TO: Bryn Mawr SOPHOMORES – CLASS OF 2019
FROM: Phil Bean, Associate Dean and Dean of Academic Affairs RE: Declaring a Haverford major or minor
DATE: March 1, 2017
Congratulations on reaching another academic milestone! Spring semester of sophomore year is the time when each of you must declare a major. I am therefore writing to convey the instructions regarding how to declare a major (as well as, if you like, a minor and/or concentration) by this year’s Haverford deadline, Friday, April 14, 2017:
1. If you plan to major at Haverford, please read carefully the section of the Haverford College Catalog regarding departmental major requirements; consult the Bryn Mawr College Catalog if you plan to major at BMC.
2. Information about Haverford minors can be found on both page 13 and under the listings for major programs in the Haverford College Catalog, and information about Haverford concentrations can be found on page 12 of the Catalog.
3. Additional information regarding each major and how to declare a major, minor, and/or concentration at Haverford is available at the departmental and concentration “teas” or advising meetings. It is important to attend these meetings because at them you will be told whom you should work with to fill out a major, minor, or concentration declaration and how advisors are assigned (both matters vary from department to department). However, if you must miss a tea, please contact the appropriate department and/or concentration chair(s) to ask for instructions.
4. After consulting the pertinent information in the appropriate college catalog(s) and attending the departmental or concentration “teas,” please make an appointment to meet at a mutually convenient time prior to April 14 with the appropriate Haverford department or program advisor (again, such faculty members will be identified at the teas). Please take to this meeting an unofficial copy of your transcript, which you can access by way of “other academic” in the pull-down menu on the left side of your “student center” in BIONIC;
5. In consultation with the appropriate major, minor, and/or concentration advisor(s), please complete your declarations in the following way:
· If you want to major, minor, and/or concentrate at Haverford, please use the Declaration form on the Haverford Registrar’s website. Although this component of the major declaration process is online, please note that this is a technical convenience and is not meant to eliminate the need to attend teas and/or meet in person with department or program chairs.
Please also note that each department has its own procedures for assigning major advisors: ask the chair of your new major department who your new advisor will be, as the Dean’s Office and Registrar will not have such information at this time.
Recognizing that students pursue an array of options—majoring only at Haverford, majoring only at BMC, majoring at both, majoring at one college and minoring or concentrating at another, etc.—please note:
a) If you are only majoring at Haverford (i.e., without any minors or concentrations), you need only to complete Haverford's Declaration by April 14.
b) If you are majoring at Bryn Mawr and want also to declare a minor or concentration at Haverford, you need to use the Haverford Declaration for minors or concentrations by April 14.
c) If you want to major at both colleges, you need to follow the processes for both colleges for declaring majors and identify your BMC major on your Haverford Declaration by April 14.
All students interested in double majoring are strongly urged to speak with their deans and the advisors in the two departments in question to ensure that it is advisable in their opinion to do so.
FINALLY…
If you have any questions about these procedures, please do not hesitate to contact your dean, the Bryn Mawr registrar Kirsten O’Beirne () , or the Haverford Registrar, Jim Keane (), any of whom will be more than happy to help you. Good luck!