A girl feels silenced in a classroom, while a boy raises his hand to speak. This is reflective of the dynamics at play within many coed schools. Illustration by Audrey Kennedy
More high school girls should consider applying to women’s colleges due to the educa- tional environment and academic preparation they provide students.
From 2014 to 2017, freshman enrollment at women’s colleges in the United States increased from 9,000 to 13,000, according to the Women’s College Coalition. Still, only 2% of American female college graduates attended a women’s college. More young women should consider women’s colleges because of their numerous benefits, including supportive classroom environments and preparation for professional success after graduation.
A study conducted by American University professors Myra and David Sadker found that boys called out answers in class eight times as often as girls did at the elementary school level. At single-gender institutions, however, classes are comprised entirely of women and the gender dynamics typically at play in a classroom are no longer present.
“My coed high school experience played a pivotal role in my decision (to attend a women’s college). In high school, there were a lot of microaggressions in the classroom and I always felt like I had to prove myself to my male classmates,” Barnard College sophomore Asela Eatenson, a Clarke Central High School 2017 graduate, said. “(At Barnard), women are always speaking up. They feel valued in the classroom and don’t have to constantly prove to others their ability in the subject.”
Some argue that a women’s college education doesn’t prepare students for the “real world” after graduation. However, studies have shown that graduates of women’s colleges are often more prepared for leadership and professional success than their counterparts at coed institutions.
According to the Women’s College Coalition, although just 2% of American female college graduates attended single-gender colleges, graduates of women’s colleges account for more than 20% of women in Congress and a third of the female board members at Fortune 1,000 companies.
In addition, women’s college graduates typically earn advanced degrees at a higher rate than other graduates. According to a 2012 Women’s College Coalition survey, 51% of women’s college graduates earned advanced degrees, in contrast with just 33% of liberal arts and 27% of major public university graduates.
Eatenson believes this can be attributed to the women’s college environment.
“I think attending a women’s college is really positive because students are seeing a ton of strong women from different backgrounds in leadership positions,” Eatenson said. “Wom- en’s colleges challenge gender norms in the workplace by having women from different backgrounds teaching in many different departments. I also think attending a women’s college gives women the proper tools to navigate leadership positions in male-dominated areas.”
The idea that students at women’s colleges are cloistered from the rest of the world and rarely interact with men is a misconception. In fact, many women’s colleges are members of multi-college consortiums, which allow students to cross-enroll in classes and interact with students from co-educational institutions.
The educational experience offered by a women’s college is often invaluable due to the confidence it instills in graduates. High school counselors and college advisors should be making students more aware of the diverse variety of post-secondary options available for students — including women’s colleges. More young women should consider applying to women’s colleges because of the numerous benefits they offer.
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