Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Article: Is a Women's College Right for Your Daughter?

Highlights to this article are listed below or read the entire article.

"Over the years, proponents of women’s colleges have claimed that single-sex institutions offer girls a challenging but empowering learning atmosphere. A 2007 study at Indiana University’s Center for Postsecondary Research indicated that females at women’s colleges, in fact, are more engaged in academics and receive higher levels of support from peers and faculty. The study, called “Women Students at Coeducational and Women’s Colleges: How Do Their Experiences Compare,” is based on data from first-year and senior students at 26 women’s colleges and 264 other four-year institutions, compiled in the 2007 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).


According to the study, the advantages of women’s colleges include the accessibility of more female mentors among faculty and administration, a higher number of students in math, science, and engineering, and substantial opportunities to become leaders. For example, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and top journalists Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer are all graduates of women’s colleges. The study also reports that, compared to females at coed campuses, students at women’s colleges collaborate on a higher level with peers, interact in a more racially, economically, and socially diverse setting, develop a desire to contribute to their community, and gain a deeper understanding of themselves."

Monday, July 29, 2013

The Benefit's of Women's Colleges


Evette Dionne's article, “The Benefits of Women’s Colleges,” published by the online magazine, Clutch on June 14, 2013 is one I know you will enjoy! In this blog post, I've included article highlights as well as the above image, but do read the entire article.

Article Highlights Include:

"The imagery is hilarious, but it also highlights how diverse – and sometimes inaccurate – perceptions of women’s colleges are.

I am often asked why I chose to attend and graduate from Bennett College, a historical black institution for women of color. The answer is complex and involves a mixture of CNN, Dr. Julianne Malveaux and scholarships, but the freedom and doubt from which the question is posed is the issue.

The real question should be: Why not?

Women’s colleges are rooted in traditions that promote empowerment, sisterhood, and the intelligence of women. Some might question the relevance of women’s colleges in a society where women are making strides toward gender parity, but statistics show that women’s colleges such as Bennett and Spelman College are responsible for sending over 50 percent of Black women to graduate programs in the sciences.

Women’s colleges encourage students to thrive and excel in leadership positions often reserved for men on co-ed campuses."


Learn more about Bennett College via their Web site.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Sports Minded? Think Women’s Colleges!

And a BIG congratulations to Stavia Taylor for being selected to the NCCSIA All-State Basketball team. Stavia, ’14 is a student at Salem College, a women’s college located in Winston-Salem, NC.

Athletics at Salem College
"The Salem College athletic program is composed of seven intercollegiate sports: basketball, cross country, volleyball, soccer, softball, tennis and track and field. Equestrian is offered as a club sport.

Students compete with other colleges in Virginia and North and South Carolina. Salem College is competing in Division III of the NCAA and is a member of the Great South Athletic Conference."


Team Name: Salem Spirits

Learn more about Salem College via their “Fast Facts” page or take a Virtual Tour.

Learn about the advantages of attending a women’s college, like Salem College.

“Although women’s colleges educate only two percent of female college students, they have an uncanny ability to move women to greatness.

Women choose to attend women’s colleges to be focused and independent. The faith in the ability of women enables a high level of participation in and out of the classroom and takes learning to greater heights. The challenge of holding every leadership position allows you active responsibility in supporting the causes in which you believe, including the shaping of your own education. This real life experience builds critical thinking skills and life-long confidence.”

Salem College, Your Place to Shine!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Women's Colleges Secure the Best Interships for Their Students

Having over twenty-years as a recruiter, I know firsthand how important internships are and how they enhance your ability to secure employment after college.

Women’s colleges do an outstanding job of arranging internships for their students – take a look at Agnes Scott College and the internship they arranged for Elizabeth Rowe ’15.

Elizabeth is interning in Washington, D.C., this summer at the U.S. Green Building Council. As an international relations major (while minoring in sustainability), Elizabeth feels this internship will be extremely helpful to her and her career. Learn more by reading her blog post.

Agnes Scott College’s motto is "educating women to think deeply, live honorably and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times." To learn more, visit their Web site.

Wikipedia reference: "Agnes Scott College is a private liberal arts college in downtown Decatur, Georgia. The college was founded in 1889 as Decatur Female Seminary by Presbyterian minister Frank H. Gaines."


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Article: US women’s colleges: an excellent option

Peter Davos’ article “US women’s colleges: an excellent option” was published  on July 22, 2013. 

Article highlights include:

"Women’s colleges are an ideal option for female UAE high school students intent on maintaining social, cultural, and religious values in a female-only setting, while pursuing an excellent education in the United States. As high school juniors compile a list of colleges to apply to this month, UAE women should consider the benefits of applying to women’s-only colleges. Many people are not aware that there are over 45 colleges dedicated to educating only women in the US, most of which offer cross-registration opportunities at nearby colleges and universities. The most famous women’s colleges are the Seven Sisters, a loose association of smaller liberal arts colleges that offer an elite education on the East Coast."


Monday, July 22, 2013

Blog Post: Reflecting on the place of single-sex education today, Emily Adams ’14 says ‘I wouldn’t have it any other way’…

Emily Adams, an English major with minors in Russian and Spanish at Bryn Mawr College, class of 2014, recently blogged about single-sex colleges.

Blog Post Highlights:

“. . . Studying at a women’s college means being able to lift weights in the gym without competing with male bodybuilders. It means walking into any class, whether it’s computer science or French literature, and knowing you won’t be the only woman. It means being certain that your peers will not take your gender into account when evaluating the merit of your opinions. It means watching the Vagina Monologues and later discussing at the dinner table which monologue rang true for you. Would these conversations take place at co-ed schools? Possibly. Would they invoke the same levels of pride, honesty, and sincerity? Probably not.

A single-sex education means being surrounded by bright, passionate, involved women— not just in classrooms, but at work, at mealtimes, and in the dorms. It means entering into an enormous sisterhood which extends across all fifty states and most nations of the world, which encompasses several generations of intellectual women and will hopefully grow to include several more in the coming years. It means realizing in the middle of a lecture that, one hundred years ago, a young woman just like you was sitting in that same chair — learning just as you are, rediscovering herself in new and fantastic ways like you — and taking a moment to bask in the glory of our collective history.

For that woman, as well as the millions who have come before and after her in the history of women’s education, every day of her college career was a celebration of her femininity. The simple fact of being at a school filled entirely with women was an affirmation of the power of her gender. She greeted every day with the realization that she was surrounded by people who understood and appreciated what it means to be a woman, what it costs to be female in a male world, and what it takes to change that world for the better. And whether all of those women went on to be rocket scientists or mothers or both, they carried that knowledge with them for the rest of their lives. They knew that, just as their gender should never define them, it should also never be forgotten. They never forgot, and neither will we. . . .”


From Wikipedia: "Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The phrase bryn mawr means "big hill" in Welsh."

To learn more about Bryn Mawr College, visit their Web site.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Women’s Colleges, Providing the Figuring It Out Space

Several of my friends have daughters in college and now that summer break is here, I hear how some of their daughters are still trying to figure things out.
 

All of these friend’s daughters attend a coed college and while I have nothing against coed colleges, I wonder how their lives might be different if they attended a women’s college.

What’s so unique about women’s colleges is the environment . . . it’s supportive, nurturing, and empowering. It’s a place where you can simply be who you are without worrying about what anyone else thinks.

It’s a place where you can “figure things out” without feeling pressured.

Coed colleges, no matter how hard they try, can’t provide this environment – simply because as a coed college they serve both men and women; where women come first at a women’s college.

Earlier this year, I quoted a classmate of mine Gretchen Van Ness and wanted to post part of her quote again.

“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. . . .

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.”


As you think about going to college, I encourage you to consider attending a women’s college. Research the many women's colleges available (I have a list on the right navigation bar of this blog), identifying the ones that have the program(s) you are wanting, and then visit several campuses. 


If you would like some assistance in the college selection process, contact me and I will connect you with a College Adviser that can assist you.

And after careful consider, if you feel a coed college is right for you, then I say go for it! Only you know which environment is best for YOU!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Equine College Programs for Women

Women’s colleges offer horsewomen many options. I’ve been meaning to write more about this topic. The good news is I came across an excellent blog post by Randi Heatherman, The Equestrian College Advisor. In her post she talks about Saint Mary-of-the Woods College and their equine program: Equine Business Management, Equine Studies, Equine Science, Equine Training and Instruction, and Equine Assisted Therapy. Check out the college's facilities and faculty. And here's a Equine Quick Facts link.

Blog Post Highlights

“Affectionately known as “The Woods,” the college was founded in 1840 when six nuns traveled to America from France to create a much-needed school for women. Today, the college is still an all-women’s school and focuses on educating female leaders for the future. In fact, the college’s tagline (which accurately describes both the school’s beautiful setting and their mission) is “Send her to the Woods; she’ll find her voice.” . . . The most popular majors at The Woods are human services, education, psychology, biology, medical technology, music therapy, and they also boast a strong equine science and equine studies program. The majority of the majors require an internship prior to graduation and the campus’s career services office conducts frequent workshops on how students can best set themselves up to apply for graduate and professional schools. For equestrian students, The Woods has a tremendous equine major program, a wonderful facility, and several fantastic school horses available for students to use. The most impressive facet of the equine major program is the focus on the hands-on aspect of horse care – notably, every student must learn to drive both a fifth wheel and bumper pull horse trailer and operate a tractor. (In many equine programs, these skills are taught as part of elective courses – even though I never met a professional horse person who didn’t find that to be an essential part of his or her daily work.)”

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is located in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. To learn more about the college, visit their Web site.

To learn more about the services of The Equestrian College Adviser visit her Web site or blog.

From the “About” section of Randi's Web site:

"Today, Heathman is the only practicing independent educational consultant who can include both enrollment and intercollegiate equestrian experience on her resume. She is an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), and travels to many college campuses, educational workshops, and equestrian college fairs each year so that she can be familiar with the unique offerings of a variety of colleges and universities and best assist students in finding their right-fit school.

A lifelong horsewoman, Heathman is a member of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and the United States Dressage Federation (USDF). Growing up, she competed in a variety of disciplines before concentrating her efforts on dressage. In 2009, she and her Dutch Warmblood gelding Ricochet were named GAIG/USDF Regional Champions at second level in the adult amateur division. She is a USDF bronze medalist and blogs about her training experiences at Barnby Notes.

To keep up with Randi's latest college visits, application tips and advice, and information, follow her on Twitter, like her Facebook page, or visit her consulting blog. She is also contributes educational content to Junior Equestrian Magazine, recruits new bloggers for the Barnby Notes Equestrian Training Notebooks web site, and was a featured speaker at the 2013 College Preparatory Invitational Horse Show in Wellington, FL."

Monday, July 15, 2013

’01 Sweet Briar Alumnae Named in Article: The Women In Technology Generating The Most Buzz In 2013

Meet Leah Busque, 2001 graduate of Sweet Briar College, a women’s college located in Sweet Briar, VA. Receiving her B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science, she is now Founder and CEO of TaskRabbit.

Once you understand how challenging it is for women to succeed in the world of technology, you’ll share my excitement about her accomplishments. In addition to being top tech talent, she also is the founder of a successful technology company. Check it out for yourself on the TaskRabbit Web site or read the HuffPost article, “The Women In Technology Generating The Most Buzz In 2013


I’m impressed . . .

From Wikipedia, “Sweet Briar College is a liberal arts women's college in Sweet Briar, Virginia, United States, about 12 miles north of Lynchburg, Virginia. The school's Latin motto translates as: "She who has earned the rose may bear it."”

Below is additional information about Sweet Briar from their Web site:

Sweet Briar College


The life of the mind

"The term liberal arts and sciences comes up a lot during a college search. Typically, this educational tradition is based upon a broad, interdisciplinary curriculum, small, discussion-centered classes with approachable professors, and opportunities to learn inside and outside of the classroom. Even some of the largest universities’ undergraduate programs draw upon these customs.

At Sweet Briar, this philosophy might be better described as limitless advantages. Here, the resources available to each member of the student body — for scholarship, individualization, leadership, competition, friendship, service and interaction on campus, in nearby academic and civic communities, and abroad — are as significant as the futures ahead of them.


Est. 1901
Since our founding in 1901, Sweet Briar has specialized in educating women. It’s an approach that brings personal relevance to every discipline studied here, and opens up insights and understanding between students and faculty that might not be explored in a co-educational environment. Our single-gender tradition also extends leadership opportunities to every student who seeks them out, and cultivates connection, confidence and community, from first-year, day one, through graduation, reunion and beyond.


The Sweet Briar College mission
Sweet Briar College empowers and educates young women to build and reshape their world however their passions lead them.
"

Friday, July 12, 2013

Students at a Women’s College Establish Society for The First Time

In addition to graduates of women’s colleges being amazing, check out what these two students accomplished.

Brittany Lamon-Paredes '15 and Magister Adeline Lee '16, students at Wellesley College were instrumental in establishing Phi Delta Phi at the college.

Article highlights include:
“This June, Wellesley students successfully chartered a new chapter of Phi Delta Phi, the international legal honors society. Wellesley is the first all-women’s college to start a chapter and one of the first undergraduate institutions to do so.


Phi Delta Phi International was originally founded in 1869 at the University of Michigan to promote “a higher standard of professional ethics” in the legal field, according to its website. The oldest legal society in America, Phi Delta Phi has over 200,000 initiated members throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, and Europe. President Theodore Roosevelt, Justice Thurgood Marshall, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and Senator Daniel K. Inouye were all initiates.


“As an aspiring attorney, I want to gain knowledge on law school and form camaraderie with other pre-law students,” said Brittany Lamon-Paredes ’15, a political science and anthropology double major and the Magister of the Wellesley chapter. With this motivation, Lamon-Paredes and Vice-Magister Adeline Lee '16 formed an executive board that worked to found Phi Delta Phi at Wellesley College.""


Wellesley College is a women’s college located in Wellesley, MA

Everything about Wellesley College bespeaks its commitment to women, and to providing them with an unexcelled educational experience that honors and cultivates not only what is best about each of them, and their own potential, but about what women offer our world.


Wellesley is known for the excellence of its education, the beauty of its setting, its gifted faculty, and the uniqueness of its campus culture.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

’07 Alumna Founder of Nonprofit, Challah for Hunger

As I continue to learn about women’s colleges and their graduates, I continue to be amazed. Today’s post is about Eli Winkelman. Eli graduated from Scripps College in 2007 and founded a non-profit organization. Learn about her amazing story via this article “Challah for Hunger through the Eyes of a Transitioning Founder” and you will soon discover that the idea for her nonprofit started while attending Scripps.

Article highlights:
Back in 2004, during my first year at Scripps College, I began baking challah with friends, just for fun. Others joined in, and week after week people came back, complaining that “their friends ate all their challah.” Something clicked: people liked learning to bake challah; others wanted to buy the loaves. And so the first chapter of Challah for Hunger was born.


Since then, we’ve grown, purely by word of mouth, to more than 60 chapters in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia. Our volunteers bake creatively flavored challah, sell it, and donate the profits to social justice organizations. Chapters give half their proceeds to one shared cause, and each chapter’s volunteers act as a giving circle to allocate the other half. Over the past nine years, we’ve raised nearly half a million dollars for organizations including American Jewish World Service, the Blue Mountain Humane Society, Sharsheret, and Projecto Jardin.


For the last nine years, I’ve had the privilege to serve as Challah Enthusiasm Officer. Many nonprofits declare a vision to put themselves “out of business.” Challah for Hunger is not one of them. Our volunteers practice teamwork, hone skills (from kitchen navigation to tzedakah allocation), build bridges within the Jewish community and beyond, and most importantly to me at this time, make meaningful connections.  Why would we ever want to go “out of business”?


From Wikipedia: “Scripps College, begun in 1926, is a progressive liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California, United States. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges.”

To learn more about Scripps College, visit their Web site.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

How Cool Is This??? -- Graduating Class Mural

Check out the campus mural found at Scripps College. Since 1931 (the first year students graduated from Scripps), graduating students have added to the mural. Or read some of the inscriptions.

Scripps College, founded in 1926, is a private, all-women liberal arts college, located in Claremont, California.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Article: No Guys, No Problem: Why A Women’s College Should Be An Option (If You’re a Woman)

Sharing this article, entitled, “No Guys, No Problem: Why A Women’s College Should Be An Option (If You’re a Woman)” written by Tonya Garcia and published on August 17th, 2012.

Tonya begins her article with, “There are tons of college options out there: big universities, small colleges, in the city, out of the way on a spacious campus, co-ed, all women…


That last one (applicable if you happen to be a woman), is a no-brainer for many people. I went to a women’s college — Barnard — and was once asked, “Well, what was the point of going to college with no guys around?” That person was (kind of) joking.”

Friday, July 5, 2013

Quote: “That there is no more exhilarating and intellectually fertile place in the academic world today than a woman's college”

Adrienne Cecile Rich was an American poet and essayist. Highly influential, her words spoke volumes  . . .  ". . . the student sees herself engaged with her teachers in an active, ongoing struggle for real education. But for her to do this, her teachers must be committed to the belief that women's minds and experience are intrinsically valuable and indispensable to any civilization worthy the name; that there is no more exhilarating and intellectually fertile place in the academic world today than a woman's college--if both students and teachers in large enough numbers are trying to fulfill this contract.

The contract is really a pledge of mutual seriousness about women, about language, ideas, methods, and values. It is our shared commitment toward a world in which the inborn potentialities of so many women's minds will no longer be wasted, raveled-away, paralyzed, or denied.


A fellow classmate of mine Kendal Hopkins responded to these words by writing, “EXACTLY! Those of us who have experienced this phenomenon of women's education (most of us already have under our belts 12 or more years of coeducation) know the power of learning in a community dedicated to educating and responding to women's learning styles and energy. It is sometimes a subtle difference and sometimes so very unique to be life-changing. It was for me!

In 1951, Ms. Rich received a bachelor’s degree in English from Radcliffe College.
One of the original Seven Sisters, Radcliffe College, became fully integrated with Harvard University in 1999.

Learn more about Adrienne Rich from the Academy of American Poets, The Poetry Foundation, and/or The New York Times.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Vintage Photographs from The Seven Sisters colleges

I discovered this neat Tumblr page that has vintage photographs from the “Seven Sister” Colleges.

If you would like to learn more about the “Seven Sisters” colleges, visit Wikipedia.

Monday, July 1, 2013

A college-readiness program for college-bound high school girl in the greater Los Angeles area

Scripps College Academy, “established in 2002, Scripps College Academy (SCA) is a free year-round college-readiness program for high-achieving young women in the greater Los Angeles area. Through mentorship from Scripps College faculty and staff, participants develop the confidence and skills to be well-prepared college applicants, successful college students, and professionals who create positive, lasting change.”





Scripps College is a women's college and is located in Claremont, CA. Visit their Web site to learn more or watch these two YouTube videos: What are your thoughts about Scripps College?  and A Brief History of Scripps College.