Princeton Review gives Bryn Mawr an A for accommodations

Bryn Mawr College got high marks in a number of areas this year from the Princeton Review, from its good food to its gay-friendly environment, but in one very important aspect of college life it's tops in the nation.

For the second year in a row, the publication has rated the elite women's college on the Main Line No. 1 for "Dorms Like Palaces" - putting its prestigious seal of approval on housing that the Chronicle of Higher Education has labeled "a collegiate Gothic fantasy."

"We live in castles," agreed junior Lakshmi Somasundaram, 20. The campus has nine dorms, many modeled after England's Cambridge University.

The psychology major from Avondale is again living in Rhoads Hall, the last of the Gothic dorms built on campus in the 1930s. With oversize fireplaces, chandeliers, arches, wood-paneled halls, and heavy wood doors with brass studs, the only thing missing is a moat. There is also a beautiful patio overlooking a duck pond.

Ever since Thomas Jefferson created a matched set of redbrick Georgian buildings with white classical trim at the University of Virginia, colleges have striven to be models of "good taste and good architecture," as he instructed architect William Thornton. In the last hundred years, the Gothic style at colleges such as Bryn Mawr and Princeton University has proved almost as popular as Jefferson's Georgian ideal.

College dorms now have such posh amenities as heated pools, wireless Internet access, and plush lounges with high-definition televisions. At Bryn Mawr, every dorm has a community room with TVs, a tea pantry with snacks, and a piano.

The pianos are what sold Yashaswini Singh, 20, on the college when she was living in India. With a minor in concert piano, she said having so many pianos available - all tuned and in great shape - was a big plus.

The school's original dorm, Merion Hall, built in the 1880s, still has stained glass in the hallways and elaborate carved wooden banisters. Amanda Barwise, 21, a senior from Gibbsboro, said she looked forward to returning to campus and relaxing in her single room in Merion.

"I love it," she said last week.

Dorms open for returning students Friday.

Of course, such luxuries as pianos, fireplaces, and wide-screen TVs do not come cheap. Upscale collegiate digs have contributed to the rising costs of freshman room and board, which are up 11 percent over the last three years to $8,000, according to federal data. Bryn Mawr's 1,300 undergraduates pay a princely $13,000 for their palatial pads, among the highest in the nation.

Annual tuition, fees, and room and board total $53,714.

However, having all the comforts of home must make it easier for Mawters to focus on academics, since Princeton Review also said they were among the students who studied the most.