Exploring New Subjects

Greetings, new Mawrtyrs! Some of you may be coming to college with your heart set on a certain field of study, but I am sure many of you recoil at the thought of declaring a major come sophomore year. I was in the former group, with sights of getting my Ph.D. in chemistry. But I took a chemistry course my first semester and it was enough to make me want to never step foot in Park Science again. So, to those of you who are as good as declared and those of you who cannot imagine pursuing something into grad school, I urge you to explore your uncharted territory. Bryn Mawr has countless newfangled classes, from “Lesbian Immortal” to a class on life on Mars. Do not set any academic limits for yourself, because you may never get the chance to take a class on homosexuality in literature or planetary exploration again. Even better, Bryn Mawr has this awesome thing called “shopping week” during which you can attend any class that sounds interesting to you during the first week of classes, and, after sitting in, choose whether or not it is for you. I urge everyone to not discriminate against any subject until you have explored it, because one class this semester may become your major next year. Good luck, and most importantly, have fun!

–Jackie Spiering ’20

Choosing Classes

Welcome to Bryn Mawr Class of 2021! One thing you’re probably excited about is choosing courses because now, you finally get to have a say in what classes you want to take. This freedom is great, but it can definitely be stressful because there are so many choices. One way to pick, the most obvious, is pick something you like or that you’re interested in. By interested in, I mean something that you’re actually interested in, not something someone told you to do. If you don’t know what you’re interested in, that’s okay too! You shouldn’t be afraid to explore new things, even things you’ve never even heard of. Also, keep in mind the four Approaches to Inquiry that you have to fulfill, but don’t stress too much about it. After you choose your classes, you can still change them during the shopping period. There’s nothing to lose and everything is a learning experience! Good luck!

–Sandy Liang ’20

If you’ve made it this far, then it’s about the time you should begin preregistering for classes. There’s probably a little knot in your stomach that’s telling you that you have to get into a certain class. That it’s now or never, and there’s no room for mistake or messing up.

There’s your first mistake right there: thinking you can’t make a mistake.

There are plenty and by plenty I mean a TON of college students that entered school thinking they wanted to study one thing (signed up for all appropriate classes, prepared to get the best grades in said classes, etc.), only to find their passions lie in a completely different field.

With that being said, don’t freak out over classes too much. There’s a good chance that the classes you take first semester won’t matter much in terms of declaring your major. Also, shopping week is available so you can always drop a class you realize it wasn’t for you in the first place. So don’t stress out.

Speaking of how demanding college courses and academics can be, let’s talk about something that everyone is going to experience one way or another: Stress.

Stress is that thing that makes you want to shut out the world while simultaneously keeping one foot in the race. It’s something that we as a culture have become conditioned to accept. Life is filled with struggles and terrible problems, we can’t change this. But what can be changed is how we react and handle the issues that we are confronted with.

One thing that I was surprised about upon my arrival to Bryn Mawr was the level of attention that is brought to mental, emotional and physical health. One class in particular that stood out to me was Thrive, a required course during your first semester. Thrive provided an opportunity for myself and my peers to voice our strengths, struggles, and other vulnerabilities; something that I had never experienced before in an academic setting. No, not every session is going to be sweet and warm, sometimes you won’t feel like talking about your feelings or what’s been bothering you, and that’s okay.

It’s okay to not be okay and want to take time to focus on yourself.

Let’s be real: Sometimes, you’ve got to watch that feel-good movie instead of studying for that exam. Sometimes, you’ve got to put your emotional and internal well-being before the stressful demands of the outside world.

What? But how will that affect my future job and career goals? If I’m not studying then I’ll fail my classes, if I fail my classes I’ll get kicked out of school, If I get kicked out of school I’ll become a bum with terrible career prospects that lives at their moms house and takes care of her cats for the rest of their life.

Well, all of those things are possible regardless of whether you flunk out of school or not. Heck, aliens could land on Earth tomorrow, abduct you, thus preventing you from showing up to school and if you don’t come to school, then you fail by default. *shrugs*

Anyway, here are some facts about stress:

• Stress has been scientifically proven to worsen both mental, emotional and physical health if it is experienced too often

• Headaches, heart disease, high blood pressure, heightened depression and anxiety are all common for those experiencing stress on the regular.

• It’s not fun.

Here are some facts about self care:

• Self Care helps you focus your values

• Allows you to take time out of your daily routine to focus on yourself, what matters, and put things into perspective.
• Ironically, the less you worry about the things, the easier it is to deal with them and do your best because your psyche isn’t clouded by anxiety or depression.

• It’s fun and harmless.

Life is filled with problems that naturally put a strain on you, but what matters the most is how you choose to deal with and recover from those issues.

Megan Kenny, Assistant Registrar

• What I do: Help students to register for classes through BiONiC, am the liaison for the graduate schools, and assist with graduation.
• Favorite book: My favorite book is Princess by Jean Sasson.  It was absolutely riveting!
• Dream vacation spot: Tahiti
• Favorite dessert: Anything with Nutella
• Best thing about Bryn Mawr: The leadership opportunities!  Students are really encouraged to step up and become comfortable as leaders.
• Best thing about the Registrar’s Office: We maintain the integrity of the College’s academic data (i.e. course info, enrollment data, grades) and are enthusiastic about our roles as data stewards. If a student ever has a question about her record, we are happy to look at it with her.
• BMC club/activity I’d like to join: The Badminton Club.  My family used to play very competitive badminton games at our summer picnics, so I got really good at the game.
• Tip for the first year at BMC: Review your unofficial transcript after every term.  It takes 2 minutes, so why not?
• What I like about working with new students: I enjoy hearing about where they came from and all the things they want to do during their time at Bryn Mawr.
• Favorite thing about my job: Getting to talk with students every day.
• Favorite spot on campus: The row of weeping cherry trees behind Rockefeller Hall.  They look stunning in April when they bloom for just a week.  I always make sure to bring my camera to work and snap a few pics.
• In my free time, I enjoy: Training my greyhound (see photo) in dog agility.
• If I were an animal, I’d be: A bird.  I’d love to have wings and fly.
• Little known fact about me: I once went on a free, brief hot air balloon ride – it was a thank you because the pilot landed in my backyard by accident!
• My secret talent: Flower arranging.  I took an elective class on the topic while in college and have been doing it for fun ever since.
• Nickname: Nix-nootz.  It means “darling little mischief maker” in the Pennsylvania Dutch language.
• On my summer to-do list: Going tubing down the Delaware River.

Kirsten O’Beirne, Registrar

What I do: The Registrar’s Office coordinates all aspects of course planning, registration and grading. I oversee the work we do with faculty and departments to gather course information and grading. We work with students around registration, doing the set-up in BiONiC and answering student questions during registration.  One of the things I do in particular is work with students on transferring credits from other Colleges back to Bryn Mawr.  So if you are ever thinking of taking a summer course, please come to see me!

• Favorite book or movie: I am a big Harry Potter fan (books and movies).
• Dream vacation spot: I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon, and I would love to go there.
• Favorite dessert: chocolate chip cookies
• Best thing about Bryn Mawr: Bryn Mawr’s campus!  It is beautiful!
• Best thing about the Registrar’s Office: I like technology, but I would never want to stare at a screen all day. In the Registrar’s Office we use BiONiC to make things like registration more efficient so that we have time to work directly with student on other things.
• BMC club/activity I’d like to join: The BMC Greens!
• Tip for the first year at BMC: Ask questions!  You will hear about all sorts of things this summer and during Customs Week, but no one expects you to remember everything!  We are happy to answer questions.
• What I like about working with new students: The excitement and enthusiasm that new students bring at the start of the semester is contagious.
• Favorite thing about my job: I love Bryn Mawr! In the Registrar’s Office we work with faculty, students, administrative staff and alums so you can really see the mission of the College in action.
• Favorite spot on campus: My office – really, my office is awesome.  I also love the Taft Garden behind Canaday Library.
• In my free time, I enjoy: Reading, and doing fun stuff with my daughter.
• If I were an animal, I’d be: I’d probably be a cat.
• Little known fact about me: I’ve been to every state on the east coast and the west coast of the US, but only one state in between.
• My secret talent: I’m pretty good at trivia, as long as it isn’t about music.
• Nickname: Kir
• On my summer to-do list is: Vacation, vacation and getting zucchini to grow in my garden – I have checked them all off!

You finished high school. It’s done. You don’t miss her at all (at least I don’t). And you are never, ever getting back together. All those times you bit your nails over getting a good score on your SAT are done. No more waking up at dawn to get to school on time. Remember prom? What about stressing over your exams? Remember when you thought high school was going to be the most important part of your life? You no longer have that desire to be popular or well-liked, as you’ve realized it never mattered in the first place. You are starting a new chapter in life. Be excited. Be nervous. Be ready to do things you’ve never done before. Anticipate making mistakes, because you will. That’s just a part of life.🙂

One of the first steps to college life is actually arriving there, so don’t come empty handed and get ready to make your room as cozy as possible.

I’ve attached the dorm items list. I hope this becomes useful for you all as move-in day approaches. There were a few dorm items lists that went around when I was a first year but I always found myself having to make 2-3 trips to Target to get everything I needed. I believe this is the most cohesive list because it contains items that are essential for comfort as well.

2021 Dorm Items

Before you go, I’m curious: What was high school like for you? Did you like it? Hate it? Spill the tea.

As an incoming student, the list of ESem courses may seem daunting at first. The choice of which three to sign up for is even harder if you’ve heard some students say they loved their ESem, while others may not have liked theirs very much. The Emily Balch seminars make for a common experience for all incoming students, one that many find to be beneficial for themselves as well as their writing.

Each seminar’s topic is different from the next, so I would suggest that you read through each description and find the three that would interest YOU the most (not your parents, not your friends, but you!) – after all, you’ll be doing all the readings and writing papers on the topic! The papers themselves aren’t something to worry about. With regular meetings with your professor, you’ll have time to discuss and plan what you want to write. The papers themselves aren’t long and are focused on improving writing rather than being research intensive. ESem as a course places an emphasis on critical thinking and getting your words out as a way of improving, not so much focused on the mechanics of grammar. ESem is a learning process, one I hope you come to enjoy!

When I was visiting Bryn Mawr my senior year of high school, I would have to say that the traditions here really sold me. When you’re away from home, you want to feel welcomed wherever you are staying, and the traditions here do just that. Bryn Mawr really goes the extra mile to make sure that you have a home away from home. One of my favorite tradition has to be Lantern Night. The whole ceremony is amazing and well put together. Just make sure you don’t bring you lanterns inside! If you’re worried about any of the traditions, remember that you are never forced to attend any of the four traditions. Though they’re fun and welcoming, not everyone wants to participate and that is totally fine. We want to make you feel comfortable at Bryn Mawr. Somos familia, we’re family. Welcome to Bryn Mawr, the first tradition is Parade Night. See you then 😉

-Taysha Torres ’20

For the most part, we love our parents. . They’re always there to protect us and make sure we’re breathing, fed, and wake up on time for school. If you’re lucky, they might even celebrate your birthday. But let’s be honest, parents can be a bore as well. After nearly two decades of being told what to do, anyone would be ready to jump at the chance of experiencing what it’s like to live on their own.

From my own experience, the first week and a half (or so) on campus was composed of two things: sunny, cheerful days where I roamed around campus as a bright eyed freshman, anticipating my new life as a certified ADULT. Nights were filled with me tossing and turning, biting my finger nails, anxious over whether I’d really be able to handle this thing known as college.

Spoiler: I handled it. You can handle it too. It (probably) won’t be easy, but it definitely won’t be the hardest thing you’ll have to do in life.

Actually, the hardest thing for me to adjust to during my transition from home-life to dorm-life was taking on foreign responsibilities and making long term decisions. (Do I sound dramatic?)

Since the start of my education, my mom always woke me up for school, made breakfast, and made sure I got to school on time. My teachers would tell me about homework, project, assignments, and even would remind me the day before it was due.

Upon transitioning to living on campus, all of that changed. Suddenly whether or not I went to class became my decision. I either tapped the ‘stop’ button on my alarm in the mornings or I missed class. I couldn’t blame my professor for not telling me about an assignment because it’s not their job to text me each time they update the syllabus.

While that does sound a bit hectic, you can always prepare for these type of responsibilities by moisturizing and staying hydrated.

Don’t worry too much about feeling super comfortable on campus. Everybody’s a little awkward and weird in the beginning. Don’t expect everything to be perfect. You can still have a great time without everything being spotless. Let yourself make your mistakes, get a little dusty, but don’t give up.

You are going to be taking on many different responsibilities while being away from home. Who’s going to wake you up in time for class? Who’s going to make sure you eat all three meals? Who’s going to make sure you stay hydrated and pimple-free? Y-O-U.