Academic-Focused Support

Library & Information Technology Services

LITS' mission is to partner with Bryn Mawr College departments and community members to enable teaching, learning, research, and administrative work institution-wide by providing contemporary tools, data, scholarly resources, and expertise.

LITS Home Tripod Catalog

Research Guides and Databases E-ZBorrow and Interlibrary Loan

Advising and Support

Undergraduate Deans and Faculty Advisors provide guidance and support to students regarding their academic endeavors.

Office of Academic Support

The Director of Academic Support in the Dean’s Office assists students in identifying and implementing techniques for more effective learning.

The Director of Academic Support provides assistance with Academic Support and Learning Resources, including the following:

  • Study, organizational and time management skills
  • Note taking and test taking strategies
  • Critical reading and efficient reading techniques
  • Strategies for managing stress
  • Methods to improve focus and motivation

Dean's Office

With its small faculty/student ratio and robust advising program in the Undergraduate Dean’s Office, Bryn Mawr affords students many opportunities for rich advising conversations.

The Dean's office serves as a resource for students in a number of areas.

  • Pre-major advising
  • Academic planning
  • Degrees and graduation requirements
  • Academic support and student services
  • Academics beyond the Bi-Co
  • Leaves of absence
  • Student conduct

Overall, the Dean’s Office serves as a hub for most campus resources. Students are encouraged to seek out their dean for any questions they might have.

Pre-Major Advising

All students are assigned a dean at the outset of their first year, and that dean provides pre-major advising. Students have the same Dean throughout their career at Bryn Mawr, affording a relationship that develops over time.

The academic dimensions of the first-year experience are marked by exploration of a variety of fields. Students are encouraged to meet with professors of favorite courses to learn more about the fields of study more generally and receive department-specific guidance.

Academic advising during the Sophomore year is oriented around the Sophomore Plan. The Sophomore Plan intentionally bridges curricular and co-curricular reflection as students are guided to make plans for their time at Bryn Mawr by making connections between their interests in and outside of the classroom. The Sophomore Plan structures a variety of advising opportunities, including meetings with prospective major advisors, deans, and staff with expertise in co-curricular and career counseling.

Students make use of a variety of avenues to learn about individual departments.

Major Advising

Students consult with professors of favorite classes to learn more about the field in question.  Students also may attend a “Major Tea,” an information session held by most department on campus once a semester. The Major Teas are a chance for faculty and majors to meet with prospective majors to provide information and answer questions.

Finally, students can meet with a Department’s designated Major Advisor to learn more about the field.

Students may declare their major any time during their Sophomore year as part of the Sophomore Plan, and must do so by early April of that year.  To declare a major, students meet with a Major Advisor designated by each Academic Department to develop a plan to complete the departmental requirements.  Each department has its own advising process, but major advising across the board is marked by individual attention given to each student. Once students declare their majors, advising pertaining to their major coursework is done in consultation with the student’s Major Advisor.

Throughout their time at Bryn Mawr, students continue to refer to their Deans for advising and support pertaining to matters outside of their majors.

Pre-Professional Advising

Bryn Mawr's Career and Civic Engagement Center provides students with numerous opportunities for personal and professional development through experientially-based programming and advising.

For students whose career goals mean they need specific preparation or guidance around entrance exam and other requirements, Bryn Mawr offers the necessary resources: a strong Health Professions Advising Office, pre-law advising, and more. 

Q Project

The Q Project supports the development of mathematical, logical, computational, and statistical problem-solving skills that are required in quantitative disciplines across the Bryn Mawr curriculum, and by the complex challenges of our increasingly quantitative world.