patrick's Day. Then there are various smaller parties throughout the year. There are no sororities at Bryn Mawr (and obviously no fraternities). On a Saturday night without drinking you can watch a movie, go to a presentation or a concert, have a dance party in your friend's room, go to Philly, etc.

Reese

Acapella concerts are a popular draw. Theater isn't usually. Dating is difficult if you're heterosexual but not into partying or clubs. Traditions and the events surrounding them are well-loved. There are a lot of places that deliver food at the wee hours of the morning. Going into Philadelphia is fun but can get expensive. The town of Bryn Mawr doesn't have much of a college-friendly nightlife.

Jerry

Social life is more low-key unless you belong to a specific culture group or other organisation on campus (such as sports). Haverford does tend to have a larger party scene, and you'll often see busloads of Mawrters going there on a Friday or Saturday night before realising that it's not that great anyway and coming back at 1am.

Tiffany

The most popular groups on campus are SGA, Sisterhood, and Cultural clubs. Students used to leave their doors open - then theft began now they lock them to take a shower or put garbage out. None of the events have ever been massively popular. Dating scene is non-existent unless you work at it. But if you have a long term boyfriend it can work out just fine. Though Bryn Mawr does create this "cult of singleness" that encourages girls to dump boyfriends or not get boyfriends - be single and stay focused, though this usually makes girls more miserable and apathetic. I met my closest friends when I was HA. They were under-classwomen just as fed up as I was. We bonded. I am always awake tuesday at 2am - I am writing my thesis and bemoaning the amount of work professors dump on one human being. Traditions that happen - Parade Day, Hell Week, May Day. People party but they are either huge and lack alcohol and funds or small and they watch tv and play board games. There are no frats or sororities - at least that is what BMC says - then why does Sisterhood get a house? confusion... Last weekend - I sat in my "off campus" apartment and wrote my thesis while spending time with my housemates and my boyfriend. On a saturday night on campus? do you have a car? if so get out and go somewhere, if not pjs, a movie and an early bedtime.... I love the city, parties with my nova boys or my boyfriends friends, taking car trips, south street excursions, and concerts.

Stephanie

The social life here is what you make it. It's easy to have any kind of social life you want to have, and I really don't know many people who are unhappy with the one they've created.

Alyssa

I've always said that the social life at Bryn Mawr is very a-la-carte. By this I mean, students have a very wide variety of social options to choose from and what you do is up to you. With regular on-campus activities, there are plenty of students (myself included) that rarely leave campus. However, many others find they spend a lot of their social time at Haverford, Swat or Penn. Philadelphia is also a common destination for those looking to get off campus. There is also so much to do in the immediate area (other schools, restaurants, movie theaters, malls), much of which can be accessed by train or by foot. While it may seem like a lot of the social life that Bryn Mawr has to offer is off campus, most students agree that at the end of the day, its nice to come back "home" to Bryn Mawr's nice clean, safe, and quiet, campus. You can go off and have your fun and come back to find everything just as you left it.

Dylan

The rugby team is very popular on campus; they are our main source of pride when it comes to sports teams. There aren't many parties on Bryn Mawr's campus, but students who want to go to one usually hop onto the bus to nearby Swarthmore, Haverford, Villanova, or UPENN.

Sarah

Social life at Bryn Mawr is a really unique experience. While some people atted parties at Penn or Haverford, I would say the majority of people just hang out with friends on campus. Going out to dinner and hanging out seems to be the most popular weekend activity. But, Philly provides the opportunity for anyone to have whatever kind of social life they want, as does the connection with Haverford. Clubs are a huge part of life at Bryn Mawr, and they are huge time commitments. I know very few people who aren't completely over scheduled, but loving it.

Katie

Rugby has a huge following. The team, though it's a club, is the largest team by far on campus. It helps that it is a Bi-Co team and has members from Haverford College. The acapella groups are all popular and the improv comedy group, Lighted Fools, is a big hit. Their shows are always packed. Sports teams get very little support outside of the athletics world. As a part of one of the Christian fellowships on campus, it can get a bit depressing at some of the meetings when very few people show up. It's hard to get people motivated to put their studying down during the week. Students in dorms would leave their doors open if they could - the doors have hinges that automatically close and because they're so old, they're also very heavy. A common "tea," or hall event, is a "door stop tea" and we all paint bricks that are meant to act as door stops on the hall. Still, it depends. Some halls are very open and active, while others are quiet and introverted. The theater program is apparently very strong, though I've only been to a couple of shows. The dating scene is emotionally unhealthy. I met my closest friends on my freshman hall or in the fellowship I'm a part of. I can't be awake at 2am on Tuesday because I have crew at 5am on Wednesday. If I were, though, it would be to write a paper. Traditions include Parade Night, where the freshwomen get soaked with water as they run through a crowd of upperclasswomen; Lantern Night, where the freshwomen are given their lanterns; Step Sing, which happens three times a year and involves some serious songs and some comical songs; Hell Week, where the freshwomen choose a sophomore to Hell them for a week of goofing off and letting loose; and May Day, where everyone on campus throws down the books for a day of bathing in the sun on Merion Green and dancing to live music. People can party every weekend, but large campus-wide parties only happen a handful of times each year. There are no sororities here. Last weekend I went to a party on Friday night, went to a coffee shop on Saturday, went to church on Sunday and took part in plenary, our self governance association's reaffirmation of the constitution. On a Saturday night I often choose to stay in and watch a movie with friends. There are also campus events available, such as movie screenings, coffee houses, comedy shows, performances, etc. Off campus there are bars, coffee shops, and Philadelphia!!!

Leah

My social life has been based around my customs group, which is a family-like group of freshmen you live with your first year. We always do things as a group, and we are all very close. I am involved in a few groups that have to do with volunteering or tutoring, but I have made more friends through working, my customs group, and random encounters. Even if you're not involved, it's very easy to make friends, since we are all such a community. Athletics are practically nonexistent. Bryn Mawr has a really good rugby team, but the other events generally don't bring a crowd. Bryn Mawr has so many other aspects that unite us that athletics really aren't that important. The biggest events are traditions: Parade Night, Lantern Night, Hell Week, and May Day. Each has its own concept and each unites the student body that much more. There are usually pretty good events going on at either Haverford or Bryn Mawr on the weekend if you look (speakers, music, theatre), and they are usually popular. There is also the occasional party (Halloween and Pem Parties are famous), but people generally go off-campus to party, especially because there is no Greek Life at Bryn Mawr or Haverford. A lot of people also go into Philly to have fun because there's a train station practically on-campus. Bryn Mawr is not a party college; it's the place you come home to.

Sarah

I've found that because my closest friends don't live in my dorm, I often will spend my nights with them and then feel really stressed out when I get back to my room and my roommates are asleep and I still have so much work to do