Women of Distinction: Personalizing the College Admissions Process

July 13th - 18th, 2008

The Program

Bryn Mawr’s Women of Distinction program is designed to assist students in navigating the college admissions process. Through interactive workshops and personality assessment tools such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, students will gain a better understanding of themselves and what is important to them in selecting a college.

Students will spend time learning about their motives and styles and what makes them unique. They will receive coaching on how to express their unique story effectively in an essay and in an interview. Finally, armed with more information about themselves, students will learn what distinguishes one college from another as well as what to expect in their first year. By the end of the week, students will have enhanced their ability to select colleges that are a good “match” for their interests and preferences and articulate their strengths in the admissions process. Last year, students who participated in the program recorded a significant improvement in their ability to articulate their strengths and explain their uniqueness. They also increased their optimism and reduced their anxiety about the college admissions process. The week-long workshop is taught jointly by professionals from the Bryn Mawr Admissions Office and LEADERSHIP Philadelphia, the region’s premier leadership development organization.

This program is designed for both residential and commuting participants.

Overall Comments:

"I learned a lot about myself this past week and I am more confident in myself."

"Overall the program was definitely beneficial to appeasing many of my fears about college admissions. Thank you!!"

• Stay cool and know yourself so you can make good life-long decisions
• Everything will work out and the admissions process doesn't have to be a very stressful time
• Finding your voice, finding what is unique about you, getting the perspective of an interviewer
• To be confident in yourself without bragging
• You have to put yourself out there and articulate what makes you unique
• I will, no matter what, be accepted into a good university

• Making the college admissions process not seem so scary
• Working with actual admissions officers was very informative
• Helps you discover more about yourself
• Helps us to see our full potential
• Teaches you a lot about colleges and how they work

Women of Distinction Faculty