Bryn Mawr College Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

Megan

There are a lot of feminists for sure, and there is an active queer community. But the great thing about Bryn Mawr is you can be yourself openly without having to worry about judgment. It's hard to see from the outside though.

Alex

nope. about the all-womens part, bryn mawr is solely like living in a sorority. you make yuor social scene as you want it... with or without men, or without women if you so choose. and you are accepted for whatever you choose.

Emily

Mawrters take their studies seriously; one weekend on campus would be enough to prove that to anyone. We're more likely to be camped out in a secluded corner of the library come Saturday afternoon than roaming Philly. And while there are the exceptionally odd students (such as those who don capes or show off their fashion skills in the form of a shrek-esque headband), most are just incredibly bright, interesting, determined young women.

Alex

to an extent, the liberal side is obvious, but the constant image of the women embracing a gay lifestyle is just wrong.

Lorie

Number 1: .. ummm get over the fantasy people, it's not an admission requirement! Besides, I love living in such an open and embracing community! Number 2: ... I can't deny the fact that students here do spend some quality time with their texts; however, it should be known that there are some of us here (like me, and I'm definitely not alone on this) that read hard and relax too! From room parties to crashing Haver or Penn parties... we do exist!

Cameron

Many of these stereotypes are "accurate" in certain situations, but you must recognize that they are stereotypes. They are common assumptions, rumors, opinions, views... of a school and a group of people. Sometimes these things hold true and sometimes they're quite misrepresentative.

Dale

The only stereotype that is accurate all around is smart. Proud to be..

Jordan

I mean, arn't stereotypes based in some fact? Yes there are girls who wear capes...not every day though, and we all wear them for Lantern Night, and ONLY Lantern Night. And BMC is SO hard sometimes...there will always be the crazy girl who never failed and doesn't plan on it (not a very realistic lifestyle, in my opinion.) And its COLLEGE! Everyone wants to go crazy and party and hook up. That doesnt change at all, from college to college. But we are not DESPERATE, which is the cornerstone of the Havergirl argument.

Harper

1) To some extent, yes. Living in an all women environment can get very stressful and show the worst of people. If you come here, you better keep this in mind! 2) Not necessarily! But unfortunately, if you tell a guy you are a Mawrter, he'll pretty much want to get you in bed.

Amelie

Hardly any! We're certaintly intellectual, but I'd hardly call us boring; I haven't met a Bryn Mawr woman I'd call a flake yet; there is no doubt an unusually high proportion of gay women, but very few are man-hating; and yeah, there are a few women who really like sex. Bryn Mawr is anything but homogenous.

Nico

Sometimes. However, because I am not one, this is definitely not the norm or the majority of Bryn Mawr students. The far left view can be a bit intimidating, however, when expressing more moderate views.

Mawter

Let's see: Regarding (A), it is true that Bryn Mawr is a very diverse atmosphere. However, this does not mean that *everyone* is gay or bi. Many people are, many people aren't. Now, regarding the second stereotype, I would say that it's pretty true. As Mawrters we take our academics very seriously, sometimes too seriously. For me, I found a good balance in my freshman year of studying and socializing. However, some people do too much of one and not enough of the other. There have been plenty of times where I've been in the library on a Friday or Saturday night - something which you might not find at other schools.

Stephanie

No, they are not. Bryn Mawr students are politically diverse and express diverse sexualities.

Aarthi

For the most part, the negative stereotypes are untrue! Sure, Bryn Mawr has its share of lesbians, feminists, and nerds, but they're all really cool! We're actually very normal, college students who just happen to be especially academically motivated and socially tolerant.

Alia

Desperation one is for some people. Overworking is true. The no social life aspect is very true. Diversity may be there, but most people do not have diverse ways of thinking

Louisa

There is a very visible queer presence on campus, but I doubt that the majority of the students are gay (I have to add that there would be nothing wrong with it if it were actually the case). As far as the other major stereotype, Bryn Mawr can be very high stress. However, the reality is more that people tend to talk a lot about the amount of work they have, thus giving the appearance that work is all we do, which is untrue.

Quinn

While not the most socially active college students, mawrtyrs do indeed have a social life. And as most are assertive, independant women, they get along just fine in the Real World as well. As for being man-starved: there is remarkably little griping about the lack of men. In fact, there isn't really a lack of men to begin with; the bi-co is so integrated that nearly all classes are co-ed to some extent. My roommate this summer is a guy and I didn't have to go on an adventure quest to find him; we met in class. There are plenty of Haverboys etc. wandering around the greater Philadelphia area for those who want to date men, although a good many mawrtyrs are too busy to bother. Yes. There is a lesbian community. It's not a big deal.

Maggie

Confession: sometimes I don't shave my legs in the winter time, but usually they're shaved and I think this represents a lot of the campus. Plus, who cares if your legs aren't shaved anyway? If you've noticed, lesbians and boy-crazed are opposites, so I think that they kind of cancel each other out and don't need more of an explanation.

Nico

They are absolutely not accurate. Bryn Mawr is an accepting campus, so people are more comfortable about being open with others, more specifically in regard to their sexual orientation. Bryn Mawr students can also take classes at Haverford, UPenn, and Swarthmore (all coed schools)! Being 15 minutes from the heart of Philadelphia means that you're anything but sheltered. The reason I chose Bryn Mawr was because I could choose to make it as small or as big of a school as I wanted it to be. This is rare!

Nico

Although it is an all-women's college, we're not all feminists who are lesbians. Most of the times, far from it. Although there are lesbians on campus, it's not overwhelmingly prominent that I feel uncomfortable or anything. Academia IS very intense at Bryn Mawr. I have never worked harder in my life. As for partying and having a social life, it really is up to the person. I love my social life at Bryn Mawr. I don't think I have been deprived of meeting guys or unable to party much or so on. Although I never imagined myself at an all-women's college in High School, now that I am attending one, I can't imagine myself anywhere else.

Meg

There is nothing stereotypical about Bryn Mawr. Each girl is different with her own interests, views, personality, etc. Every student can find hundreds of other Bryn Mawr girls who shares something in common with herself. Bryn Mawr is also a mixture of students from different backgrounds, nationalities, and beliefs.

Shelby

Some are some aren't. I definitely see men all the time, especially because I major at Haverford and take a lot of classes there. There are a lot of lesbians at Bryn Mawr but it is all a part of the liberal, open-minded atmosphere that anyone can appreciate.

Allison

Yes, mostly, although I don't really know how much work other schools assign. I find that everyone cares about their work, and people work HARD and CARE. It's amazing to be surrounded by these kinds of people, so different from in high school. I don't know what other schools are like, but the amount of partying here must be much less than at other schools.

Catherine

No. Not everyone at Bryn Mawr is a lesbian and we talk about things besides school. Also there are plenty of people at Bryn Mawr who go to parties.

Sarah

To an extent, because Mawrtyrs have to work hard, but they know it- that's why they come to Bryn Mawr. Students know it's a great school to be at for four years.

Brett

No. Bryn Mawr students may not have frats but Mawrters still have parties and know how to have a good time. Mawrters know how to manage time and even though the work load is tough, we get our work done. ALthough the gay population seems large, it is really not very different from any other school, it is just a smaller campus and the gay population is very vocal. In fact the openness of the gay population really shows for the overall openness of the entire campus.

Liza

For sure. There are people who deviate but overall these "stereotypes" are true.

Sarah

nope.

Sarah

Yes, these apply to most people here. The remaining students fit the typical drunk, sex-obsessed and frequently stoned stereotype found at most colleges.

Andy

I'm sure there are people who might fit those categories here, but probably no more so at any other college. There just aren't any gay men, mysogynists, or promiscuous men to balance it out.

Emily

Bryn Mawr is most definately not exclusively a lesbian school, nor is it completely filled with oddballs. The students run the spectrum from women who would have been in sororities to women who were ostracized in high school. The honor code here makes Bryn Mawr a safe space for people to express themselves in the truest form.

Ryan

No. In the Bryn Mawr population there are no more bisexuals or lesbians than at other colleges, they just feel more comfortable expressing their feelings. Often classes are much harder than at other colleges or universities because non of the classes offered at Bryn Mawr are weighted and almost all professors refuse to curve tests or final grades.

Caitlin

To some degree, but I do not believe that we are stodgy and boring, but rather that we are all much more relaxed when it comes to partying. There is never a need to be sneaky and worry about getting "caught" drinking etc.

Jack

Yes, that's pretty much true.

Annalee

Come to Bryn Mawr, and you will meet rugby players and others who might, at first glance at the back of the head, look like men, as well as extremely girls who only leave their dorm rooms and library to go to classes and eat. But most of the students here work hard, are at least a little odd (and I mean that in the best way possible), are extremely cool, and genuinely want to make a difference. I think that Bryn Mawr is extremely underestimated academically and socially.

Katie

We are not all gay/lesbian, it sometimes seems like that because the gay/lesbian community is very vocal and visible, mainly because we feel safe to be so. However there are many straight and other sexualities present on campus and the vast majority are heterosexual. We do not all hate men, we just like our space, many people go to Haverford, Swarthmore or other local schools to socialize with men, or in the case of Swarthmore and Haverford to take classes.

Marissa

Some of the stereotypes are accurate for some students perhaps, but it's not excessive. Bryn Mawr students don't fit into any one stereotype; however, everyone's very dynamic.

Chris

These stereotypes are incorrect.

Sarah

I came to Bryn Mawr afraid that the first one would be true, based on what people had told me over the summer, and was relieved and happy to find that it has practically no basis. There are some verrry rich people at Bryn Mawr, but by no means are the kind stereotyped common. There are a good number of lesbians, but by no means a majority, and I think that they are more prominent on Bryn Mawr's campus than most simply because it is a very accepting atmosphere. The PC stereotype is probably the most true, but it's over-exaggerated. There are a very wide variety of students at Bryn Mawr, and stereotypes other than smart women don't give them justice.

Sara

no. not a one.

Laura

A good part of the student body either doesn't shave ever or not as often as they would elsewhere, and there are plenty of straight women on campus (there's a also a very sizable lesbian/bisexual community). Just like any campus, there are some weird people here, but not everyone is. Likewise, there are some raving feminists, probably a higher concentration than at a coed school, but not everyone is.

Crystal

No, they aren't. There is a large homosexual and bisexual community on campus, which is to be expected at an all-women's college. However, not everyone is a lesbian, and straight women are totally welcome. Also, while there are some "rich and preppy" women on campus, they are not the majority. In fact, most of the students here are on financial aid, so obviously most people are not rich. There's not really 1 specific type of woman at Bryn Mawr, there's a nice diversity in the personalities and interests of the students.

Reese

We study a lot. We have traditions which we hold in high regard because they bind us together. We are passionate about things and not afraid to be up front. We do not shirk from an argument and we don't take crap from anyone.

Susanna

there are always subgroups, and if you are looking you can always find proof.

Melissa

For the most part yes. While there are definitly a lot of very normal girls, there are also a lot of very odd girls here. And we really do study all the time.

Jerry

Some are. After all, stereotypes are always based in some fact.

Tiffany

No there are many easy going women at Bryn Mawr and a fully integrated program of study with Haverford College that makes going to a women's college only really pertinent in Student Government and the Residential Halls.

Steph

This is not an accurate stereotype. Although there is a visible lesbian population at Bryn Mawr, and it provides an environment that is more accepting than other environments, the majority of Bryn Mawr students are not lesbian.

Paige

Bryn Mawr probably has a higher number of awkward students, but I just feel like that means people are really cerebral - they're always processing something. People are a little wierd, but that is because Bryn Mawr is such a socially accepting place that people can be who they want to be. I would say the only really untrue stereotype is that all the students are either lesbians or really desperate straight girls. Not true.

Alyssa

See above.