Bryn Mawr's Liberal Arts Approach

If you’re considering Bryn Mawr from China, choosing to attend college in the U.S. is a big step. You may be thinking not only about academics, but also about community, support, and what daily life will feel like thousands of miles from home. At Bryn Mawr, your college story is shaped by a liberal arts approach that gives you the freedom to explore your interests within an empowering women’s college community that supports you along the way.

Academics

Your first year is all about exploration! One of the advantages of Bryn Mawr’s liberal arts education is that you don’t have to arrive on campus with your entire future already decided. Through our flexible Approaches to Inquiry requirements, you’ll explore subjects you already love, as well as ones you’ve never encountered before. Exploration doesn’t mean studying without direction. With an 8:1 student-faculty ratio and median class size of 14, Bryn Mawr students develop close relationships with professors get to know your work, challenge you academically, and help you develop your interests over time. 

Have multiple interests? You might double major, major and minor, or build an interdisciplinary path that brings your interests together.

As you head into your Sophomore Plan, you’ll be supported in reflecting on what you’ve explored and begin defining the direction you want your education to take. You won’t declare your major until the end of your sophomore year, giving you plenty of time to adjust to college life in the U.S., explore fields thoughtfully, and make an informed choice about where you want to develop expertise.

And your academic world extends beyond Bryn Mawr. Through our partnerships with Haverford, Swarthmore, and University of Pennsylvania you can take classes and participate in academic and co-curricular opportunities across multiple campuses while still having Bryn Mawr as your home community.

Community & Support

Moving thousands of miles from home can be exciting, but it also comes with practical questions: How will I adjust to a different classroom culture? What happens if I need help with academic writing? Where can I cook a meal I’m homesick for? How will I meet people? Who can I ask when I don't know how something works? At Bryn Mawr, you don’t have to navigate these questions on your own. International students arrive ahead of the general first-year orientation for a dedicated welcome, social programming, immigration check-in, and introductions to life at the College.

International Student and Scholar Advising continues to support students throughout their time at Bryn Mawr, including guidance related to immigration requirements, employment authorization, and navigating life as an international student in the U.S.

Your Class Dean, Sophomore Plan, and faculty advisors are all also a part of your support network as you navigate your college experience.

There are also resources like the Writing Center, Academic Support, Access Services, and Counseling Services to help you thrive both in and out of the classroom.

As you build relationships with people from around the world, you don’t have to leave your own culture behind.

Bryn Mawr’s Association of International Students creates a community specifically for students new to the United States with social events, cultural exchange, resources, and peer support.

The Asian Students Association brings together students from across Asian and Asian American communities for cultural celebrations, discussions, networking, and community-building.

You can also find opportunities with a more specifically Chinese cultural connection. MEI Chinese Dance Club is a Bi-Co student group dedicated to classical Chinese dance, Chinese folk dance, and Chinese pop dance. The group performs throughout the year, including at Lunar New Year celebrations.

Bryn Mawr students participate in a wide range of cultural, academic, artistic, athletic, professional, service, and special-interest organizations—and if the club you want doesn’t already exist, you are empowered to create it yourself.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

One of the most exciting parts of the liberal arts experience is having opportunities to take what you’re learning and put it into action:

 At Bryn Mawr, research isn't reserved for graduate students. Bryn Mawr has been recognized nationally by Carnegie for the $9 million we spend on research support each year. As an undergraduate, you’ll have access to independent research opportunities and funding across disciplines, and most students complete a senior capstone or thesis.

You might also participate in our distinctive 360° program, which combines interdisciplinary learning, a cohort experience, and off-campus travel entirely funded by the College. Want another international experience after coming to the U.S.? Study abroad is another option, and with over 80 programs to choose from in more than 30 countries, you can pursue the opportunity abroad that works for you!

Living at Bryn Mawr

With 13 beautiful dorms to choose from and guaranteed housing all four years, living on our residential women’s college campus gives you a built-in community and a consistent home base as you adjust to life in the U.S. Fun fact: Bryn Mawr College consistently ranks among The Princeton Review's Most Beautiful Campuses, (think gothic architecture, cherry blossoms, and sloping lawns).

Students receive a free SEPTA UPass (public transportation pass) that can be used across the Philadelphia region. Bryn Mawr is just a 20-minute train ride from center city Philadelphia, giving you easy access to museums, historic sites, music and arts, restaurants, internships, and more. For international students, Philadelphia can also be a great way to experience American city life while being part of a diverse, global community. 

Philadelphia’s Chinatown may become another place to explore or to find something familiar. One of the largest Chinatowns in the country, the neighborhood is home to Chinese and other Asian restaurants, specialty markets, shops, festivals, and cultural events. Its Friendship Gate was created in part with materials and artisans from Tianjin, Philadelphia’s sister city. With your SEPTA UPass, Center City and Chinatown are easy to make part of your life beyond campus.

Bryn Mawr is also an easy train or bus ride to New York City and Washington D.C., offering even more academic, research, and social opportunities.

"Our graduates claim entrepreneurial roles and positions of leadership across professions and at a statistically much higher rate than our female counterparts who attended coed institutions."

After Bryn Mawr

From your first year and beyond, our Career & Civic Engagement Center (CCEC) helps you translate your interests into opportunities after Bryn Mawr. 

Here are just a few of the resources provided by the CCEC:

• $1 million each year to fund unpaid internships
• Resume and cover letter coaching through Sophomore Plan
• Graduate school application advising
• Mock interviews and a career closet
• Employer connections, networking trips, externships, and more

Last year, 98% of graduates reported a positive career outcome within one year of graduation, including employment, graduate school, and fellowships. Graduates have also gone on to competitive graduate programs including Yale, Penn, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and Oxford. Women’s college outcomes also speak for themselves. Our graduates claim entrepreneurial roles and positions of leadership across professions and at a statistically much higher rate than our female counterparts who attended coed institutions. The Bryn Mawr community and support doesn’t disappear when you graduate. You join a global alumnae/i network whose members work across industries, countries, and professions who are eager to help another Mawrter be successful. 

Ultimately, Bryn Mawr is so much more than a handful of bullet points or statistics on a website. 

If you’re looking for an empowering liberal arts experience, Bryn Mawr gives you the space to illuminate your academic and extracurricular interests, along with the support to navigate a new cultural environment. Your Bryn Mawr story is yours to write, and we can’t wait to read it!