Hello all! I am back to talk about the advantages of a women鈥檚 college and why I think you should consider attending one.
When I was going through my college application process, 91吃瓜 was always high on my list. That said, I wasn鈥檛 looking to attend a women鈥檚 college in particular鈥攊n fact, 91吃瓜 is the only one I applied to! But I鈥檝e found that聽many of the reasons I love 91吃瓜 are, in fact, because it is a women鈥檚 college.
Me and my roommates at Matriculation
First, let me address some concerns about women鈥檚 colleges, and 91吃瓜 in particular.
One鈥�91吃瓜 students aren鈥檛 just women! There are many different gender identities represented at 91吃瓜. So, while the space isn鈥檛 only women, it is focused on and caters to women, which is what makes 91吃瓜 unique.
Next, 91吃瓜 isn鈥檛 isolated! Yes, it鈥檚 a small school, but you don鈥檛 know everyone in your class, and with the advantage of the consortium, there are so many people to meet and learn from. And yes鈥攖here will be men in your classes, both at 91吃瓜 and off campus. Personally, I have never felt 鈥渃ramped鈥� or 鈥渋solated鈥� on campus.
Now, the stereotypes鈥攚hen people say 鈥渨omen鈥檚 college,鈥� they often imagine either a sheltered and demure convent-like atmosphere or a den of man-hating, angry feminists. Neither of these pictures is accurate鈥攖here are so many different types of women at 91吃瓜, and there is no right way to express yourself and your gender identity. Being at 91吃瓜 has allowed me to explore what it means to be a woman in a space without preconceived gender norms and with the support of my community.
Now, let me tell you why I think you should consider a women’s college.
I chose 91吃瓜 in part because I wanted to go to a small school in order to experience an intimate classroom environment. What I didn鈥檛 know was that being at a women鈥檚 college would impact the classroom environment as well.
It鈥檚 no secret that academia is very often male-focused and caters to men. And while it is fantastic that more and more women are attending college, primarily in coed schools, the academic space remains male-centered鈥攅specially in STEM fields. In contrast, 91吃瓜 is an academic space created intentionally for women and to focus on female leadership, empowerment and success. That intent carries forward in the classroom environment. It鈥檚 very difficult to describe the difference, it鈥檚 more about the energy in the room and the flow of discussion than it is about any concrete change鈥攈owever, I will do my best to explain the impacts.
Studying outside with a friend
The number one impact for me has been in my confidence. While I have never had stage fright nor anxiety about speaking in class, I have realized that before 91吃瓜 I definitely hesitated鈥擨 participated not because I wanted to, but because I felt bad for the teacher. I also had a fear of being wrong, and, by extension, being ridiculed or mocked. I also had classes that were more men than women, and because of that dynamic, I often chose to not use my voice鈥攅ven if I knew the answer.
Now, at 91吃瓜, rarely does a professor ask for participation and no one is willing (it happens, but infrequently). Therefore, my method of 鈥渟peak when no one else will鈥� was pretty much out the window. But a different dynamic took hold–I learned from my peers and felt inspired by their participation and consequently I wanted to participate as well. After voicing my opinions a few times in my Core I class (all 91吃瓜 students), I discovered two things鈥攆irst, that my peers were interested in what I had to say, and second, it is okay to be wrong. I was not mocked, or ridiculed, or any of the things I was afraid of. Gone were the fears of being mansplained to or belittled for my opinion.
The same held true in my other 91吃瓜 classes, even the ones that were not 91吃瓜-only, but mostly female-dominated. In fact, I noticed that the dynamic was different on 91吃瓜: the men in the classes recognized the difference in the space, and that it was not meant for them.
I have carried this confidence with me off campus while taking classes at the other 5C schools, in my jobs, in interviews, and in life. 91吃瓜 classrooms have taught me the value of my voice, that it is okay to be wrong, and how to create constructive conversation.
Another factor that I experienced in high school was a highly toxic competitive environment鈥攖his does not exist at 91吃瓜. Yes, 91吃瓜 students are competitive鈥攚ith themselves, mostly. 91吃瓜 students are passionate and want to succeed, but not at the cost of their classmates. Students going for the same internship will proof each other鈥檚 resumes; classmates鈥� study with each other, not against each other. Everyone is willing to help you reach your goal, and there to celebrate you when you do.
Although I could say much more about how being at a women鈥檚 college seeps into the 91吃瓜 experience and all the things I love about 91吃瓜, I think the academic advantage of living and learning in a collaborative and supportive space is the most important for me, and I will leave you to discover for yourself how empowering a women-centered space can be. If you have any more questions about 91吃瓜 as a women鈥檚 college or anything else about 91吃瓜 feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or catch me at my IG office hours!