Why a Women’s College: Should You Apply?

When women support women, amazing things can happen.

It’s a fantastic quote, but no one knows who first said it.

But this I know: since the 1960s, when the number of all female colleges in the United States peaked (a little more than 280 in existence), almost 90% of them have closed or admitted male students.

With many of them no longer around, you can’t help but think if they are unnecessary in this day and age when everyone is clamoring for diversity and inclusivity.

However, most female teens apply to all-female colleges for entirely different reasons.

Having the opportunity to shine in male-dominated undergraduate programs and enrolling in a curriculum that focuses on female empowerment are inviting to many.

Smaller classes and safer campuses also allow for increased academic success.

Still, while women share the same struggles, rights, and opportunities, each one is different — there are strong reasons why do women’s colleges exist.

Reasons to Attend a Women’s College

Small Classes Mean Bigger Chances of Succeeding Academically

Students in classes with fewer than 20 people outperform their peers in classes with more than 20 people.

Enrollment-wise, women’s colleges are some of the smallest in the land.

For instance, around 75% of classes at Agnes Scott College have fewer than 20 students — only about 4% of classes have 30 to 39 students in them.

Many perks come with attending small classes.

It allows for individualized faculty attention and mentorship. It also lets you make stronger peer connections and gives you enough opportunities to ask questions and share your thoughts and ideas.

The Lower the Student-to-Faculty Ratio, the More Attention Your Teacher Can Give You

In terms of class size, smaller is better.

The same is true for student-to-faculty ratio: less is more (conducive to academic success).

The average student-to-faculty ratio among American higher education institutions can vary, depending on the source or which college types are polled or considered.

For example, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) says it’s 18:1.

US News, meanwhile, says it’s 14:1 among ranked schools.

Most female-only colleges and universities have some of the lowest student-to-faculty ratios, which allows students to get enough attention and guidance from their professors.

Wellesley College, for instance, has an impressively low student-to-faculty ratio of 7:1.

Other women’s educational institutions where there are fewer students for every teaching faculty member are Simmons University (7:1), Smith College (8:1), Bryn Mawr College (8:1), and Mount Holyoke College (9:1).

The Co-Ed Experience Offered by Partner Colleges

Students at some girl’s colleges need not wonder what having male classmates feel like.

That’s because all they need to do is register to take classes at partner institutions — while some colleges they are associated with are single-sex schools, others are co-educational.

Here are some women’s colleges and their partner schools:

Institution Name	Partner School/s
Barnard College	Columbia University, the Juilliard School, the Jewish Theological Seminary
Bryn Mawr College	University of Pennsylvania, Haverford College, Swarthmore College
Mount Holyoke College	Amherst College
Scripps College	Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, Keck Graduate Institute
Smith College	University of Massachusetts Amherst, Hampshire College
Vassar College	Yale University
Wellesley College	Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

A Diverse Campus (Ethnically/Racially, of Course!)

Women’s colleges, of course, are not diverse gender-wise.

In terms of ethnicity and race, however, it’s a different story — minority and underrepresented students do not usually make up a small fraction of the entire campus population.

According to Forbes, institutions that aren’t mostly white are mostly females.

The student body of Spelman College, for instance, consists of almost 100% people of color, although it helps that it’s an all-women historically black institution — and the oldest at that!

On-Campus Sexism Being the Least of Your Worries

Discrimination and subservience of a particular gender at institutions of higher education because of ideologies and practices that favor one sex over the other.

That’s what sexism in academia means.

It’s something that degree-seeking women can put behind them while attending women’s colleges.

At most co-educational colleges, males dominate some programs, such as:

• Agriculture
• Architecture
• Computer science
• Economics
• Engineering
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Sports management

For fear of being discriminated against or becoming mere subordinates, it’s not uncommon for some women at co-ed schools to stick to traditionally female programs.

In the process, they abandon their academic and career plans.

Various traditionally male programs are available at all-women schools, and they have nothing but women supporting one another while engaging in healthy competition, too.

Without anyone exercising control over them, they can also shine in extracurriculars that allow them to:

• Obtain leadership skills
• Foster confidence
• Enhance teamwork experience
• Boost communication and relationship skills
• Involve themselves in the community
• Build a strong network

A Curriculum Emphasizing What Women Really Need

Often, the curriculum at women’s colleges to emphasize women’s studies.

After all, no one knows the academic and professional needs of female college students more than female faculty members — more than 60% of faculty members at women’s colleges are women.

With a deeper understanding of gender dynamics and current societal challenges faced by the female population, students at all-girls colleges can explore possibilities and plan careers in which they are more likely to succeed.

It’s no wonder that a lot of movers and shakers are women’s college alumnae, such as:

• Ann Compton: White House correspondent for ABC News Radio
• Gloria Steinem: Author and women’s rights activist
• Helen Meyer: Minnesota Supreme Court’s associate justice
• Hillary Clinton: Former US Senator and First Lady
• Jean Toal: South Carolina Supreme Court’s first female justice
• Jennifer Nettles: Country singer
• Julia Mood Peterkin: Pulitzer Prize Winner in literature
• Katherine Hepburn: Actress
• Madeleine Albright: First-ever female US Secretary of State
• Martha Stewart: Author, businesswoman and TV personality
• Nancy Pelosi: Speaker of the US House of Representatives
• Pamela Melroy: NASA Astronaut

Peace of Mind for Students and Their Families

Inside Higher Ed says that violence against women is a prevalent issue on college campuses.

Generally speaking, 90% of cases are by people they know, most of those are men.

Allow the following figures to paint you a better picture:

• 72%: female students at women’s colleges who feel safe on campus
• 37%: female students at public flagship universities who feel safe on campus

As you can see, it doesn’t mean you are 100% out of harm’s way at a female-only school, but it is clear that women’s colleges are the safest colleges for females.

Carefully look into campus safety regulations and security measures before applying to an institution if your safety is a top priority, like having a high-quality secondary education.

Top Women’s Colleges

While all remaining women’s colleges in the US empower women, not all of them do so similarly.

In terms of things like academics, cost, and campus life, some are better than the rest.

Deciding which among the 30+ women-only institutions in the land to include in your college list can be more challenging than it seems, given that they share many things in common.

The following are the top 15 Best Women’s Colleges in America by Niche:

Institution Name	Location	Acceptance Rate
Barnard College	New York, NY	9%
Wellesley College	Wellesley, MA	14%
Smith College	Northampton, MA	23%
Mount Holyoke College	South Hadley, MA	40%
Bryn Mawr College	Bryn Mawr, PA	31%
College of Saint Mary	Omaha, NE	76%
St. Catherine University	Saint Paul, MN	93%
Scripps College	Claremont, CA	28%
Spelman College	Atlanta, GA	28%
Mount Saint Mary’s University	Los Angeles, CA	76%
Simmons University	Boston, MA	76%
Agnes Scott College	Decatur, GA	67%
Meredith College	Raleigh, NC	73%
Alverno College	Milwaukee, WI	90%
Bay Path University	Longmeadow, MA	75%

Applying to a particular women’s college solely because it has a high ranking is a no-no.

Before shortlisting it, look into some of its academic and social features, particularly those you believe are necessary for your college success and personal growth and development.

Read Next: How Do You Get Into Seven Sisters College?