<p>Others have really already summed it up well!</p>
<p>To speak from personal experience, though, Scripps was the only single-sex college that caught my interest (and even that was only through a series of fortunate accidents). I went to an all-girls HS and had a fantastic experience (although it's largely because of coming from a girls HS that I struggle to identify what it is that sets a single-sex college apart from other schools...I entered with a unique perspective). I imagine that everything your daughter heard during the girls school "selling" process was pretty much spot-on...it's non-cutthroat, the friendships are wonderful, it's very supportive, not very cliquey, not very catty, it can be a great confidence booster, it's nice not to have to wear makeup or do your hair, so on and so forth. I can't quite put my finger on why or how, but it's a very special type of environment. Having experienced it for all of HS, I knew I loved it, but I also knew that I was ready to move on, which is why Scripps ended up being such a good option for me. "Best of both worlds," as chaucers_pal says. Scripps attracts the type of student who's willing to consider a single-sex school, and y'know, the campus is clean and lovely and sweet-smelling, but classes, clubs and organizations, events, etc. are generally co-ed. Thanks to the consortium, any potential limitations are close to, if not total non-issues. </p>
<p>It gets said that Scripps is "as much of a women's college as you want it to be," which has a lot of truth to it. I do know that the girls who were used to having many male friendships were a little taken aback when they first got to campus, because maintaining that dynamic does require more effort than it might at a co-ed school...a decision to get off of the Scripps campus and meet other students. But frankly, if you're extra-motivated to take advantage of the 5C set-up, that can only work out for the best.</p>
<p>Scripps is definitely worth a walk-through, at the very least (getting lost in the rain en route from my CMC tour to our car...that's how I discovered the school). If you end up with extra time, your daughter could also take an official tour or grab a meal. As a freshman, she doesn't have to form any real opinions yet, but even if she's disinterested, a no-pressure visit might end up helping her down the road...she'll have a better idea of what to expect when it 'counts.'</p>
<p>If you're all up for it, a walk around all of the colleges might really be nice, particularly for your son. The individual schools' tours don't always say a lot about the rest of the consortium, but it's such an incredible set-up, and easier to understand if you really explore it. You should be able to find a 5C map pretty easily (I know there's a printable one on the Scripps website, for one thing), and you could easily saunter around all of the schools in under an hour. Just a recommendation :)</p>
<p>Enjoy your trip!</p>