Bryn Mawr College

Winter Break

During the Winter Break, students may not remain in the dorms. All one-card access to College buildings will be disabled for all residential students. We maintain one dorm for Winter Break housing, usually Merion.  Winter Break housing is available to a limited number of qualifying students for a fee.  Eligible students who wish to remain on campus during the break must submit a housing reservation form to the Residential Life Office. For those students who need to remain at the College over break, there are some important things to keep in mind.

First, the College closes down from the beginning of Winter Break until the first Monday of the new year. Public Safety is the only office that remains open during this time. Other offices, such as Dining Services, Health and Counseling Services, the Dean's Office, the Library, Residential Life, and the Campus Center are all closed. Any student remaining in residence on campus is expected to provide her own meals and general care. After the first Monday of the new year, the College resumes operations for the most part. However, dining facilities and the Health Center will not open until the end of Winter Break. In the event of an emergency, Public Safety is available to respond. In addition, a student Hall Advisor will be living in the dorm throughout the winter break period.

Second, there are a limited number of spaces in the Winter Break dorm. To best meet the needs of students, members of the following groups are the only students who may request Winter Break housing:

• International Students - these students are eligible to remain at the College for the duration of Winter Break.
• Pre-Season Athletes - athletes will receive a form from their coach and may reside at the College only during the time of their training.
• Students taking classes at Penn - these students may reside at the College only during the time of their Penn course.
• In addition, to accommodate students with transportation issues, any student is eligible to stay overnight in Merion on Saturday, the first night of break only.

Students who want to work over break, either at traditional jobs, campus jobs, or internships, are not eligible for Winter Break housing. Any student remaining in the area for work purposes should make alternative housing arrangements.

Students with special circumstances that require them to remain on campus during the break and who do not meet the requirements listed above, must discuss their situation with their dean and receive the dean's approval.  A Winter Break Housing reservation form still needs to be submitted to the Residential Life Office.

Current Merion residents who are eligible for Winter Break housing must also submit a reservation form as their One Cards will not work during the break and they will need to be assigned a key fob for access.

Reservation forms for Winter Break housing are available online. Students will receive information regarding Winter Break housing and all application deadlines in early November. All applications are subject to approval by the Residential Life Office, the Athletics Department, the Dean's Office and the Registrar.

There is a fee for Winter Break housing. All fees and guidelines are detailed in the housing reservation form.