Friday, January 30, 2015

Women’s Colleges: Putting “FUN” into Fundraising

Take for example Converse College. Last Saturday the Converse tailgate crew supported a great cause, the SC School for the Deaf and Blind at the Walker Foundation's Chili Cook and had a fantastically fun time!

 
 
 
Converse College is located in Spartanburg, SC. To learn more about this women's college, visit the college Web site or Facebook page.

Visit the college and receive a travel voucher - Converse's Travel Vouchers reimburse you for up to $200 in gas, lodging and/or airfare.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Meet Sasheene Denny, a Native American and Learn about her College Story that Started at a Women’s College

Sasheene attended Alverno College (women’s college in Milwaukee) and graduated with honors in 2013. I enjoyed reading her story in this blog post and I know you will as well: “A Woman on the Move: Sasheene Denny and Her Cambridge Education.”

"Denny says she was raised by strong women and because of them—and because of Alverno—she has become a feminist. “I’d always been around strong women but it had been family. I’d never really met women who were like that in everyday life until at Alverno I ran into a lot of absolutely amazing women and I was also in an environment that told women, you are an individual and your voice matters.” Her feminism, says Denny, is one of the most important things she wants people to know about her."


Continue reading Sasheene's amazing story here.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Wordless Wednesday (Kind Of)

With yesterday being a snow day for much of the North East, for Wordless Wednesday I wanted to share this video from Simmons College.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Cherished Tradition at This Women's College: Lantern Night

Thanks to Emily Ying Xiong for making this wonderful video! It’s about a cherished tradition at Bryn Mawr College called Lantern Night.  Lantern Night was featured in a previous HuffPost blog post of mine, “10 Fantastic Autumn Traditions Celebrated at Women's Colleges.”
And you also might be interested in this blog post: "Hogwarts Castle Returns to This Women’s College."

Bryn Mawr College is a women's college located in Bryn Mawr, PA.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Making Mathematics Memorable at this Women's College

Interested in mathematics?

Check out this cool project at Hollins University: "Hollins is one of approximately 20 sites around the world supporting MegaMenger, an initiative to build what is believed to be the largest fractal ever. Professor of Mathematics Caren Diefenderfer and Student Success Leader Shannon Ciccarello talk about the fractal construction this fall at Hollins' Wyndham Robertson Library."

Thinking of studying in mathematics? Learn more about Hollins' mathematics and statistics program here.  

This single-sex college college is located in Roanoke, VA. See if the college might be right for you, schedule a campus visit here.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Four-Year Guaranteed Graduation Agreement at This Women's College

Cedar Crest College (CCC) welcomes students back with a newly renovated dining hall. I live close to this women’s college and hope to visit soon! In addition to wanting to see their super cool (and cozy) dining hall as well as sampling their YUMMY food, I want to meet the "Fun Gals" I’ve blogged about in my HuffPost blog post, “STEM Girls Become FUN Gals at Cedar Crest College.”


And I love CCC's Four-Year Guaranteed Graduation Agreement. Cedar Crest College is located in Allentown, PA. To learn more, visit their Web site.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

5 reasons attending an all women's college changed my life for the better

Thanks Emily Johnston ’02 alumna of Sweet Briar College. I enjoyed your blog post, “5 reasons attending an all women's college changed my life for the better.” 

Sharing the link as well as one of your reasons:

“Being at an all women's college gave me courage, confidence and a voice. This is the place I learned about leadership, bravery, taking chances and learning to both win and lose gracefully. I was given the space to step out of my comfort zone regularly and to experiment with leadership, all the while feeling like if the bottom fell out I'd have a support network to teach me how to rebound from it all. Failing is an important lesson to learn. Knowing you can get back up again, no matter what, is infinitely more valuable. I learned ALL of this at an all women's college.”

Discover the other four by reading Emily's entire blog post "5 reasons attending an all women's college changed my life for the better" here.

Sweet Briar College is located in Sweet Briar, VA. Learn more about this women’s college by visiting the college Web site here.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Mills College "Happy" Video


Here's another "Happy" video (can we ever have too many) and one I wish was available when I wrote my HuffPost blog post.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Friday, January 16, 2015

Her College Story: Why Attending a Women's College is the Best Decision I've Ever Made

By Sofia Lyons
Barnard College
Class:  2017
Major: American Studies with a concentration in Media and Pop Culture, Minor in French



Truthfully, I did not apply to Barnard because it’s a women’s college — I applied in spite of it. Luckily, the school had enough positive aspects to outweigh this negative. Surrounded by only women, 24/7? Ew, no thank you. I agreed with the sentiment that, in this day and age, women’s colleges are somewhat irrelevant.

If women no longer need to attend female institutions to achieve higher education, then why would they? There are hundreds of perfectly good co-ed colleges in the world! Yet in only one year at Barnard, I’ve learned my lesson: women’s colleges are not only relevant, but necessary in today’s society.

I could tell you the facts — that while only 2% of women graduate from women’s colleges, these graduates comprise over 20% of our congress; that women’s college alum include the likes of Emily Dickinson, Hilary Clinton, Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City, anyone?), Meryl Streep, Barbara Walters, Nancy Pelosi and hundreds of other household names — but instead I’ll explain my own experience at Barnard, and why attending a women’s college is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

One of the most overused, age-old arguments against schools like Barnard is one you’ve probably heard before (I certainly have): a community of only women is unrealistic — it’s nothing like the real world. (News flash: neither is regular college!) The logic is, “how can women successfully assimilate into the work force, where men are not just present, but dominant, if they’ve spent their days surrounded by other women?”

Believe it or not, 81% of women’s college graduates reported that their college was extremely or very effective in helping prepare them for their first job, versus 65% of women who graduated from public universities.

Yes, I’m surrounded by a lot of estrogen, a lot of the time. No, I don’t feel as though the lack of men is leaving me ill-prepared. Rather, I feel confident and ready to speak my mind, thanks to the simultaneously nurturing yet challenging environment. I never feel as though I’m in competition with my classmates, because I have the opportunity to speak in a free space, without feeling as though I’m being judged or criticized. Every class is an ongoing discussion between peers and professors alike.

While this may be possible at co-ed universities, studies have shown that women are less likely to speak up when they are outnumbered by men. Women’s colleges teach leadership and confidence through active participation. (And believe it or not, “women’s studies” isn’t the main focus of every class — and when it is, we analyze gender roles from every side, including the male perspective!) After four years of this, you can imagine that graduates emerge empowered and ready to take their seat at the metaphorical table.



                                                     © 2015 - Sofia Lyons

Thursday, January 15, 2015

New College Scholarship Available (full and partial tuition) at this Women’s College : "Make a Difference, Make a Leader"

Colleges for women are known for their exceptional financial aid packages and I love sharing new scholarships when they become available. Here's one such scholarship at The University of Saint Joseph.

From the USJ Web site:

The University of Saint Joseph announces a new scholarship opportunity, "Make a Difference, Make a Leader."

"This scholarship is created for students who have made a difference in the lives of others.

We are looking for students who have impacted society in ways such as community service, volunteerism, leadership initiatives, and other achievements. We want to reward those exceptional students with full and partial tuition awards to USJ.

USJ is a student-focused women's college which promotes the growth of the whole person in a caring environment that encourages strong ethical values, personal integrity and a sense of responsibility to the needs of society. We are looking for women who have shown a selfless commitment and dedication to change the lives of those around them, and made a difference in someone's life." 


Additional information is available here.

This single-sex college, The University of Saint Joseph is located in West Hartford, CT.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Welcoming Columbia College’s newest Vietnamese students, Phoebe and Ellen!


Welcome Phoebe and Ellen, you're going to love Columbia College!

Columbia College is located in Columbia, SC. Learn more about the college by visiting the college Web site here.

Monday, January 12, 2015

College Scholarships and Women’s Colleges

Earlier I wrote a HuffPost blog post, “How to Afford a Quality College Education for Your Daughter” that addressed the exceptional financial aid available at women’s colleges.

Here’s a program at the College of Saint Mary that I would like to highlight today.

"College of Saint Mary offers a unique program for students who excel in math and science. Our Marie Curie Scholarship provides up to $80,000 (for a four year degree) to young women who want to major in Biology, Chemistry or Mathematics."


To learn more about this program or to apply, visit the college Web site here.

This single-sex college is located in Omaha, Nebraska.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Her College Story: The Right College Choice for Me

Shanee’ Herd
St. Catherine University
Class: 2017
Major: Nursing

I decided on going to St. Kate’s after visiting about six colleges around Minnesota—big and small. I chose St. Kate’s because I would have a place and be known rather than just be a number like at a big school. I also knew that at St. Kate’s is a very safe campus.  Along with that, St. Kate’s would show me that women are strong individuals who can achieve great things when given the chance. This is when I knew that a woman’s college was right for me.

I will be a strong independent woman when I graduate from St. Kate’s.  When I told my friends that I was going to St. Kate’s, most of them laughed. They said that would not be fun not having boys around. I enjoy not having boys in my classes because I get the chance to talk and not feel like boys are judging me or feeling superior to me.

My family on the other hand was overly excited. They were glad that I was going to become a strong independent woman. My brother was even more excited because he attended a men’s college, St. Johns and loved it. He knew I would love St. Kate’s and be very safe there.  As of now, I’m still at St. Kate’s and hoping to graduate with my nursing degree in the spring of 2017.


                                                    © 2015 - Shanee' Herd

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Five Reasons Why Women’s Colleges Rock!

In this article, Mount Saint Mary’s University lists five reasons for attending a single-sex college. Check out their blog post, Why a Women’s College?
 
 

 

Monday, January 5, 2015

Life Changing Internships Found at Women’s Colleges

Meet Anna Yanes a STEM major (biology and chemistry) that had an amazing summer internship in marine biology. Also learn why she chose this women's college, Columbia College, located in Columbia, SC.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Wordless Weekends

Art Therapy and Counseling Program, from this women's college (click on above link to see which college) traveled to South Africa for a service trip.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Video: How I Got In (Barnard College)

Here’s a video about Barnard College created by My College Timeline. In the video, Carina (from MCT) talks with a BC senior Claire Bouchard. I liked it very much and after reading the comments (about how helpful the video was), I thought visitors to my blog might also find it insightful.

Below are some of the comments about the video:

Katie Mahoney wrote, “What a wonderful video! I am a high school sophomore and these tips helped A TON!! Barnard is my dream school!!”

Jessica Song wrote, “Thank you soooo much for posting this great video! I really learnt a lot from this, and as a senior, my on-campus interview with Barnard is coming up in two weeks and some of the points that you guys hit really helped me tune in a little bit more! And Barnard is definitely my very first choice!”

Sarah A. posted, “This video was extremely helpful! Barnard is my absolute first choice, but it's a reach college, so I want to do everything in my power to improve my chances of getting in. Does anyone have tips for someone with high SAT scores (2200+) and a high GPA (4.0+) but with not-so-great extracurricular?”

Haley Fletcher said, “Thank you both so much! This was extremely helpful!”

 
I hoped you enjoyed the video and remember the best way to discover if a college is right for you is to schedule a visit!

Barnard College is located in NYC. Learn more about the college here. And if you would like to read a previous HuffPost blog post about a Barnard Alumna, Ebonie Smith and her vision for encouraging more women music producers, click here.

Happy 2015!

Happy New Year! New Year wishes from myself as well as several women's colleges. May 2015 be your BEST year ever!