tell me about your experiences with all women's colleges

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can a student who is not in the lgbt community fit in at an all women's college? Or do those colleges nowadays lean more for those who are?

Please. Stop peddling in stereotypes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone thinks you’re a lesbian. Also, a lot of lesbians go to those colleges.

A lot of lesbians go to all colleges. Why dies this matter?

A higher percentage are typically enrolled at all women colleges. Does that not make sense?

No, and it actually isn't true either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone thinks you’re a lesbian. Also, a lot of lesbians go to those colleges.

A lot of lesbians go to all colleges. Why dies this matter?

A higher percentage are typically enrolled at all women colleges. Does that not make sense?

No, and it actually isn't true either.

It often is true. For example Mt. Holyoke and Agnes Scott.

[Anonymous]

Daughter went to Smith. Great college experience and friends for life. Northampton is a small cute safe town .Barn and riding program at Smith is very good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Daughter went to Smith. Great college experience and friends for life. Northampton is a small cute safe town .Barn and riding program at Smith is very good.

Smith got rid of their on campus barn several years ago. They do still have an IHSA team, I believe. MHC is much stronger for riding if that is important to your student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Bryn Mawr, and loved it, but I went there after also having been at an all-girls high school, and even with having co-ed opportunities with Haverford guys, that many years of single-sex did me no favors socially. I felt awkward and uncomfortable around men for years after college. Now, I’ve always been very introverted (and diagnosed social anxiety post age 40), so certainly my own personality and temperament played into that. Take with a grain of salt.

Also no, not everybody assumes you’re a lesbian. Even at BMC, which at least when I was there was called “the butch of the Seven Sisters.” Just the bigots do, and who cares about them. Although it *was* fun to hold hands with my roomate (who did happen to be bi) while walking to the grocery store and give the conservative old biddies in the town heart palpitations.

The social scene at the all women’s colleges is very different than two decades ago. My dd went to an all girl’s high school. Even there, many of the girls identified as lesbian.

This isn’t a criticism, a prospective student just needs to be comfortable where the majority of dating will be same sex.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to Bryn Mawr, and loved it, but I went there after also having been at an all-girls high school, and even with having co-ed opportunities with Haverford guys, that many years of single-sex did me no favors socially. I felt awkward and uncomfortable around men for years after college. Now, I’ve always been very introverted (and diagnosed social anxiety post age 40), so certainly my own personality and temperament played into that. Take with a grain of salt.

Also no, not everybody assumes you’re a lesbian. Even at BMC, which at least when I was there was called “the butch of the Seven Sisters.” Just the bigots do, and who cares about them. Although it *was* fun to hold hands with my roomate (who did happen to be bi) while walking to the grocery store and give the conservative old biddies in the town heart palpitations.

The social scene at the all women’s colleges is very different than two decades ago. My dd went to an all girl’s high school. Even there, many of the girls identified as lesbian.

This isn’t a criticism, a prospective student just needs to be comfortable where the majority of dating will be same sex.

+1 Exactly. Denying the obvious is not a good idea.

[Anonymous]

PP stop being homophobic.

As a current student at Wellesley it has its ups and downs. I was able to find a great friend group my second semester here. The academics are rigorous and as a transfer from a CC who almost didn’t graduate HS it’s a tough adjustment. Even for the kids who’ve done 15 APs at a boarding school do have trouble. Dating isn’t too bad as many people date men from MIT, Olin, or Babson or even schools like BU and NEU. Pretty much any school in the Boston area people will date. The community here is not as supportive as I thought it’d be. It’s still wonderful but my other options were Smith and Mount Holyoke and they seem to be less competitive and more community oriented. Me and some other transfer students have qualms about the community and self-segregation by class and race.

Wellesley is currently having problems with admin that have soured my opinion on the school. However, my professors, resources for academics + mental health, and 7S alum are wonderful. I was choosing between Wellesley and UVA and sometimes I question my choice but in the end I’m glad I came here. I’m not scared to be wrong in class and ask questions.

Another complaint that even some other students have is that discussions in class are cyclical and don’t add anything new. Most people have the same opinions. Differing opinions aren’t welcome so there isn’t anything new to learn when the same people share the same opinion. I wish there was more broad discussion instead of everyone agreeing. Multiple classes have anti-cancel culture policies to be more open to differing opinions to foster discussion but people still don’t share.

As a non-traditional student Wellesley has been a tough but great environment for me to grow.

[Anonymous]

*Wellesley seems to be less community oriented.

Also, I don’t know if it’s a COVID or Wellesley thing but students are more anxious, socially anxious, etc. I think it’s both as I went to a public school in VA in the late 2010’s but both schools are on opposite ends on who it attracts. But I do think COVID has stifled people’s social meter. Some people here are very scared of talking to others or don’t like talking to people they don’t know if you’re not in their friend group.

[Anonymous]

*public college in VA with a 90%+ AR.

[Anonymous]

Most of these institutions are no longer all women OP. Are you OK with that, or seeking an environment that is limited to female persons only?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We looked closely at women's colleges. I liked the idea, but after we researched, we decided against that direction. Imo, there are two types of students: activist lesbian and introverted girls who are often from traditional families (and many international families in this group). The only womens college my daughter considered was barnard- because of job opportunities and bc there are boys to date at columbia/grad school, but she didn't like the activist vibe at Barnard. She chose a different school which is a better fit for her academically and socially. Of note, if interested humanities or social sciences, be sure to check the curriculum, course offerings, areas of faculty research, to understand their ideological preferences. It's eye opening.

Thank you for this. The smart ass responses are so unhelpful

[Anonymous]

We chose Wellesley over a T-10 school. She has loved Wellesley and is about to graduate-no regrets!

[Anonymous]

My daughter is thriving at Mount Holyoke. The teaching and mentorship she's received have been outstanding. She has friends at and sometimes attends events at other consortium schools.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, if you haven’t attended one, please shut up. Don’t rely on imagination and spread misinformation.