Women's colleges

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think the issue is that women's colleges have become become a bit obsolete for heterosexual women. We initially considered Women's colleges for dd. But after touring learned that womens colleges today admit a lot of nonbinary/lesbian students and even biological males that identify as female. Language in the women's colleges seem to avoid any gendered language due to this complexity. For me, it's odd. When I was in college, my friends at women's schools talked about strong sisterhood and female empowerment. Its not like that anymore. I think schools like barnard still appeal because of proximity to nyc, male students across the street, broader university course offerings, and easier to get into vs Columbia college.

Don't listen to haters who have no idea what women's colleges are all about. The bolded statement is just wrong. My D is at a women's college, and the girls really look out for one another. I don't think they use the word "sisterhood" these days but the ties are very strong. I could give you a million examples but just know that this poster has no idea what they are talking about!

Why don’t they use the word sisterhood? Trans women identify as women, so who would they be offending?

I don't know, I have not heard the term being used. My guess is it's because they also welcome non-binary individuals as well now. Or maybe the term just became outdated. But the sentiment is still there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This question, again. OP, please do a search. There have been some threads previously about women's schools. Not everyone is lesbian. I loved my experience at Wellesley. FWIW, all my friends were straight and they're all happily married (to men) and have kids who are now applying to college. Apply if you feel it is the right fit. Don't discount it for stupid reasons like everyone is lesbian.

There wasn't a thread covering the handful of women's colleges.

please look, there has been tons of discussion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Five sisters. Vassar went co-ed. Radcliffe joined Harvard.

The remaining schools are still referred to as Seven Sisters schools. It’s just an identifier. Like the Big 10 conference now has 18 schools but is still called the Big 10.

Yes and occasionally the 7 Siblings

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is an enormous difference between being at a women's college and being at a college that is "mostly" (60%) women.

At a 60% women college with 25% lesbian/bi that is 45% straight women.
At a women’s college where 80% (conservative number; probably much higher) are lesbian/bi that is 20% straight women.
So the best way for a woman to be around other straight women, where they are not a small minority being subjected to the “female gaze,” is to avoid women’s colleges altogether.
Obviously that is the antithesis of why women’s colleges were established in the first place and what made them great. Their time has passed.

not sure what you have against women's colleges or gay people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think the issue is that women's colleges have become become a bit obsolete for heterosexual women. We initially considered Women's colleges for dd. But after touring learned that womens colleges today admit a lot of nonbinary/lesbian students and even biological males that identify as female. Language in the women's colleges seem to avoid any gendered language due to this complexity. For me, it's odd. When I was in college, my friends at women's schools talked about strong sisterhood and female empowerment. Its not like that anymore. I think schools like barnard still appeal because of proximity to nyc, male students across the street, broader university course offerings, and easier to get into vs Columbia college.

Well, thank you for your uninformed opinion based on, what, a tour? My DD is heterosexual and is very happy at Smith. All her closest friends at Smith appear (as best I can tell, not really asking about ppl's sexuality) to be heterosexual as well. Of course, it is a very welcoming place for LGBTQ+ students, but those are hardly the only students there. DD and her friends sometimes go to the other colleges in the area to socialize. For a while she was dating a boy at Amherst, then decided she didn't like him enough. lol.

There are many advantages to women's college, now that our family has firsthand knowledge. DD's confidence has grown so much, she is double majoring in STEM (not sure that would have happened otherwise), classes are small, she knows her profs, academics are top notch, and the community is so supportive. There are also the little things. The student activities are more geared towards things women would like, such as craft nights. Even the dining hall food seems more geared to a woman's palette. The alum network is incredibly strong, not just for Smith, but the wider Seven Sisters network too.

It is a tremendous experience, if this is what your daughter wants.

Women always claim there would be fewer wars if they ran the world. But every discussion of women’s colleges devolves into a nasty catfight by page 2.

That's because of the people who did not attend with weird and sometimes offensive views.

[Anonymous]

Co-worker's daughter went to Smith and came back as a gender-neutral person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Co-worker's daughter went to Smith and came back as a gender-neutral person.

What is the difference between gender-neutral and genderless?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Co-worker's daughter went to Smith and came back as a gender-neutral person.

Their gender identity probably would have been the same at a co-ed school! That’s more of an internal thing than external environment (but nice when you can be somewhere supportive that allows you to embrace who you are).

[Anonymous]

DD at Wellesley. She has been openly bisexual since middle school. And she sought out a women’s college to feel safe and not judged for her sexuality. She dated a boy in an MIT frat for about a year. Many of the students are dating MIT boys. She says MIT boyfriends ride the bus to see their GFs. It’s very common. There is a joke about MIT boyfriends and Wellesley girlfriends.

However, her being with a woman or non-binary person is no sweat off my back. Our family has accepted her because we love her. It makes no difference the gender of a person she dates.

Also, as an alum of another Seven Sisters college: these schools have always been gay. Google what a Wellesley marriage is and how the term was popularized in the early 20th century. Love letters secretly written between Victorian women. (Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1920s). Free love movement in the 70s.

Gay and trans people did not just magically appear in the last 2 decades. They’ve always been apart of Seven Sisters college culture. If you’re so upset of the possibility of your child “becoming” gay or trans then you never loved your child in the first place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is at Mount Holyoke and loves it. She is getting an amazing education and has made a close group of friends. It is absolutely the right place for her.

This was my experience at MHC 35ish years ago.

[Anonymous]

It’s kinda funny that people want access to a women’s dominated space and the entirety of their issue are about there not being men. Also what’s the big deal with lesbians? They don’t want your daughter.

[Anonymous]

We considered a couple women's schools for our daughter. She is an ally (as far as I know)-there was a brief "I might be bi" time, but she was like 14 and has dated only males since then and never mentioned it again.

She wasn't a top student and could have benefited from the small environment at many of these schools are able to provide some more individual attention.

We considered Sweet Briar and Hollins here in VA, Meredith in NC and Cedar Crest in PA.

Unfortunately, Sweet Briar and Hollins did not have both the programs she was interested in, which made them no gos. She DID apply to Randolph, a former all women's school that went co-ed and is in a consortium with Sweet Briar and Lynchburg U. It has about 600 students - so small, BUT, it was such a cute little school with the Take2 system for classes and VERY affordable with merit money and additional scholarships PLUS VTAG money.

We didn't wind up pursuing Cedar Crest because we couldn't figure out how to make it as affordable as other schools, but it is part of a consortium with a few other local PA schools and is right down the street from Muhlenberg, which is larger and co-ed.

The one we did actually visit and she had planned to apply to (their deadline was just later than several others and she already had yesses from a couple other schools she liked better) was Meredith in NC. I was the one who convinced her to give it a shot. She was apprehensive about all women, but I told her to trust her mom and keep an open mind. It had both the programs she was interested in (including a brand new building housing classrooms for one of them) and was right down the street from NC State in Raleigh. It has a lovely campus, incredibly kind and welcoming students and staff, yet very easy access to the surrounding area for entertainment/dating. Everyone from the admissions office to the cafeteria staff just sang the praises of the place and were like "oh, this is a great place - we all take care of each other here" My daughter was considering a performing art as either a major or minor, so she got to take a couple classes and all the other students were so excited to have her in class and all were happy to answer her questions. They also all said hi when they saw her around campus later in the day. Meredith is in a consortium with a couple other colleges, but most importantly was NC State. We were told that a couple young ladies who were Meredith dancers were actually allowed to be on the NC State Dance team by just taking one class per semester there. I really liked that while the college was its own little oasis, they weren't secluded/rural and you could have as big or as small a social life as you might want. It actually was a decent size for an all women's school - I think it was 1500 students. While my daughter didn't wind up applying in the end, she and I both really enjoyed our visit and she had no complaints about all women after actually seeing the place and area.

We never really considered one other school in GA - Brenau. Post-Dobbs, GA was just a no go for our family. That said, without those considerations, it was another women's school that could have been a nice fit because of the programs available there and the reputation of the performing arts there.

She wound up at a rather small co-ed school in MA. The student body is maybe 1200 students, but it was in an adorable small town that was on a commuter train line to Boston. It had a strong performing arts community and also had incredible ties in the other field she was interested in (including a really cool partnership with the Kraft organization)

Sorry, didn't mean to write a book! If it is of any interest for your daughter, I think a lot of the women's colleges have a lot to offer. I looke back and realize I should have given them a little more thought. I really just thought "ugh, I don't want to go to an all girls school" I wish my mom had intervened and given me a little of the perspective I have now about some of the amenities near some of these campuses and the advantages of certain programs and all of that. I wound up at a good co-ed school in the end, so it isn't like I made a bad choice. I just wish I would have looked more closely at Smith, who was very heavily attempting to recruit me. I remember looking at the brochures and just thinking how pretty it was. I do think the Five Colleges is a very cool consortium-just expands options so much. Oh well - the path not taken, right?

[Anonymous]

I attended Wellesley College. It was a mistake for me to go to an all girls school. I never made any male relationships and now
I’m in my late 30s with no prospects either. Academics were great though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Co-worker's daughter went to Smith and came back as a gender-neutral person.

Their gender identity probably would have been the same at a co-ed school! That’s more of an internal thing than external environment (but nice when you can be somewhere supportive that allows you to embrace who you are).

It would not have happened if they’d gone to SMU or Ole Miss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is an enormous difference between being at a women's college and being at a college that is "mostly" (60%) women.

At a 60% women college with 25% lesbian/bi that is 45% straight women.
At a women’s college where 80% (conservative number; probably much higher) are lesbian/bi that is 20% straight women.
So the best way for a woman to be around other straight women, where they are not a small minority being subjected to the “female gaze,” is to avoid women’s colleges altogether.
Obviously that is the antithesis of why women’s colleges were established in the first place and what made them great. Their time has passed.

not sure what you have against women's colleges or gay people.

I like diversity; women’s colleges do not have a diversity of women. They are therefore “women’s colleges” in name only. Sad statement though it may be, co-ed colleges have more female diversity.

Most women do not consider women’s colleges not because of lack of male access, but because they are made uncomfortable being their “straight” selves. By definition, then, women’s colleges are now anti-women.