About Bryn Mawr College
Location: Bryn Mawr, PA
Undergraduate Population: 1,742
Most Popular Majors: Psychology, Mathematics, Literatures in English, Biology, Sociology
Demographics:
White 41.1%
Asian/Asian American 9%
Latinx 8.2%
Black/African American 4%
Multiracial 4%
Native American less than 1%
History:
Bryn Mawr was founded as a private women’s liberal arts college in 1885 with the financial backing of physician Joseph W. Taylor. It was one of the first institutions of higher education in the United States to offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctorates, to women. The first graduating class included 36 undergraduates and eight graduate students. Bryn Mawr was originally affiliated with the Quakers due to Taylor’s own background, but became non-denominational in 1893. In 1891, Bryn Mawr became the first college in the country to approve a student self-government association. This Honor Code allows for unproctored exams, the absence of RAs in dorms, 24-hour lab access, and the lack of an admission enrollment deposit.
In 1931, Bryn Mawr began accepting men as graduate students, while maintaining its focus on women at the undergraduate level. From 1921 to 1938, the Bryn Mawr campus was home to the Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers in Industry, which was founded as part of the labor education movement and the women’s labor movement.
On February 9, 2015, the Board of Trustees announced approval of a recommendation to expand the undergraduate applicant pool allowing transgender women and intersex individuals identifying as women to apply for admission. Today, students at Bryn Mawr can choose from 37 majors that include unique offerings such as “Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology,” “Growth and Structure of Cities,” and “Peace, Conflict, and Social Justice Studies.” They can also register for classes at Hartford, Swarthmore, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Notable Bryn Mawr alumni include actress Katharine Hepburn, author and television personality Liza Oz, historian Drew Faust, playwright Sarah Jones, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Carol D. Leonnig.
Traditions:
- Parade Night is a celebration of the completion of the first week of classes at Bryn Mawr. The incoming first-year students take the juniors as their sibling class. The sophomores are seen as adversarial, and the seniors are apathetic.
- May Day is celebrated on the Sunday after the last week of spring classes. The entire College community comes together for a day of medieval-themed festivities.
- Students make offerings to the campus statue Athena for her gifts of wisdom and strength when taking finals, writing papers, just asking for personal help, and innumerable other reasons.
Noteworthy Features:
- Bryn Mawr has distribution requirements that encourage breadth of learning. Other than requiring courses in fields such as languages, social sciences, and natural sciences, Bryn Mawr also expects students to take a one-unit course that focuses on issues of power, inequity, and justice.
- First-years also take an Emily Balch seminar, which are courses taught by scholars across academic disciplines. Some example seminars include “The Lives of Mathematicians: The Creative Individuals Behind The Mathematics,” “Fantastic Fiction and the Environment,” and “The Modern City of Paris.”
- The Bryn Mawr 360o Course Cluster program is an interdisciplinary experience that brings students from a variety of majors together to examine a central theme, like Europe from the Margins or Struggles for Global Health Equity, from multiple perspectives.
Admissions Profile
Average GPA: Not reported
Test Scores (mid-50% range): 1300-1470 SAT/ 29-35 ACT
Admit Rate: 30.7%
Test-optional? Yes
Offers Early Admissions? Yes–Early Decision I and II
Supplemental Essays
Bryn Mawr College’s required essay prompts:
The desire to make a positive impact in the world is among the qualities that unite Bryn Mawr students. If you were granted a superpower that allowed you to eradicate one social inequity overnight, what would your cause be and why? (No word limit)
Before sitting down to write this essay, consider which social inequity means the most to you. Keep your answer as specific as possible; “war” or “global warming” may be too broad. It’s a good idea to focus on issues that you have a personal connection with—this will better allow you to authentically express yourself, rather than writing about what you think admissions officers want to hear.
Consider the “why” part of the prompt as well. Why does this issue matter to you? How has it impacted you? Have you taken any steps to resolve it so far? Supplemental essays help colleges understand what matters to a student and how they’d contribute to the campus community. By reading about why you’d eradicate a specific social inequity, Bryn Mawr hopes to understand your background, interests, and the values you hold. Admissions officers hope to gauge how you’d take advantage of campus resources, how you’d fit in on the campus, and contribute to the community. Although there’s no word limit, it’s a good idea to aim for the 500-650 word range for this essay.
Why are you interested in Bryn Mawr? (limit: 250 words)
This is a classic example of a “why this college” essay. Ask yourself what stands out the most to you about Bryn Mawr. You could be looking forward to a niche academic program or want to access a particular student organization or campus resource.
During the research process, go beyond information that is easily available on Bryn Mawr’s website. You must show that you’ve dug deeper than just the homepage of your chosen academic department. Read course descriptions, faculty profiles, and seek out information about special programs students participate in. Campus visits really come in handy here—if you can write about your real-life impressions of a school or a department, that’s great! It’s also a great idea to watch admissions TikToks, student Instagram takeovers, and “day in the life” YouTube videos to get a sense of what daily student life is like at the school.
Regardless of what you’re excited about, find ways to connect your interests to unique features of Bryn Mawr. Admissions readers want to know that you’re a good fit—and that your love for the school is genuine.
For more tips on common supplemental essay prompts, see our blog post here.
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