The role of women’s colleges

However, something still troubled me. As I expressed my interest in attending a women’s college to my friends and family, they said things like “I could never go to a school where there are no guys,” or asked questions like “Is it true everyone who goes to a women’s college is a lesbian?” When my mom expressed her concern to me that I wouldn’t be able to find a boyfriend if I were to go to a women’s college, I was distraught. Because no matter how I explained my reasons, people’s initial misconceptions kept them from appreciating women’s colleges for what they really are.

Women’s colleges were established in the late 19th century to educate women at a time when universities were only open to male students. Today, the number of women’s colleges has greatly reduced in response to most universities having gone co-ed. And to many, women’s colleges may seem outdated and irrelevant, especially as we have reached gender equality in higher education. But in reality, women’s colleges are often an unknown and undervalued option for about half of the population.

Common misconceptions surrounding women’s colleges depict them as socially limiting places where students are isolated in an artificial bubble, completely free of male perspectives. And in an environment where male voices are nonexistent, students are ill-prepared for reality after graduation in the workforce and society. However, many women’s colleges today are part of consortiums — like Scripps College in Claremont, California and Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts — where students are encouraged to take classes and join student organizations at other co-ed colleges. Contrary to public belief, students at women’s colleges can have social lives and interact with people of the opposite sex.

And as for how women’s colleges prepare their students for the real world, we can let statistics speak for itself. According to Forbes, only 2% of female college students choose to attend a women’s college, yet these women make up “20% of the women in Congress, and represent 30% of a Businessweek list of rising women in corporate America.” At women’s colleges, students are encouraged to take on leadership roles and explore careers that are traditionally male-dominated. Graduates of women’s colleges are more likely to become leaders in their own fields, because they learn in an environment where female leadership is prevalent everywhere — not just in the classrooms, but also in student organizations and the legacies left by the women who came before them.

Yes, choosing to attend a women’s college is an unconventional choice, and it’s definitely not for everyone. And of course women can still achieve success at co-ed universities. Yet women’s colleges provide an unique college experience and unparalleled benefits that all women should, at the very least, consider in their future plans.

Shavonne Lin is a senior at San Mateo High School. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.