Pop Quiz: Who said the following?
• “I was not going to a women’s college by any means.”
• “I took the stuff from the all-male school and tossed it into the trash can.”
• “I remember getting in a fight with my mom. I said, ‘I’m not going to a women’s college—no way.’”
Answer: These are all comments made by graduates of colleges that are not coed. These students all changed their tune and ended up enthusiastic about their non-coed schools. How did that happen?
First, during their college search, these students went to visit a non-coed school, often because something about the school attracted them. Women’s colleges (and most of the few remaining all-male colleges) are almost all small liberal arts schools that offer small classes, lots of personal contact with professors, and strong academics. That’s a great combination, one that many high school students are looking for in any college they consider.
And then these students found something extra.
• For a number of students it was the strong sense of community.
• For others it was a super financial aid package.
• For some female students it was opportunities for leadership in a place where all the leaders are women.
Students who have loved their experience at a non-coed college say this: don’t dismiss a college simply because it’s not coed. If the school offers things that attract you, check it out.
Listen to some firsthand experiences:
Erika Rikard, Mills College ’05: “I came to Mills because I got a full tuition scholarship. I don’t know if it’s the small college environment or the women’s college environment, but I’ve definitely had very strong relationships with faculty here who are interested in seeing women in leadership positions. I’ve been pushed to be curious and learn and figure out what I want. I’m really interested in social justice—and I didn’t think I was before—in the idea of change and that change is possible and that I can be a part of it.”
Susan O’Brien, Sweet Briar College ’06: For her senior year in high school, Susan switched to an all-women’s boarding school and also took one coed class at a community college. “I realized I was a lot quieter in a coed classroom than a single-sex classroom. That surprised me, because I didn’t think that’s how I was.” That insight led her to decide to attend an all-women’s college. She recommends, “If you’re quiet in the classroom or a little quiet around guys, put yourself in the all-women’s environment for a while.”
Gina Patterson, Simmons College ’06: Gina, whose mother is from Trinidad and father is from Jamaica, wasn’t sure about going to an all-women’s college. Now she thinks it’s the best decision she could have made. “I probably would have been sidetracked by social life at a coed school. Going to a women’s college has been so empowering for me: for me growing into myself, for really being able to be comfortable in my own skin, to love being a woman.”
Joe Martin, Wabash College ’06: “When I came to visit, I was impressed with the people, the community, the professors. We’re close-knit. You’re not worried about trying to impress anybody during the week. You can just roll out of bed and go to class.”
Patrick McKiernan, Valley Forge Military College ’05: “There’s a lot more focus on your goals and less on dating. You don’t have to juggle between your academic program and your relationship with your girlfriend. I feel the relations here with my fellow students are far stronger than they would have been in a coed environment. The people here are like brothers to me. In a coed environment, they would be more like friends.”
Minority women welcome
Giulietta Aquino, associate director of admission at Wellesley College, is Filipino American. She attended a women’s college because they offered her the best financial aid package. “The price tag was extraordinary,” she says, “but the cost to me was minimal.” She now recruits students from African-American, Latina, Asian-American, and Native American backgrounds for Wellesley. She says, “We don’t want all our students to be the same.”
If you are the first in your family to go to college, you may not even know what questions to ask. Your family may depend on you for support or be reluctant to consider a college loan. Ask if the college has a person or a program to help you out. The school may help you with the cost of visiting, your interview and application, and applying for financial aid.
What is right for you?
Pascale Lespinasse ’06 visited Barnard College and fell in love with it: its location in New York City, its affiliation with Columbia, and the warm atmosphere on campus. The fact that Barnard is a women’s college played no part in her decision to attend; in fact, it made her a little apprehensive—she wondered if she would be missing something.
Lespinasse’s parents had emigrated from Haiti, and she was born in the United States. “My being a minority didn’t really factor into my college choice—or into my experience at college,” she says. At Barnard, she found, “There’s an extra component of the commonality among women, and that comes out more than race.”
Lespinasse wanted to attend medical school and found Barnard’s small class sizes ideal. “I really got to know my professors and got the recommendations I needed.”
When Barnard sent her to Washington, D.C. for a week for a seminar on women in science and policy, a Barnard alum invited her and other Barnard students over for dinner. It was then, she says, that another benefit of an all-women’s school became clear: the network of alumnae who dedicate their time and energy to helping current students. “It’s like a big sorority,” she says. “The camaraderie among alums and students [is like that of] a society of big sisters and mentors.”
Although the all-women’s aspect of Barnard played no part in her decision to attend, Lespinasse says, in retrospect she came to realize, “This is a place I would grow as a woman, that I’d have role models.”
What about the opposite sex?
Non-coed colleges vary considerably, from quiet rural settings to New York City. Some have all-female or all-male classes, although many have cross-registrations with coed schools, and a few even have some coed dorms. So the opportunities for interactions with the opposite sex vary widely. At many non-coed schools, students endure—and to some extent enjoy—the relative absence of the opposite sex during the week, which gives them the chance to focus on their studies and other activities without distraction.
Still skeptical?
A non-coed school is not for everyone. There are students who regret attending a non-coed college, and a certain number do transfer out. It’s a decision you want to make carefully.
Judge a non-coed college the way you would any college: get beyond the glossy brochures and admissions reps. Go to visit. Stay overnight. Attend some classes. Talk to a lot of students to get the vibe of what’s going on. Compare it to other schools you visit. Then you be the judge.
Deborah Knight is a freelance writer who frequently contributes to this magazine. She is based in San Diego, California.
Source: careersandcolleges.com
