Is Bryn Mawr snobbish

[Anonymous]

BMS is no more snobby than any other Baltimore independent school. I would look at Friends School if you are hung up on wealth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD just graduated from BMS. There is a Baltimore country club/hunt club contingent, but there are plenty of other groups as well. Girls in general are very nice. Other schools have more obvious large amounts of wealth eg Mcdonogh, garrison, St Paul’s, though I have no have no idea if that translates to snobby kids. For the right kid, BMS is a strong option.

Do nerdy girls find success at Bryn Mawr from a social perspective? I'd categorize these girls differently than high achievers. t
The girls who are all about academics, for example, a future Jeopardy champion.

Of all the private girls schools in the area I would think BMS is the most nerd friendly. The majority of girls are high achieving without being nerdy, but on the whole they are nerd-welcoming. In general, I think nerds are better off at high-achieving schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD just graduated from BMS. There is a Baltimore country club/hunt club contingent, but there are plenty of other groups as well. Girls in general are very nice. Other schools have more obvious large amounts of wealth eg Mcdonogh, garrison, St Paul’s, though I have no have no idea if that translates to snobby kids. For the right kid, BMS is a strong option.

Do nerdy girls find success at Bryn Mawr from a social perspective? I'd categorize these girls differently than high achievers. t
The girls who are all about academics, for example, a future Jeopardy champion.

I would definitely send a nerdy girl to Bryn Mawr over McDonough, SPSG, or RPCS. Probably also Park and Friends, but that would depend a bit more on the specifics.

Would also strongly consider Poly, if living in the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD just graduated from BMS. There is a Baltimore country club/hunt club contingent, but there are plenty of other groups as well. Girls in general are very nice. Other schools have more obvious large amounts of wealth eg Mcdonogh, garrison, St Paul’s, though I have no have no idea if that translates to snobby kids. For the right kid, BMS is a strong option.

Do nerdy girls find success at Bryn Mawr from a social perspective? I'd categorize these girls differently than high achievers.
The girls who are all about academics, for example, a future Jeopardy champion.

I would definitely send a nerdy girl to Bryn Mawr over McDonough, SPSG, or RPCS. Probably also Park and Friends, but that would depend a bit more on the specifics.

Would also strongly consider Poly, if living in the city.

We are in the county. Also considering Garrison Forest too, although academically it's not as challenging. We are going back and forth about Park and Friends.

[Anonymous]

GF has more obvious $$$ than BMS - a nerdy kid will have better shot of fitting in at BMS.
Cant hurt to apply to Friends and Park but def ask a lot of questions about Park’s math program.

[Anonymous]

I would not consider GFS, and I would choose our RPCS over GFS. That said, I would never send MY GIRLS to RPCS.
My daughter chose between Park and BMS for middle school. Ultimately, she selected Park because she found it to be more laid-back and a better fit for her personality. She attended a shadow day at BMS and felt that the environment was too competitive for her. She didn’t like that students were constantly rushing to answer questions and often talking over one another. My daughter is extremely nerdy and academically driven, but she still felt that the atmosphere at BMS was too intense. While I didn’t entirely share her perspective, it was important that she felt comfortable in her school environment.
She is now thriving at Park and has continued into the upper school. When she entered in sixth grade, she initially felt that the middle school math program was not particularly challenging. However, the upper school math program has been significantly stronger, and she now finds it both challenging and enjoyable.
The middle school math program at Park has also changed considerably in recent years. Several long-tenured teachers retired, bringing an infusion of younger faculty, fresh ideas, and greater flexibility to the department. Another positive change was the transition of the middle school principal into a different role. In my opinion, that leadership change has also benefited the program.
My son attended Park from kindergarten through high school and is now a rising college junior majoring in mathematics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not consider GFS, and I would choose our RPCS over GFS. That said, I would never send MY GIRLS to RPCS.
My daughter chose between Park and BMS for middle school. Ultimately, she selected Park because she found it to be more laid-back and a better fit for her personality. She attended a shadow day at BMS and felt that the environment was too competitive for her. She didn’t like that students were constantly rushing to answer questions and often talking over one another. My daughter is extremely nerdy and academically driven, but she still felt that the atmosphere at BMS was too intense. While I didn’t entirely share her perspective, it was important that she felt comfortable in her school environment.
She is now thriving at Park and has continued into the upper school. When she entered in sixth grade, she initially felt that the middle school math program was not particularly challenging. However, the upper school math program has been significantly stronger, and she now finds it both challenging and enjoyable.
The middle school math program at Park has also changed considerably in recent years. Several long-tenured teachers retired, bringing an infusion of younger faculty, fresh ideas, and greater flexibility to the department. Another positive change was the transition of the middle school principal into a different role. In my opinion, that leadership change has also benefited the program.
My son attended Park from kindergarten through high school and is now a rising college junior majoring in mathematics.

While I don't doubt your daughter's experience, I wanted to share that my daughter has never experienced girls talking over one another in class while rushing to answer questions. When a child shadows a school, they are witnessing just a really small group of students in one or two classes, and she may have encountered some unusually forceful personalities. Overall, my daughter appreciates that there are many engaged students at BMS and that people have insightful things to share during class. This is different from her previous school where students were not interested or engaged, so she sees lively class discussions at BMS as a positive. Sometimes, when a class happens to have a large number of shy girls, it can even be a little too quiet. It really depends on the dynamic of the group.

Like your daughter, mine is also a nerd and academically inclined and loves it at Bryn Mawr. When considering all the usual private schools, she liked BMS, Park, and Friends the best in that order based on the shadow days. We parents preferred BMS, Park, and McDonogh.