First-Year Experience - Checklist

A Checklist for First-Year Students

Complete these tasks in order, but look ahead to plan ahead!

Updates for the Class of 2028 are in progress

Please note that some information below may not have been updated. Please check back when you receive an email from us!

This to-do list is designed to help you plan your summer and prepare for a successful first semester at Bryn Mawr. It includes major tasks across a range of areas. International students will also have highly specialized tasks to complete through the Global Portal System. If we learn of additional tasks that should be completed this summer, we will add them here and highlight them in the Weekly Tuesday Newsletter.

Step 1: To Do ASAP

After you made your enrollment deposit, you received an email from Admissions that told you your Bryn Mawr email address, your Student ID number, and provided instructions for setting up your account. These instructions were to:

  1. Call the Help Desk (610-526-7440) and leave a voicemail with your name and number.
  2. The Help Desk will call to provide you with your initial password.
  3. You then go to webmail.brynmawr.edu and log in.
  4. You will be prompted to enroll in Duo, the College's dual factor authentication service. This is a simple process that helps keep your information secure. We recommend setting up more than one device for authenticating to Duo so that you will always be able to access your accounts.

You will use Moodle throughout your time at Bryn Mawr to see course syllabi and readings, participate in discussion forums, and turn in some assignments. All first-years are automatically enrolled in the FYE Advising and Orientation Moodle site. It's where you'll access many of the tasks on this to-do list, including placement exams, information on choosing courses, schedules and sign-ups for summer group advising sessions.

In order to participate in summer meetings and programs, you must set up your Bryn Mawr Zoom account. All summer meetings and programs require you to authenticate and login through BMC. Learn how to create a Bryn Mawr Zoom or convert a personal Zoom account to a Bryn Mawr account.

Review and make a plan if needed!

By the end of their first semester, every student must meet Bryn Mawr’s Quantitative Readiness (QR) requirement, which was designed by Bryn Mawr faculty to help ensure that students have the 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.  There are 3 possible ways to fulfill the QR requirement:

  1. Have a math SAT or ACT score that meets the QR Benchmark (580 on Math SAT, 24 on Math ACT) AND submit that score to Bryn Mawr.  
  2. Complete and pass Bryn Mawr’s Q Test given online over the summer or in person during Customs New Student Orientation. 
  3. Take and pass Qsem (Bryn Mawr’s Quantitative Reasoning Seminar) in the Fall. Qsem would be one of a student’s four academic classes in the fall.  

A video with more information about this requirement will be posted to the FYE Advising and Orientation Moodle mid June. 

Every student will be informed by email from welcomebmc@brynmawr.edu of their current status with regards to this requirement. Those who have not yet met the requirement will be given more complete instructions about their options for fulfilling it. In terms of summer planning, students who elect to take the Q Test in hopes of fulfilling the QR requirement should know that the test will be given over the summer.

The Access Services office at Bryn Mawr provides support and reasonable accommodations when necessary to ensure equal access for students with learning, physical and/or psychological disabilities. Decisions about appropriate accommodations are made on an individual basis. Since previous accommodations (e.g. those informally given and/or via an IEP or 504 Plan) do not automatically carry over to college, the process to arrange for your accommodations at your new institution does take some time, so start now to ensure everything is in place for your arrival! If you have a diagnosis, have had an IEP or a 504 Plan in high school and/or for any reason think you might be eligible for academic and/or housing modifications at Bryn Mawr, please contact Deb Alder, Director of Access Services as soon as possible at (610) 526-7351 or dalder@brynmawr.edu. For additional information – including eligibility criteria and documentation requirements – please visit the Access Services web page. The deadline is June 1.

TELUS Health Students Support Services is free to all currently enrolled students. 

  • Confidential mental health support with a counselor at no cost to you.
  • Speak with a counselor 24/7 via telephone or chat. 
  • Telephone, video, and in-person counseling by appointment for short-term support.
  • Language and lived-experience counselor matching upon request. 
  • Self-directed resources including articles, videos, assessments, virtual fitness, and much more.
  • View an informational video.

Click here for information about our Counseling Services during the academic year.

Step 2: To Do in June

Before the start of each semester the College requires all students to review their personal details and financial permissions in BIONIC. You have the opportunity to review and update things like your preferred name, home address, phone numbers, and emergency contacts. Learn how to confirm and update your personal details here.

Information on how to sign up for a group advising session is available on the FYE Advising and Orientation Moodle (available May 28).

Schedule and registration links will be posted in the FYE Advising and Orientation Moodle. During the session you will meet your class dean, learn about how you will work together with your dean, and begin thinking about course selection. These sessions will not be recorded and attendance at a group advising session is required.

Group advising sessions will take place June 24-28 and July 1-3, 2024 on Zoom. Please be sure to be in a location with internet access to attend a session. 

After the session you will receive an email with information on how to have your courses reviewed prior to pre-registration.

This questionnaire is available on the FYE Advising and Orientation Moodle (available May 28). 

 

Step 3: To Do in July

Documentation required for all new students can be found on the Health and Wellness Center website. Learn More

For all new, guest, and transfer students. Check your BMC Email for Housing Application Instructions.

Fill out by July 1 as part of the placement process. 

Help the Language Department faculty guide you through placement and finalize their offerings by filling out this quick survey (available May 28) and giving them preliminary information about what foreign language courses you might be interested in. 

Between June 17 and July 5, select 3 choices for your required first-semester Emily Balch seminar. 

The Emily Balch Seminar (aka ESem) is a small seminar where you will learn critical reading, thinking, and writing skills along with other first-year students. Each ESem has a theme and earns one unit of academic credit. Information about the courses available for Fall 2024 and how to register will be available on the ESem website soon. Registration will be available on June 17 and the deadline to indicate your top three choices is July 5.  

Do you anticipate facing nutrition challenges on campus? If you suffer from food allergies or have nutrition concerns, we can provide guidance and accommodations to make sure you are able to dine safely at Bryn Mawr.

Please complete the Special Needs Form and send to Bi-Co Dietitian Natalie Zaparzynski by July 12h, 2023.

Once the information is received you will be contacted by the dietitian who will help make your transition to dining on campus successful. Click here for more nutrition information. If you have any questions, please contact Natalie at nzaparzyns@brynmawr.edu or 610-526-7417.

When choosing your courses for the first semester, you will need information about the level at which you should enter a particular field of study. This process is known as "Placement."

In some cases (most often foreign language and math), this means taking a placement exam between June 15 and August 1. All placement exams are completed in Moodle.

Here’s how to enroll in them:

  1. Log in to Moodle.
  2. Click on the magnifying glass icon in the upper right of your Moodle dashboard and type "Placement Fall 2023" in the search box that opens.
  3. Then click on the title of the course and click “Enroll.” 

Please note: While August 1 is the general deadline for placement exams, some languages do require completion of some parts by an earlier deadline (usually around July 15) so that any required essay or interview can be completed by August 1.  In other cases (economics and some natural sciences), AP or other standardized exams, along with consulting faculty members, are central to the process. You’ll find more information about placement in all these fields on this page.

OneCard is your official identification card and provides access to the residence halls, other campus buildings, the dining halls, and is your library card. You can also put money on your OneCard account and use it to pay for lots of things on campus. It can be used at both Bryn Mawr and Haverford.

Make sure you have your ID number ready (and then make sure you follow instructions to add two 0’s at the start of the number when entering it). Make sure that you submit a clear photo of the front of your face in front of a solid background – you should be thinking passport photo NOT social media profile pic. Your ID number was in your email from Admissions about setting up your email; it’s at the top of your Welcome Portal and it’s on your Student Services page in BiONiC! OneCards are issued using a student's legal name as entered in BiONiC. Students will receive their OneCard with their keys when they check into their dorm

More information about what you can use OneCard for and how to add funds is available on the OneCard website.

Submit by July 31 to assist the Impact Center in planning for the new year.

Religious and Spiritual Life at Bryn Mawr College is supported through The Impact Center for Community, Equity, and Understanding. Spiritual life is for students of all or no faith traditions. As we work to support students, it is helpful to know the numbers and the breadth of practice on campus. Response to this survey is optional and your specific information will only be shared with your permission below. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, Rabbi Nora Woods, Interfaith Chaplain, nwoods@brynmawr.edu.

Step 4: To Do in August

Student Accounts provides students and families or other authorized payers a number of options. In addition to the information on billing and payments on their website, students will receive emails from studentaccounts@brynmawr.edu with more information.

Questions should be directed towards studentaccounts@brynmawr.edu or at 610-526-5500.

International students will receive more information about this process and available resources. 

International students will receive more information about this process and about how the results will be used to identify appropriate resources for students. These include placement in Writing 120, the Writing Workshop for Multilingual Writers, participation in the Writing Partnership Program, and more. The Writing Diagnostic will be available in Moodle in early August; students will be automatically enrolled in the appropriate Moodle course. A video with more information will be posted to the FYE Advising and Orientation Moodle mid June. 

Between August 12 and August 16, you'll enroll in your preferred classes through BiONiC, the Bi-College registration system.

All the work you're doing over the summer -- placement tests, webinars, course exploration, course selection meetings -- is designed to help you make good decisions about the courses you hope to take this fall. More information on course selection and the registration process is available on the FYE Advising and Orientation Moodle and the Academic Resources section of this website.

All incoming first year students must complete various online training modules before they arrive to campus. You will receive information about completing these tutorials in the Tuesday Newsletter in July

Gather documents now to be ready for Job Fair on-campus 

Dining Services offers student employment opportunities for all first-year students in our dining halls, cafes, and restaurant/catering facilities. Our operations are major social hubs for campus where you can eat, work and find your community! Check out Student Employment for what US citizens and permanent residents need to bring with them to be able to be employed on campus. Students on J-1 and F-1 visas will go through a separate process for establishing eligibility once they are on campus. Check out the Dining Services Student Employment page for details on the dining facilities where you can work. 

The Music Department wants to know whether you are interested in participating in the Haverford/Bryn Mawr Orchestra, choirs, or chamber groups. All students should fill out the music interest survey.

Waiver available end of June and due Aug. 31.

More information about this process and links to the college's insurance provider are available on the Student Accounts website. Domestic students who do not waive the student health insurance by August 31 are automatically enrolled and the charge is added to their student account. International students are automatically enrolled in the international student policy, and waiver is not available.

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Optional: Register to Vote in PA

Deadline for registering to vote in the Oct. 21, 2024.

Students eligible to vote in the U.S. may register anytime this summer.

As college students, those Bryn Mawr students who are eligible to vote in the United States may choose whether they would like to register and vote at their educational institution, or at their permanent home address. Students who register at their permanent home address may either travel home to vote, or complete an absentee ballot per their state’s procedures.

Choosing between the two registration locations is entirely the decision of each student, and the College only seeks to provide all pertinent information about the options. Students who wish to register in Pennsylvania and are eligible, should complete the online registration form. There will be many opportunities to register once you are on campus, but if you know now that you want to vote in Pennsylvania's open gubernatorial and Senate elections, registering over the summer can be a way to make sure this important task is done.