Hello everyone, we’re new to the board. Our daughter Alexandra (Allie) is now 15 and beginning her college search. Her first choice is Bryn Mawr, which is my wife’s alma mater. She’s been there many times for class reunions and other events. We want her to know what her alternatives are, so we’ve encouraged her to look at Smith, Mount Holyoke, and Wellesley. Is there anywhere else of that academic caliber that we should be considering? We keep hearing good things about Mills, but we honestly don’t know much about it. We’re East Coasters, and California may be a little too far for Allie to travel for college, but we don’t want to limit her options.
Academically, she’s very strong in science (considering psychology and perhaps medical school), but it’s also very important to her to be able to study women’s/gender studies.She needs to be in an academically intense community of strong, supportive women. Any suggestions you have are most welcome!
Thank you in advance! Allie and her mothers (Vanessa and Andrea)
Barnard and Scripps would be peer women’s colleges.
Agreed, also Mills.
Could also consider former women’s colleges like Vassar, Skidmore, Pitzer, or Connecticut College. While these schools have gone coed, they still have a noticeable majority of female students and remain strongly committed to women’s education. These schools will have male minorities, but you should also expect a noticeable male presence at women’s colleges like Bryn Mawr (due to the close relationship with Haverford), Barnard (Columbia), or Scripps (other Claremonts).
Other former women’s colleges that may be worth a look: Goucher, Randolph, and Hood
Sweet Briar was just rescued from closing by a fierce group of alumnae a couple of years ago, it may be worth a look as well.
What is your budget like? Have you run the Net Price Calculators at BMC and the others to have a notion of possible costs? Since med school is a possibility, you may want to look for an affordable undergrad so there is money left for med school.
The exact nature of the Barnard-Columbia relationship is somewhat mysterious and difficult to pin down, especially for outsiders. In many important ways, Barnard still acts as a completely separate institution, just as Bryn Mawr is separate from Haverford:
On the other hand, there are no separate Barnard athletic teams, and Barnard diplomas include the Columbia seal. It’s not unusual to see references to “Barnard College of Columbia University”.
One short explanation: “Simply put, Barnard is institutionally independent, while academically and socially linked to Columbia.” See the link below for more info. http://www.wikicu.com/Columbia-Barnard_relationship
Seconding Agnes Scott for an academically strong safety, as well as the former women’s colleges (Vassar being another reach regardless of stats due to selectivity, Connecticut college a good match to low match depending on stats.)
Barnard operates in partnership with Columbia, and is one of the four undergraduate colleges of Columbia University. The degree is conferred by Columbia University. Columbia courses are generally open to Barnard students, and there is unitary course registration system – that is, when a Barnard student is enrolling for courses for the following semester, there is no differentiation between campuses – the student just signs up for whatever courses they want.
It is not correct to call Barnard “institutionally independent”, because faculty tenure decisions are controlled by Columbia. A phrase such as “semi-independent” would be more accurate. See https://barnard.edu/about/columbia-partnership
Top options would be Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mt Holyoke, Smith, and Wellesley.
Simmons would be a less selective alternative. You probably can’t stretch “Northeast” far enough to reach Hollins or Sweet Briar, in southern Virginia.
There are other Northeastern women’s colleges, like Cedar Crest, Russell Sage, or Notre Dame of Maryland, but they are relatively unselective.
Look into Chatham (safety), Agnes Scott and Spelman (not in the NorthEast but worth a look),St Mary’s (Notre Dame’s sister school) for good merit. What about U Richmond’s Women’s College (Westhampton)?
She may have to apply to a few coed schools for merit aid though.
Westhampton isn’t a “women’s college” in the way that schools like Bryn Mawr or Mt Holyoke are.
The University of Richmond is also a highly-ranked LAC, but it is coed. By tradition, the male students are assigned to “Richmond College” and the female students are assigned to “Westhampton College”. However, the classrooms are completely coed, and coed dorms are available too. My understanding is that the Richmond/Westhampton division doesn’t really affect the undergraduate experience, except that male and female students have separate deans and separate student governments.
My daughter is a Barnard grad – there is a very distinct women’s college flavor and focus to Barnard – that is, my D. felt she had the experience and benefits of attending a women’s college – but there is also a social & academic co-ed environment because of the partnership with Columbia, and also because it’s in NYC. Great choice for someone like my daughter, who would have preferred co-ed but also preferred the intimacy of Barnard to the seemingly impersonal Columbia — but don’t know whether or not it will be what your DD wants if she is dead-set on a woman’s college. It certainly is not a cloistered environment-. But neither are most other women’s colleges, which often have ties to or cross-registration agreements with nearby co-ed colleges.
If your daughter is only 15, she shouldn’t be beginning her college search. She should be enjoying high school and figuring out who she is and what she likes. I say this as the mother of another intense, high-achieving kid who also bought the college search book and pored through it after her freshman year. This isn’t healthy, even though it seems like a good idea at the time.
Encourage her to take classes she enjoys, and to do something fun in the summer, including working at your town library or an ice cream shop.