Forget the stereotypes: women’s colleges are not man-hating, prissy, stuffy, or old-fashioned!  My College Guide talked to Nancy Peterson, the Assistant Director of Admission from Agnes Scott College (Decatur, GA), Jeffrey Hodges, the Director of Public Relations at Hollins University (Roanoke, VA), Karen McDonald,  the Acting AVP, Integrated Marketing and Communications of Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, IN), and the Dean of Admission, Ken Huus, of Sweet Briar College (Sweet Briar, VA) to find out why they believe a women’s college is not to be so easily dismissed!

Courtesy of Agnes Scott College

So – Why a Women’s College?  Why is a women’s college still a relevant choice?
Agnes Scott College: When is seeking an environment that allows you to be engaged in your education and that also fosters your independence irrelevant?  It’s not a matter of keeping up with the times or making women’s colleges relevant, it’s a matter of providing women with the opportunities and experiences they want.

Hollins University: Hollins pursues an uncommon mission to provide women the opportunity to find their own voices and seek their own individual dreams and goals. We help them gain confidence to compete in a still unequal world and give them the tools to make the world a better place for other women, children, and men.

Saint Mary’s College: Why NOT a women’s college?  Everything we do is to educate women, that is our mission and our focus. It’s not a matter of keeping up with the times or making women’s colleges relevant, it’s a matter of providing women with the opportunities and experiences they want. At that point, a young women must determine if a women’s college is the right fit for her.

Sweet Briar College: Women’s colleges are possibly more relevant today than ever before.  Where else can a young woman truly focus on her career preparation and planning than in a place that is completely dedicated to her success.  Recently, we’ve become more overt about helping our students prepare for life after college – jobs, graduate school preparation, etc. – so that they get both a great education and become prepared for the world that will welcome them upon graduation.

Courtesy of Sweet Briar College

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.

Courtesy of Saint Mary's College

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.

So, if a student chooses to attend a women’s college — will she never see a man again?
Agnes Scott College: A women’s college is not a convent. Students aren’t locked up at night, never to see a male for the next four years. Here’s what reality looks like: Agnes Scott College is part of a consortium for cross-registration: our students can go to any of the member institutions to take classes, and their students can come here. So there is a chance that in your four years you’ll be in a co-ed class.  We’re located in a metropolitan city with a population of over 5 million people- and about 100,000 of that number is college students. So if you aren’t out and about and having fun, you’re trying really hard not to.

Courtesy of Agnes Scott College

Hollins University: Nine co-ed colleges and universities and one men’s college are located within driving distance of Hollins. And, there are on-campus activities throughout the academic year that coeds from other area schools enthusiastically attend, from the Fall Party and Mayfest outdoor concerts to the Fall Formal and Spring Cotillion dances.

Saint Mary’s College: Yes, you will see men on campus and in the classroom! The exciting atmosphere of a large, comprehensive university – along with its academic, social, and athletic opportunities – is open to Saint Mary’s students through our distinctive relationship with the University of Notre Dame. Saint Mary’s students can take classes and attend sporting events at Notre Dame, as well as participate in a variety of clubs, sports, activities and organizations such as Notre Dame’s marching band, or write for the Observer, the daily newspaper published jointly by both colleges. There is a fluid social life between Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame (as well as Holy Cross College) — students attend dances and campus-wide activities, and join service and social organizations open to students on both campuses.

Sweet Briar: Funny, funny.  Young men from local colleges (and there are 7 within an hour) are here rather regularly for dances, parties, Homecoming, Winter Formal, Spring Fling, and just for a fun weekend.  The academic environment is all-female, but the social environment is virtually coed.

Courtesy of Saint Mary's College

Any advice for a student considering  a women’s college?
Agnes Scott College: Don’t let other people’s stereotypes/pre-conceived notions get in the way of you making the right decision about college. When you tell people that you are thinking about this women’s college or that one, you might get some raised eyebrows and people saying “why would you ever go to a girl’s school?” or worse! But remember — your college years are not about your best friend, your next door neighbor, your grandmother’s friend that you run into at the grocery store — they are about YOU. Turn it around and ask them, “Why wouldn’t I consider a women’s college?”

Hollins University: Visit. Take a campus tour, sit in on classes, chat with students and professors. Websites and printed materials are great for providing an overview of the experience at Hollins and other women’s colleges, but there is no substitute for actually seeing first-hand what life at a women’s college is like. Even a student who doesn’t think she would be particularly interested in attending a women’s college should at least tour one – many young women are pleasantly surprised to find many of their preconceived notions about the single-sex environment to be wrong.

Courtesy of Hollins University

Saint Mary’s College: Visit our campus. Attend a class, meet with a professor or talk to a coach. Try on college life by spending the night in a residence hall.  That advice serves a prospective student no matter what institutions they are considering. It’s not about choosing a women’s college, it’s about choosing the right college for the individual, an institution that meets their criteria and provides them with overall experience to succeed.

Sweet Briar: Just consider the possibility with an open mind.  It’s really not possible to fully appreciate any college’s personality without setting foot on campus.  The physical campus is stunningly beautiful and must be seen to appreciate.  And our students really do the best job of describing all that is special about Sweet Briar and their women’s college education.