Why Choose a Women's College?

Choosing the right college can be overwhelming when there are so many options. There are the obvious choices: you're thinking about size (do you want a large university, or a small intimate college), location (do you want to stay close to home, or move far away), cost (does the school offer financial aid) and academics (do you want a school that specializes in your area of interest). But have you considered attending an all-women's college?

Like many young women today, you may be thinking there's no way you'd go to an all-women's college. But you may want to rethink! Did you know graduates of women's colleges are twice as likely as female graduates from other colleges to enter medical school and receive doctoral degrees in both medicine and the natural sciences? Although only four percent of the nation's college-educated women are graduates of a women's college, half of all women's college graduates in the work force hold traditionally male-dominated jobs at the higher end of the pay scale. These women are also more apt to hold leadership positions in college organizations numerous surveys show.

There are many other reasons to seriously consider choosing an all-women's college. Women's colleges empower their students. Learning in the company of other women is a great advantage, as it gives you the chance to explore who you are and focus on your studies without the distractions of a co-ed environment. (You can always meet up with your male friends after class!). An all-women's institution emphasizes collaboration rather than competition. You hear "yes" and "why not?" instead of "no" or "why?"

Attending a women's college gives you plenty of exposure to female role models (the majority of presidents are women, and more than half of the faculty members are women), plus you gain confidence that you're in charge of your future. The women's college environment makes traditionally male dominated fields of learning more attractive, including math, economics, business, the sciences, and technology. Learning at an all-women's college also provides the opportunity to hold positions of leadership and responsibility that at a co-ed school are often held by a male.

A study conducted by the Indiana University Center for Post Secondary Research surveyed more than 42,000 students, including students at 26 women's colleges, and found that students from women's colleges overall have greater satisfaction with their college experiences. That included greater support for their success, far more interaction with faculty members, more integrative learning experiences, and far more opportunities to develop leadership skills.

Women have made extraordinary gains in typically male-dominated environments, but women are still the "first" and sometimes the "only" in many settings and situations. Although only a small percentage of women are graduates of a women's college, they can take credit for a remarkably high percentage of achievement in the real world. Approximately 20 percent of women in Congress attended a women's college, including Senator Hillary Clinton, the first woman to run for President of the United States, and Nancy Pelosi, the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Other famous graduates from women's colleges include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, legendary television journalist Barbara Walters, journalist Diane Sawyer, and famed poet Emily Dickinson. In addition, even though women occupy only 9.4 percent of titles higher than vice president, nearly 20 percent of Fortune's "50 Most Powerful Women in Business" are graduates of women's colleges.

So why choose a women's college? Because attending an all-women's institution allows you to discover who you are in an intellectually focused, safe, and supportive environment that will contribute to your confidence and success. A women's college helps you to develop the confidence and leadership skills that prepare you to interact, work, and successfully compete in today's world.

Editorial provided by Diane Millikan, Director of Communications at Simmons College in Boston, MA.