Nichole Reynolds joined Bryn Mawr this semester as the College's new dean of undergraduate admissions. We recently caught up with Reynolds to chat about her role.
Tell us about yourself. What did you do prior to coming to Bryn Mawr?
Prior to coming to Bryn Mawr, I spent 10 years serving my alma mater and sister institution, Mount Holyoke College, as director of enrollment marketing and communications and senior associate director of admission. In that role, I had the pleasure of traveling with the Sister Colleges, so I knew both Peaches Valdes and Marissa Turchi—my two predecessors here at Bryn Mawr. But I wore many other hats at Mount Holyoke beyond communications, from overseeing transfer initiatives to managing our West Coast recruitment efforts. I’m eager to leverage the connections I built with counselors and community-based organizations to increase Bryn Mawr’s visibility on the West Coast.
What are you most excited about as you start here at Bryn Mawr?
I have to first say that I am ecstatic that the next step in my career is unfolding at a Sister College—I believe so very deeply in the shared mission of our institutions. More specific to the work, I’m excited to collaborate with my team of talented admission colleagues to tackle the many enrollment challenges of the modern era. The pending SCOTUS decision around affirmative action in college admission, the demographic cliff, the economic downturn, the shifting geographies of our prospective student base brought on by remote work—these all pose complex challenges that my team and I are eager to take on as we think through and refine our recruitment, outreach, and candidate selection practices.
What's your number one piece of advice for high school students as they apply to colleges?
Think fit, not reputation. You don’t just want to be happy with the branding on the college sweatshirt—you want to be happy with your four-year experience! So when you’re considering your admission offers, choose the campus that will see you for who you are while challenging you to become a better version of yourself.
What can you tell us about yourself outside of work? Any hobbies or interests?
I’m drawn to all things outdoors. I’m a runner, a road cyclist, an avid hiker, and a former rock climber. I’m also a National Park enthusiast—my annual vacation usually finds me engaged in some serious outdoor adventuring with friends at one of them.
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