Wellesley vs Bryn Mawr

[Anonymous]

Aside from the rankings, can anyone share some of the similarities/differences between these two schools in terms of academics, culture, and just the student experience in general? What type of student would thrive at each of these schools?

[Anonymous]

Wellesley clearly has the superior quality students these days. These two used to be comparable but Bryn Mawr has slipped behind. No fault to Bryn Mawr, but just that the demand for all women's colleges is very small and the cream of the crop flock to Wellesley.

Academics at both are excellent. I'd venture to say that Bryn Mawr offers a great opportunity for a good student who wouldn't make the cut at Haverford or Swarthmore but to get access to the same quality education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wellesley clearly has the superior quality students these days. These two used to be comparable but Bryn Mawr has slipped behind. No fault to Bryn Mawr, but just that the demand for all women's colleges is very small and the cream of the crop flock to Wellesley.

Academics at both are excellent. I'd venture to say that Bryn Mawr offers a great opportunity for a good student who wouldn't make the cut at Haverford or Swarthmore but to get access to the same quality education.

You didn’t even make a legitimate stab at answering OP’s question - just went straight to the pecking order. Pathetic.

[Anonymous]

You don't read very well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wellesley clearly has the superior quality students these days. These two used to be comparable but Bryn Mawr has slipped behind. No fault to Bryn Mawr, but just that the demand for all women's colleges is very small and the cream of the crop flock to Wellesley.

Academics at both are excellent. I'd venture to say that Bryn Mawr offers a great opportunity for a good student who wouldn't make the cut at Haverford or Swarthmore but to get access to the same quality education.

You didn’t even make a legitimate stab at answering OP’s question - just went straight to the pecking order. Pathetic.

Pecking orders exist for a reason.

Both are good colleges. One is definitely recognized as "better" for a variety of reasons including student stats.

I see more high performing Wellesley graduates. They're recruited at a level Bryn Mawr really isn't these days. I wouldn't be surprised if Wellesley is a more active and ambitious environment, attracting like-minded women. I've always thought of Bryn Mawr as quieter place. It certainly is a quiet campus. The students seem happy.

[Anonymous]

I'd expect them to attract similar types of students except that some who get into BM can't get into Wellesley.

I'll say that W has a highly academic student body. Not a lot of wild parties, very liberal. It takes effort to date (boys at least). Campus is beautiful, near Boston, strong alumna network. If you aren't going for the academics or you are going because you didn't get into Harvard or some other co-ed place, it might not be right for you.

[Anonymous]

Wellesley has an unmatched alumna network.

[Anonymous]

The one difference we came up with in our search is that Bryn Mawr gives some merit aid and Wellesley gives none.

Neither ended up on my D's final list (Wellesley because of the aid and Bryn Mawr because she did not like it for some reason), and she'll be heading to Smith in the fall.

[Anonymous]

Both are great schools for ambitious women. Access to Harvard and MIT gives Wellesley a bump but the women I know who went there are some of the catiest people I have ever met. Like if you collapsed they would step over your body types. A very good friend of mine went to Bryn Mawr. The academics were amazing but she never fit in socially. She also didn't have the best life after. I think it depends on your daughter's personality. In good news, they seem to have less of a problem with eating disorders than Smith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The one difference we came up with in our search is that Bryn Mawr gives some merit aid and Wellesley gives none.

Neither ended up on my D's final list (Wellesley because of the aid and Bryn Mawr because she did not like it for some reason), and she'll be heading to Smith in the fall.

OP here. I know this thread is about Wellesley and Bryn Mawr, but curious if your daughter also looked at Mount Holyoke and why/why not? I'm trying to figure out the personalities of these schools (and have been having a harder time figuring out the different between Wellesley and Bryn Mawr...hence this post), but am still curious about the others.

[Anonymous]

We* liked Mount Holyoke a lot. Heard it was the most nurturing of the group (Wellesley has the reputation of being a very competitive community). MHC is in a tiny town, but Amherst is just a bus-ride away. It does has a very social justice/gender fluid vibe...which may or may not appeal to your child.

*Yes, I said WE.

[Anonymous]

Interesting. My post about the aggressive (an inappropriate ) gay “experience “ my DD had was deleted. We protested and gave the evidence to the school at the time. But despite the schools otherwise great reputation & significant scholarship $$ it was a no for my DD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We* liked Mount Holyoke a lot. Heard it was the most nurturing of the group (Wellesley has the reputation of being a very competitive community). MHC is in a tiny town, but Amherst is just a bus-ride away. It does has a very social justice/gender fluid vibe...which may or may not appeal to your child.

*Yes, I said WE.

Haha! Op here. You won't get any flaming from me for using "we". "We" look at this as a collaborative process in our family. Thanks for your input.

[Anonymous]

I'm a Wellesley alum and have been an admissions interviewer in recent years. My impression -- and that of many of the other alum interviewers with whom I've spoken -- is that the college is swinging even more toward conventional, pre-professional students than in past years. I'm a lawyer, so I don't have a bias against students who are pre-law, but it's dismaying to see the college become more homogeneous. Additionally, when I speak with current students and recent grads, their description of social life sounds pretty grim -- not much of anything happening on campus on the weekends, so students leave in droves. (Again, this isn't a sharp departure from the past, but at least there used to be something of an on-campus social scene.) I got a great education at Wellesley, but I would not encourage a young woman to go there today. (For that reason, I'm no longer an alum interviewer).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Wellesley alum and have been an admissions interviewer in recent years. My impression -- and that of many of the other alum interviewers with whom I've spoken -- is that the college is swinging even more toward conventional, pre-professional students than in past years. I'm a lawyer, so I don't have a bias against students who are pre-law, but it's dismaying to see the college become more homogeneous. Additionally, when I speak with current students and recent grads, their description of social life sounds pretty grim -- not much of anything happening on campus on the weekends, so students leave in droves. (Again, this isn't a sharp departure from the past, but at least there used to be something of an on-campus social scene.) I got a great education at Wellesley, but I would not encourage a young woman to go there today. (For that reason, I'm no longer an alum interviewer).

OP here. I really appreciate your candor. This is sort of the impression I had of Wellesley and also a little of Bryn Mawr, although I'm still trying to figure that out. My daughter loves the idea of the women's colleges, but she wants to be active on campus with her other interests and still have time for some fun.