Friday, March 29, 2013

Why Women Should Consider a Women’s College

This blog post, "Why Women Should Consider a Women’s College," is written by a College Admissions Consultant, Todd Johnson. I enjoyed his blog post as well as the comment posted on March 20, 2013 -- “So true - my daughter didn’t apply to any women’s colleges (or a small college) as I urged her to. After one semester elsewhere she transferred to Smith and loved it there.

Blog post highlights:

Let me tell you a quick story about my oldest daughter who I encouraged to at least consider several all women’s colleges. She flatly refused despite my best efforts.  Several years later our family was visiting Smith College with my younger daughter. After the tour my oldest daughter, at that point a junior at a co-ed college, admitted that if she had visited the campus before she applied to college she may very well have applied to Smith.

Give the all women’s colleges a chance.  You never know when you might just find out that your perceptions need to be changed.


To read Todd’s entire post, click here.

Smith College is a women’s college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. Click here to learn more about Smith College.

Todd Johnson provides college admissions counseling for College Admissions Partners. To learn more about Todd, click here.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Women’s College? Challenge Accepted

A Scripps College student, Lily Foss ’13 shares with you her thoughts and experience at Scripps College, a women’s college located in Claremont, California in her opinion piece, "Women’s College? Challenge Accepted."

Click here to read "Women’s College? Challenge Accepted."

To learn more about Scripps College, click here.


Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Girl Power! Advantages of Choosing a Woman's College

Kelli O’Connor, a freelance writer based in Rochester, NY wrote an insightful article entitled, “Girl power! Advantages of choosing a woman's college” and I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!

To read the entire article, click here.

Article Highlight

In the classroom
The reason you are going to college is for an education. Presumably, you will choose a major before you choose a college. Your chosen field may lead you to a women’s college. A higher percentage of students at all-female schools are enrolled in the math, science and engineering programs that are traditionally dominated by men. In 2012, the Girl Scouts of America revealed research that shows women are underrepresented in STEM careers (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Interestingly, employers are vying for women graduating from STEM programs and, overall, women in STEM careers are better compensated than in other fields. To pursue a STEM career on a women’s college campus will provide you with ample opportunities upon graduation.

Girl power!
Advantages of choosing a woman's college

By Kelli O’Connor
Published 3/7/2013 on the NextStepU.com Web site



Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Why Are Women’s Colleges Necessary?

A young woman from the United Kingdom asks the question, “Why are women’s colleges necessary?” and Gretchen Van Ness, a classmate of mine, answers.

There's no easy answer to your question, but I'll try. First consider the research that shows that women who have attended women's colleges disproportionately achieve success in their fields. Madeleine Albright, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and many other women "firsts" are women's college graduates.


We live in such a gendered world that it is almost invisible to us, but most would agree that women are still held to very different expectations than men, girls are treated very differently than boys, sexual harassment is prevalent in high school, middle school, and even elementary school, etc. There is virtually no time in a young woman's life when she can just BE -- be herself without having to look pleasing to someone else, be interested in something without worrying whether a boy will think she's weird or too smart, be adventurous without worrying that she's not feminine enough, be a leader without worrying about being called some pretty awful names. Ironically, women's colleges give women perhaps the only chance in their lives to be free of gender expectations and limitations.

When it's women everywhere doing everything, you are no longer a woman scientist or a female athlete or a girl gymnast -- you are a scientist or an athlete or a gymnast. Every leadership position on campus is held by women. Everyone who speaks in class is a woman. Every A the professor gives, in math or biology or Spanish or history, is given to a woman. If anything is done on campus, from the college paper to student government, it is done by women. Living and breathing that experience changes you because you get to be the norm, the universal, the assumed gender in every story you're hearing or telling.

And it's not a nunnery. Most young women who go to women's colleges have male relatives, attended public schools, worked jobs in high school next to young men, etc., and at college they have male professors, work jobs next to men, date men, etc. Most young women who go to women's colleges have a pretty positive view of men. Because they have had the experience of a women's college, they are prepared for the real world in a way that many young women are not.

Do you know what the best preparation for life is? Knowing yourself. It's just about impossible to grow up in our culture not knowing a lot about boys and men. But it's almost impossible in our culture to grow up knowing everything you are capable of if you are a woman. As long as that remains true, there will be a place for women's colleges.


Monday, March 25, 2013

Women’s Colleges: Relevant, Rewarding, and Definitely NOT Old Fashioned!

Here’s another article I hope you enjoy.

From the article:


What kind of student should consider a women’s college?


Agnes Scott College: Every high school girl should consider a women’s college.  Women who want an environment where it’s not only okay to be a smart girl, but the norm to be smart will find a great fit at a women’s college. I think at heart, students who come to women’s colleges are ones who want to put their education and academic experience above all else. That’s not say you won’t have a lot fun while a student, but your classmates are going to be focused on academic excellence — so you should be serious about being a student.


Hollins University: The type of student who should consider a women’s college is one who wants discussion instead of lectures, hard questions instead of pat answers. Instead of being told, they want to see for themselves. Instead of play-by-the-rules learning, they want to discover things for themselves. We seek out women with strong personalities and ambitious goals, and who want to express themselves in their own unique way.


Saint Mary’s College: A young woman who wants to be engaged (both inside and outside of the classroom) and is interested in developing her leadership skills. At Saint Mary’s, everything that is done by students is done by women. If there is a student initiative, every facet of it will be planned and executed by women. That alone is fundamental and important — it builds confidence and grows leadership skills.


Sweet Briar: I truly believe every young woman owes it to herself to at least consider a women’s college.  It’s a powerful experience, to live and study in a place that is completely focused on the success of young women.


To read the entire article, click here.


Click here to learn more about Agnes Scott College.

Click here to learn more about Hollins University.

Click here to learn more about Saint Mary’s College.

Click here to learn more about Sweet Briar College.


Friday, March 22, 2013

Girls Rule - Women's College Remain A Viable Option

I hope you enjoy this article by Julie Bogart as much as I did.

From the article:

Unique Programs

"Women's colleges may offer certain advantages and opportunities that coed institutions don't. While some schools provide courses that focus on women's contributions in history and society, others offer formalized leadership programs or certificates.

At Salem College, for example, the Center for Women Writers features celebrated women authors who speak to students and conduct master classes, according to Watts. The college also houses the Women in Science and Math Program, which is "designed to offer academic and career support for Salem students interested in science and mathematics.""

To read the entire article, click here.

To learn more about Salem College, located in Winston-Salem, NC, click here.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

There Remains a Place for Women’s Colleges

James F. Conneely, President of Notre Dame of Maryland University, a women's college located in Baltimore, MD wrote an article entitled, "There Remains a Place for Women’s Colleges." And was published on the Notre Dame of Maryland University's Web site on January 28, 2013.

Click here to read to read the article.

Click here to learn more about Notre Dame of Maryland University.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

On Our Own: Women's Colleges in the 21st Century

From The Webbs Schools Magazine: On Our Own: Women's Colleges in the 21st Century
Published on March 7, 2013 To read the entire article, click here.
 

Highlights Include

Then and Now
"In the 1800s, women’s colleges were almost the only choice for women seeking higher education; few universities accepted female students. Some of the earliest women’s colleges, like Mount Holyoke, were originally seminaries. Others were (and still are) affiliated with established colleges—created, in some cases, as an alternative to admitting women to existing all-male institutions.

Today, the need for women’s colleges is less obvious. Most American universities are coeducational and women outnumber men on college campuses. Some traditional women’s colleges have disappeared, while others are now coed.

However, as many women have realized, just because an institution is open to women does not necessarily mean it is welcoming or supportive.


Researchers have noted that the climate for female students on coed campuses is often less than ideal, with negative consequences for women’s academic achievement and even their physical health. 

Furthermore, while about 60 percent of college students are female, teaching methods at coed universities predominantly favor the learning styles of male students.

Nowhere is the impact of these disparities more pronounced than in science, technology, engineering and math. A recent study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research notes that female students are far less likely than men to receive under graduate degrees in these disciplines and warns that the number of women in math and computer-related fields has actually fallen since 2000.

An Academic Edge
Several recent studies on women in higher education have concluded that female students would be better served by a classroom environment tailored to the ways most women learn, with greater emphasis on participation, collaboration, and hands-on learning. What these studies seldom mention is that women’s colleges have offered just such an environment for decades.

Unlike most coed universities, the pedagogy at women’s colleges is tailored to the learning styles of female students.

“Smith professors know how to teach women and how to keep them engaged in the classroom,” says alumna Jumana Misleh. She recalls: I never considered myself strong in mathematics, but somehow I managed to earn A’s in Calculus I and Calculus II, and I credit my professors’ innovative teaching style for my success. ... Things were explained visually, using computer modeling programs and other hands-on exercises, and aside from exams that would test rote memorization, students were also expected to complete analytical research projects where we applied our mathematical skills to real-world problems.

That was the first time in my life that I was confident in a math class! Such results are no accident. “At a women’s college, every resource is dedicated to the education of and opportunities for women,” says Wellesley College Dean of Admissions Jennifer Desjarlais. Smith’s Debra Shaver adds that pedagogy at women’s colleges also tends to be more innovative than that at coed universities, pointing to examples like Smith’s open curriculum, which encourages students to take classes in many different fields, not just a narrow range of prerequisites. “It changes the dynamic in the classroom,” says Shaver. “Every student in every class wants to be there; she is not there because she needs to check off a requirement.”"


To read the entire article, click here.

The Webb Schools, located in Claremont, California is comprised of two private schools for grades 9-12; The Webb School of California for boys was established in 1922, and the Vivian Webb School for girls in 1981.

To learn more about The Webb Schools, click here.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Women's Underrepresentation in Politics Makes Women's Colleges Relevant

If you are considering a career in politics, I’m sure you will find Hannah Smith’s article (opinion piece) insightful. The Huffington Post published her article “Women’s Underrepresentation in Politics Makes Women’s Colleges Relevant,” on February 12, 2013. Ms. Smith is currently attending Bryn Mawr College, a women's liberal arts college, located in Bryn Mawr, PA (outside of Philadelphia, PA).

From the Huffington Post article:

“Women’s colleges do more than just four years of educating; they have been proven to foster leadership skills and self-esteem among their students and alumnae, which is important considering lack of confidence is one of the major reasons why women do not pursue public office.”


To read Ms. Smith's article, click here.

To learn more about Bryn Mawr College, click here.


Monday, March 18, 2013

Periodic Table Skirt

I know this Periodic Table Skirt has nothing to do with the advantages of a women's college, but I thought this skirt was just too cute not to post. I hope you agree! And you can purchase the skirt if you like. Click here to do so.




Sunday, March 17, 2013

Magnificent Mills, Might it be for YOU?

Founded in 1852, Mills College is located on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay, having a campus that consists of 135 wooded acres in the Oakland foothills. Within this beautiful campus is an environment dedicated to supporting you in your pursuit of intellectual exploration.
 

Offering more than 40 programs, Mills is known for its rigorous academic programs. Regardless of your study passion, Mills has a program for you. The top 5 programs (out of 41) include: English, Psychology, Political, Legal, and Economic Analysis (PLEA), Biology, and Studio Art. To review all of Mills’ programs, click here. Or for a snap-shot of Mills, click here.

At Mills You Have it All - Serious Studies and Serious Fun! Watches these first two videos and decide for yourself.





And now more about Mills College

And finally Living at Mills College and Student Activities



To learn more about campus life at Mills College, click here.

If you would like to read student stories, click here


Check out Mills’ notable graduates by clicking here.

Now that you have a flavor of what Mills College is all about . . . perhaps scheduling a campus visit is right for YOU! Learn more about visiting the Mills Campus by clicking here.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Celebrating 175 Years - Women's Colleges are Simply Timeless


As you watch this video see if you agree . . . women's colleges are still relevant and timeless. Enjoy!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Women's Colleges Help Inspire You to Think Outside the Bottle

Meet Becca Neubardt Class of 2013 as she describes her "Thinks Outside the Bottle" initiative. Becca is a student at Mount Holyoke College, a women's college located in  South Hadley, MA. To learn more about Mount Holyoke, click here.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Did you know that the founder of the contemporary environmental movement graduated from a women’s college?

Meet Rachel Carson!

By Linda Lear
Rachel Carson, writer, scientist, and ecologist, grew up simply in the rural river town of Springdale, Pennsylvania. Her mother bequeathed to her a life-long love of nature and the living world that Rachel expressed first as a writer and later as a student of marine biology. Carson graduated from Pennsylvania College for Women in 1929, studied at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, and received her MA in zoology from Johns Hopkins University in 1932.


She was hired by the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries to write radio scripts during the Depression and supplemented her income writing feature articles on natural history for the Baltimore Sun. She began a fifteen-year career in the federal service as a scientist and editor in 1936 and rose to become Editor-in-Chief of all publications for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.


She wrote pamphlets on conservation and natural resources and edited scientific articles, but in her free time turned her government research into lyric prose, first as an article "Undersea" (1937, for the Atlantic Monthly), and then in a book, Under the Sea-wind (1941). In 1952 she published her prize-winning study of the ocean, The Sea Around Us, which was followed by The Edge of the Sea in 1955. These books constituted a biography of the ocean and made Carson famous as a naturalist and science writer for the public. Carson resigned from government service in 1952 to devote herself to her writing.


She wrote several other articles designed to teach people about the wonder and beauty of the living world, including "Help Your Child to Wonder," (1956) and "Our Ever-Changing Shore" (1957), and planned another book on the ecology of life. Embedded within all of Carson's writing was the view that human beings were but one part of nature distinguished primarily by their power to alter it, in some cases irreversibly. 


Disturbed by the profligate use of synthetic chemical pesticides after World War II, Carson reluctantly changed her focus in order to warn the public about the long term effects of misusing pesticides. In Silent Spring (1962) she challenged the practices of agricultural scientists and the government, and called for a change in the way humankind viewed the natural world.


Carson was attacked by the chemical industry and some in government as an alarmist, but courageously spoke out to remind us that we are a vulnerable part of the natural world subject to the same damage as the rest of the ecosystem. Testifying before Congress in 1963, Carson called for new policies to protect human health and the environment. Rachel Carson died in 1964 after a long battle against breast cancer. Her witness for the beauty and integrity of life continues to inspire new generations to protect the living world and all its creatures.


Biographical entry courtesy of Carson biographer © Linda Lear, 1998, author of Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature (1997).


To learn more about Rachel Carson, click here or here to review more of her work.

Monday, March 11, 2013

12 Reasons to Attend a Women’s College

I love researching online and was thrilled when I discovered this two-page reminder: "12 Reasons to Attend a Women’s College." If you would like to read the reminder, click here.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Cedar Crest College – STEM Programs and So Much More!

Spotlight: Cedar Crest College

Learn More, Achieve More, Be More!

Find your voice at Cedar Crest Collage, located in Allentown, PA. Since 1869, Cedar Crest College has been educating women, instilling in them the confidence to realize their dreams with unparalleled academics.

Watch this video (Your Potential UnleaSHEd!) and become inspired.



For those interested in a STEM career, I’m happy to share with you the incredible programs available at Cedar Crest.

Cedar Crest offers many outstanding programs in Biology. For example Genetic Engineering (also referred to as molecular genetics, biotechnology, molecular biology, and bioengineering) and they are one of the FIRST genetic engineering programs in the country.

To learn more about Cedar Crest’s Genetic Engineering program, click here.

To learn more about the other outstanding Biology programs click here.

Cedar Crest also offers many outstanding programs in Chemical and Physical Sciences!

For example Forensic Science -- If you love the world of Forensic Science, then Cedar Crest College is for YOU!

The Forensic Science program at Cedar Crest is recognized as one of the very best across the land, plus they are one of the few fully accredited programs in the nation. Click here to learn more.

Or to learn more about Cedar Crest’s Chemistry and Forensics Science watch this video created by one of the Chemistry Professors: David Raker, PhD.


 
And if Mathematics is your thing, check out their Mathematics program by clicking here.

Another program I would like to share with you is Cedar Crest College's Preforming Arts program, click here to learn more or watch this video below of
Brenna Mateljan, Class of 2013 and a dance and communication major as she explains her Cedar Crest experience.



To learn about the many other fine programs available at Cedar Crest College, click here.

And finally, here's a student video I hope you enjoy!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Book Suggestion: Taking Women Seriously: Lessons And Legacies For Educating The Majority

One of the earlier books that talks about the advantages of a women’s college is “Taking Women Seriously: Lessons and Legacies for Educating the Majority” written by M. Elizabeth Tidball, Charles S. Tidball, Daryl G. Smith, and Lisa E. Wolf-Wendel. The authors wrote a book that is filled with relevant research, providing insightful ideas and indisputable information.

I’ve attached an Amazon link that supplies you with additional book information should you care to purchase the book or obtain it via your local library system -- click here to do so.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

With Two-Year and Four-Year Degrees, Might Cottey College Be Right for You?

Spotlight: Cottey College

Founded by Virginia Alice Cottey Stockard in 1884, Cottey College is two-year liberal arts and sciences women's college that also offers select baccalaureate degree programs. The college is located in Nevada, MO.

I came across a video posted on YouTube by a Cottey Collegy student, Fadzai Musonza and wanted to share it with you. Fadzai created this video for one of her classes. Enjoy the video.



 
I hope you enjoyed Fadzai's video as much as I did.Click here, to learn more about Cottey College.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Going Places, Consider a Women’s College Like Hollins

Spotlight: Hollins University

Women Who Are Going Places Start at Hollins

In these videos, you’ll learn more about Hollins University, a women’s college located in beautiful Roanoke, VA. The things I loved about my alma mater are the same things I love about all women’s college, including Hollins University. Enjoy!






I'm glad you are researching women's colleges to attend! I hope you enjoyed the videos.

Perhaps you're now asking yourself if Hollins is right for you. I encourage you to find out. Begin by visiting Hollins' Web site. See if Hollins has the program you are looking for and if so, schedule a campus visit. 

If you are still undecided about a program, I still encourage you to visit the campus. 

Take the first step to learning about Hollins University by clicking here and you will be taken to the Hollins University Web site.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Celebrate Women’s History Month

March is Women's History Month, having been observed in the United States since 1987. To learn more, feel free to visit the following Web sites: