<p>Currently I attend an all-female high school and rather enjoy my experience. Don't worry, I still me guys in the musicals and as friends, so it isn't like I hate guys or am intimidated, but I kind of like the idea of having an all-female school, though I'm just toying with the idea. It seems very distinguished and all to me. That may sound strange, but I cannot explain (perhaps us females are so much more mature and intellectual. . . just kidding! I don't want to start a gender debate)</p>
<p>But for those who attend or have applied to all-female colleges like Bryn Mawy and Wellesley, what is it like? Is having no guys a positive or negative? Any other advantages to an all-girl school? </p>
<p>I also think you will be building onto your confidence even more because you won't feel threatened. Contrary to that statement, you might not be "strong" in a male-dominated society ( I disagree). I think success soley depends on the individual :) GOOD LUCK</p>
<p>I find it interesting that there are only 4 all-male schools in the country.</p>
<p>Anyways, there are a number of women's schools affiliated with co-ed schools which are definitely worth looking into. You'll get the atmosphere you seem to be looking for, but have some co-ed classes and the advantages of a full-fledged university.</p>
<p>I will tell you why there are only 4 all-male schools in the country. </p>
<p>Mainstream society says about girl going to all-female school: "That's very empowering, it will steep you in the true depths of feminism, and you can avoid those male chuavonist pigs! What a great idea, of an all girls school!"</p>
<p>Mainstream society says about boy going to all-male school: "Are you gay? LOL"</p>
<p>ignoring that debate, my cousin goes to smith and reports having a very positive experience... though she is only a freshman... but all the same, good things</p>
<p>I attended a woman's college for 4 years and can recall having no conversations about "the true depths of feminism" or being safe from male chauvinist pigs. Perhaps the college never got the memo, so to
speak.</p>
<p>Also, the gay jokes? Tired. </p>
<p>I didn't specifically seek out a single-sex environment, but I ended up falling in love with a woman's college. Once there, I realized this was a choice I could have made for that aspect alone. I liked being able to focus on studies during the week (I still had a social life, and one that included men on weekends). I liked going to the dining hall in pajamas for breakfast some mornings, and not worrying about how it would impact my social life if I were seen in campus without make up, acting silly, speaking up in class, or holding strong opinions. I liked that any and all leadership positions were open to women, and that there was nothing weird about majoring in physics, math, or econ. I liked that all professors seemed to assume women were highly capable. I appreciated getting to know women better, learning how to make better friends with them, trust them, and appreciate the wide range of talents, abilities, and personality types that the stereotypes gloss over.</p>
<p>I have met many women's college graduates in my personal, academic, and professional life. They are not the ill-adjusted, man-hating, propoganda-spewing harpies TheMK99 seems to have close personal experience with. They are successful, amibitious, and seem to have no problems negotiating through the mixed-gender communities in which they live and work after graduation.</p>
<p>I will jsut note in living right by Wellesley and having a sister (junior at Wellesley) that attends, there is no shortage in finding guys with all the Babson men and the constant back and forth shuttling between MIT and Wellesley till 3:00 am.</p>
<p>If you want to find a boyfriend or hang out with some guys, my sister say they come on campus rather frequently and on top of that, the town of Wellesley thinks of the campus as its own public park, so you will see guys, albeit old men :), running all over the campus everyday. So I guess the message is that you should be clear, Wellesley is far from an all-girls bubble.</p>
<p>Sweet Briar and Hamoden-Sydney are known for the social partnership with eachother. A girls school AND a boys school in relative proximity to eachother....</p>
<p>The women's colleges in the south: SB, Hollins,RMWC, Agnes Scott, etc. are not exactly bastions of liberal feminism. On the contrary, they seem to espouse traditional values based on their literature and what I heard from their admissions dept.</p>
<p>My best friend is going to Wellesley next year, and though she never felt the school was 100% perfect, it was by far her favorite of the ones she considered (mostly small lacs, both single sex and coed). Her top three choices were all-women's colleges. What she's said is that there's a certain ambience at a women's college. That involves greater academic and emotional support for students, a closer sense of community and a social life that does not necessarily interfere with studies. I think, if those aspects of college are important to you, then they make up a very good reason to choose a girls' school.</p>
<p>I suppose, for one, it's a matter of how important relationships are to you at your current career stage. Personally, i'd see college as an opportunity to not only learn and get your degree, but also as a good 'meeting ground' for getting to know people of the opposite sex, one of whom you might eventually start a relationship with.</p>
<p>I don't find the thought of graduating college and being alone too appealing. Other than the work-place (possibly bad for a number of reasons) and clubbing (also possibly bad), the opportunities of meeting someone you 'click' with after graduating don't seem very abundant to me.</p>
<p>I'm going to Mt. Holyoke next year and my biggest worry was that upon graduating, I would remain single for the rest of my life. Life isn't about meeting a guy and sticking to him, though, and I'm from NYC, so the prospects are plenty. I'm also coming back to take summer courses here (at NYU, Barnard) after my first year... and many girls at Mt. Holyoke find guys when they study abroad. It's not all too bad. The consortium also makes it a lot easier to meet men. It's not as difficult as it would be if you were attending another non-consortium school. As long as you take advantage of the opportunities provided, you will be able to fare well. </p>
<p>I had a very hard time accepting that I would be going to a women's college because: </p>
<p>a) I'm straight
b) I need diversity (really, really, really need gender diversity)
c) I'ven ever been in an all female environment</p>
<p>After staying there for a few days, however, I realized it could only be a rewarding experience and nothing at all to regret. I'm from NYC, so the change of scenery is definitely going to be something to get used to, but I think that most people who go to women's colleges go because they love to learn and because they're willing to give up a bit of that on campus socializing to pursue their dreams. Women's colleges are for certain people; some people just aren't meant to go to them. :)</p>
<p>My friend this year actually had to choose between Tufts and Wellesley, and it was tough for her since like three generations of grandmothers or something like that all went to Wellesley, but hmmm, she actually ended up choosing Tufts, she told me that the all-girl atmosphere was not really conducive to the learning environment and that most of the girls generally were not welcoming to incoming frosh as well as competitive in their own right.</p>
<p>I have the same reservations about going to an all-girls school, specifically the ones begoodagain pointed out.</p>
<p>These opinions are helpful, I was actually going to start a topic about it recently, so you saved me the trouble katia. =)</p>
<p>I wouldn't have thought to seek out a single-sex school (I'm in a coed public high school) but I've really started to like Wellesley as I hear more about it, and am going to visit it next week. I have a feeling I'm going to love the atmosphere, but I still am not 100% sure an all-girls school would be the best for me. I know the Boston area has so many schools in the area that I'm sure there would be no shortage of men, but it's still different.</p>
<p>When I was asking myself whether or not a women's college was right for me, I shunned the idea because I thought that it just was not the real world. Then, I kept thinking.... Maybe going to a women's college is a good thing because it isn't real. When will I ever have the opportunity to have this experience. When will I be able to immerse myself in a community of intelligent women? Never. I'm going to Wellesley this fall because I'll be damned if I turn down a once-in-a-lifetime experience.</p>