<p>I'm in the application process, and contemplating sending to a few all-women's colleges. My SAT superscore is 1950, while my ACT is 25(not the best, I know =P) I plan on majoring in something neuro-related while taking care of all of my pre-med classes, and if at all possible, minoring in art/music, or cinematography. I identify as a feminist(not the stereotypical kind), I don't have a problem with guys, though I don't think I'd have much of a problem without them either. </p>
<p>So after that bio, my question is: why choose an all women's college/university? What makes them superior, in your mind, to co-ed schools? I've read studies before suggesting that women in such colleges tend to perform higher in classes related to science and math than on average in your standard co-ed school, probably due to the lack of societal pressure to conform to the stereotype? </p>
<p>Also, do you think I'd be a better fit at such a college, or at a co-ed school? Why? If so, which ones come to mind(I live in Florida, but am considering going out-of-state)?</p>
<p>I’m glad you are considering applying to a women’s college. I’m a first year at smith college, a women’s college in Massachusetts and it is a great fit for me. I’m also from Florida. I didn’t consider applying to a women’s college until I visited. I also consider myself a moderate feminist and have a similar view about guys to yours. Women’s colleges are very supportive environments for women interested in stem majors. At smith, science majors can do research as an undergraduate and work closely with their professors. Because most women’s colleges are also liberal arts colleges, you can take science classes and classes in the humanities. Smith has an open curriculum, no requirements outside of major besides a writing intensive class. Therefore, it’s easy to take classes in a variety of disciplines. Smith has a major and minor in neuroscience. I recommend you visit a few women’s colleges to see if any are a good fit for you. I don’t think women’s colleges are any better than some coed colleges, I think it depends more on an individual’s personality and learning style as to whether they will succeed and be happy.</p>
<p>I don’t think women’s colleges are overall superior, per se, to co-ed colleges. Some women’s colleges are better than others, and there are some co-ed universities/colleges better than some women’s colleges. From the little you told us, there is no way to tell whether or not you are a better fit for a co-ed or women’s college (and really, nobody can tell you that besides you). With that said, I found a women’s college to be a very nurturing and awesome environment in which to be an emerging adult. For context, I attended a women’s college that’s in a consortium with a men’s college and a co-ed university.</p>
<p>The biggest thing about women’s colleges is that, being all-women environments, all student campus leaders and many faculty, staff, and administrative leaders are women. Women’s colleges also have more diverse faculties than co-ed colleges on average. I’m getting my PhD, and one of the reasons I decided to do so was because I had a female professor in my first semester of college who really inspired me - my stereotype of a professor until then had been an older white man. When you’re a young and impressionable freshman, seeing powerful women - both your classmates who are SGA president, student trustee, leading activism and other kinds of movements, and your president, provost, deans, etc. - is incredibly inspiring.</p>
<p>Also I took math and science classes at my college. My math professors were women, which is unusual in large numbers (or at all) at other types of universities (my husband’s a math major at an elite university, and has had none). My biology professor was also a woman. Women’s colleges are really big on encouraging women in science; it’s said that one of the reasons women leak out of the pipeline is feeling marginalized in mostly-male science departments, or feeling ignored or passed over by their mostly-male professors. Those aren’t significant issues at women’s colleges because all of your math/science classmates will be women. I have a couple of friends from my undergrad who went on to pursue PhDs in the math/sciences, and another several who are engineers now.</p>