How to Apply
Applicants must complete a standard four-page application form, which can be requested by mail from the Graduate Office or downloaded here. You must also submit three letters of recommendation and a statement of interest. Applicants to the program in Clinical Developmental Psychology should be sure their statements address the concerns specified by that program; see below for more information.
Deadlines for application are: January 2 for admission with financial aid; June 30 for admission without financial aid in all programs except Clinical Developmental Psychology. In exceptional cases, applications for admission with financial aid to Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics may be considered after the January deadline.
To request paper application and recommendation forms, phone 610-526-5072, fax 610-526-5076 or write to:
Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences
Bryn Mawr College
101 North Merion Avenue
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010-2899 USA.
Requirements
Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or an equivalent degree, and the prerequisite skills or training specified by individual departments and programs for admission. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the chairs of the departments in which they wish to enroll to inquire about the particular requirements of that department concerning subject preparation, language or technical skills, and test scores. In addition to any materials specifically requested by departments, all applicants must submit:
- Official transcripts of all work done in other academic institutions.
- Official scores of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). For information on how and where to take the GRE see www.gre.org . Our institutional code is 2049.
- Official scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) if your native language is not English. The following minimum TOEFL scores are required: 600 (paper-based); 250 (computer-based); 100 (iBT). The minimum IELTS score is 7. For information on how and where to take the TOEFL see www.toefl.org; for IELTS: www.ielts.org . Exceptions to the TOEFL/IELTS requirement may be made for applicants who (a) have lived in the U.S. for three years or more, or (b) have graduated from a college or university at which the language of instruction is English. Proof of residency is required for (a); a transcript is required for (b).
Three letters of recommendation from people who can speak specifically to your ability to successfully complete a graduate degree in the field in which you are applying. Normally the recommenders are professors with whom the applicant has worked closely in undergraduate or graduate courses.
A statement of interest describing why you seek to pursue your chosen field at the graduate level and why you want to do so at Bryn Mawr. Applicants to the program in Clinical Developmental Psychology should describe the relevant aspects of their background, areas of academic interest, and future personal and professional goals.
A nonrefundable application fee of $30. This fee is waived for McNair scholars and Fulbright nominees if they so identify themselves, and may be waived for other students by the Dean in cases of hardship. Requests for waiver must be made to the GSAS before an application will be considered.
Applicants to the programs in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies, and History of Art must submit a recent research paper or critical essay.
Applicants to the M.A. program in French must submit two essays, one in French written for an advanced undergraduate course or graduate seminar, and one in English.
Applicants to the program in Physics must submit the results of the GRE Subject Test in Physics.
Where to Send It
All materials should be sent to: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Attention Lea R. Miller, Bryn Mawr College, 101 North Merion Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010-2899 USA. Please make checks payable to Bryn Mawr College.
Deadlines
Applications for admission with financial aid must be received by January 2, 2009.
Applications for admission without financial aid will be considered until June 30, 2009, except for the program in Clinical Developmental Psychology. No applications to that program received after January 3 will be considered.
How We Decide
Decisions on admission are made by the faculty of the department in which the applicant proposes to do graduate study. Decisions are based on the promise shown by the applicant's college or university grades, GRE scores, personal and intellectual qualities attested in letters of recommendation, compatibility with program goals and resources as indicated in the personal statement, and other factors including the size of the current enrollments. Prospective applicants are strongly urged to make personal contact with faculty members in the departments to which they plan to apply. In most cases the faculty will be very willing to review credentials and qualifications and to advise interested students about preliminary prospects for admission.
Especially promising applicants will be recommended by the faculty for financial aid.. These recommendations are reviewed by the Dean and the Committee on Graduate Awards. When the number of approved recommendations exceeds the amount of aid available, some students will be wait-listed. Except in Clinical Developmental Psychology, wait-listed students will be offered admission without aid, or with limited aid. They will be informed as soon as possible if funding becomes available.
