Why Not Women’s Colleges?

When I told my friends that I planned to apply to women’s colleges this fall, they reacted like I had just informed them that I was planning on pursuing a career in taxidermy. First they gave me a look of deep skepticism. Then they presented me with a list of reasons why this was the worst idea I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot of bad ideas).

A friend of mine who graduated last year said that she would never even consider going to a women’s college because (and I’m paraphrasing this one for the sake of propriety) she was afraid there would be no dating opportunities at a women’s school.

But…I said, “women’s college,” not “convent.” Many women’s colleges are in the middle of big cities, such as New York or L.A., and quite a few of them are, (sometimes literally), right next door to co-ed institutions. So, as far as I can tell, the dating opportunities wouldn’t be limited.

Both a sophomore and junior at Albany High told me that they would never attend a women’s college either because they professed to “hate girl drama.” I wasn’t able to find any scientific research about “chick drama,” but I will say this: it’s been my experience that the presence of males tends to instigate girl drama, not diffuse it. I tend to think that whether or not a college is co-ed has nothing to do with the amount, or lack of drama found at said institution.

Then there’s the student-population-of-strident-feminist-man-haters stereotype. This one doesn’t hold water either—according to Leslie Ribovich, a graduate of Albany High, and freshman at Barnard, a women’s college in New York, the girls at her school were more of the type-A-really-really-smart-really-really-hot-really-really-motivated ilk. I will concede that I can see where a school full of that “type” might get tedious at times, but still.

Some girls’ parents seem to harbor an irrational fear that attending a women’s college will cause their daughters to become weird, antisocial, uptight, and unprepared to compete with men in the business world. I wasn’t able to find any scientific research on this one either, but I will say that all the women I’ve met who went to women’s colleges were perfectly nice, well-adjusted, intelligent human beings.

More important than dating opportunities and potential for girl drama is the fact that attending a women’s college can be empowering. I’m not just spouting off propaganda here.

Susan Charlip, vice principal of Albany High, is a graduate of Douglas, a women’s college in New Jersey. She says that in an all-female classroom, female students seem less self-conscious and more prone to share their opinions with each other. Some women find it easier to study traditionally male-dominated fields at women’s colleges.

Twenty percent of the women in congress are women’s college graduates (compared to the two percent of the overall college educated population who graduated from women’s colleges).

Do you still think women who receive a single-sex college education are ill-prepared to compete with men in the world of business?

But the most attractive aspect of women’s colleges? No drunken frat boys. (I’m kidding. Well. Sort of.)

What I’m trying to say is this: women’s colleges aren’t just for prudes, and they provide supportive, empowering environments for their students. So if someone you know is considering applying to or attending one, don’t dump on her decision. She might just have a good reason.

4 Responses

1. 5:49 AM on October 30th, 2007AHS Alum:

   I entered Mills after graduating from AHS and have only wonderful things to say about my experience at this women’s college. A common argument I hear against women’s colleges is that eventually females have to “learn to deal with men.” This statement generally comes from people who tend to call them all girls’ schools rather than women’s colleges, by the way. In my experience, which included cross-registration at Berkeley in co-ed classes, Mills helped me to prepare for the real world better than a large co-ed university ever could have. Dating can be tough for the first semester or year as you find your way around the new area, and it is odd at first to have only women around, but I wouldn’t trade my experience for the world. Good luck!

2. 8:26 PM on November 18th, 2007Another AHS Alum:

   From someone who goes to a college where 75% of the student body is men, I can definitely agree that going to a women’s college would benefit a girl who wants to build up self-confidence. I’ve known the guys, most of which are engineering and science majors, are condescending toward women en masse. The drama factor also isn’t any different than any other college. You would think that at a school with few girls and an over-abundance of men, drama levels would be low. On the contrary, there’s on par with the level of drama you could find in high school. So much for people growing up I suppose haha.

3. 7:54 AM on February 29th, 2008Kill McDyke:

   the only school women belong at is a culinary academy! Because they belong in the kitchen so they can make me sandwiches

4. 6:06 PM on May 8th, 2008C:

   You go girl! I hope all of the women’s colleges you apllied to accept you and get to educate a smart girl like you.

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