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“It is the very ideal of a library for young ladies, with cozy nooks and corners, where a book is twice a book; with sunny windows, some of them thrown out into deep bays; with galleries, reached by winding stairs, where the girls seem to have a keen delight in coiling themselves away in such mysterious fashion that you can only see above the balustrade a curly head bending over some book, doubtless found more fascinating than it could be if simply spread out on the table below.”

Protest for equal access to Harvard at the 1971 commencement. 

“If you’re female and searching for a college, take a good look at the women’s colleges. It amazes me that some girls do not even consider such a great educational opportunity. They may even visit and see the gorgeous campuses and impressive facilities, but they say they can’t imagine life without boys around all the time. They may say that for a truly diverse discussion, you need all types of people, so you’d surely want some males in it. My answer is that the male perspective is one you have had all your life and will have after college for the rest of your life. At a women’s college you get something you have never had before and may never have again: the strong women’s point of view and the chance to network with other energetic, accomplished women who can profoundly affect your life.

Why is this important? Research shows that most teachers, whether male or female, whether teaching kindergarten or college, give more attention to male students. At women’s colleges, the focus is on women; they become players, not just observers. And this pays off; more women’s college graduates go on to get advanced degrees and enter fields traditionally dominated by men, such as science, medicine, finance, law and engineering. They are also more likely to gain positions of leadership in society. It’s easy to think these women "never learn to compete with men,” but the opposite happens; having held all the leadership positions in college, they’ve had practice being leaders and continue to see themselves as leaders after college. Another study said that in groups of women most of us would consider successful, women’s college graduates are highly represented. For example, the study found that even though only 2% of female college graduates attended women-only institutions, they accounted for more than 20% of the women in Congress and over 50% of the women on the boards of Fortune 500 companies.

A senior at a women’s college said, “The absence of men creates a certain strength for women at a crucial time in finding a career path or direction. I have discovered so much about myself and who I want to be since I have been here. I can honestly say that I have gotten much more out of being at a women’s college than I would have at a coed one. It was a little strange at first to be in an all-female environment, but once I adjusted, I found it to be such an empowering experience.”

Also, this empowerment in women’s colleges is important because women still have a long way to go in our society. Despite enjoying freedoms and opportunities their grandmothers never dreamed of, women today still earn only about 77 cents for every $1 men earn, and men still hold most of the high-paying powerful positions. Women’s colleges have helped with the gains that women have made, and there is more to be done.  One of these schools, Smith College, has a brochure that says, “Worried a women’s college won’t prepare you for the ‘real world’? Smith women change the world.”

You’ll find this advantage and excellent academics at Smith, Wellesley, Mt. Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, Barnard, and other women’s colleges, but what about the daily life? You should go and see. My own daughter, who was absolutely sure she wouldn’t be interested, visited some women’s colleges and loved the atmosphere. (She chose Smith, but the experiences I’m describing happen at all of these schools.) She found her courses very satisfying and loved most of her professors, many of whom were male. She loved the friendships and freedom of the environment. Her dorm was terrific, with attractive rooms and elegant, well-furnished common rooms that she was sure wouldn’t look so nice if boys lived there. She loved how the dorms had either their own dining room or one in the dorm next door. The food, which was very good, was prepared right there by people who cared about the students and often made them special orders. Each Friday afternoon is a “dorm tea.” It’s not at all formal; you can go–if you choose to go at all–in pajamas if you want. Students often invite favorite faculty members to come too. Dorms range from 10 students to 100.

And what about your social life? The dorms also host parties many weekends to which students from neighboring colleges come. The very first weekend my daughter was at Smith, she attended a party at nearby Amherst College and met lots of boys. All the elite women’s colleges are located in places with plenty of social opportunities. Barnard, Wellesley and Bryn Mawr are near other colleges, and in or near cities. Mt. Holyoke and Smith are in the famous “five-college area,” second only to Boston as “Collegetown, USA.” Smith is located right in the hub of the area, Northampton, MA, called “Noho” by students, and voted in a national magazine survey “the number one arts town in the US.” It’s a cool little city with lots to do and a youthful “college-town” feel. Free buses go from one college to the next, and a website tells of the events at all 5 colleges, which have a total of 30,000 undergraduates. You certainly can have a social life!

What’s more, a student at any of these five colleges–Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Hampshire, and UMass Amherst–can take courses at all five, providing another way to meet people. There are thousands of these cross-registrations every year.

Some women considering a women’s college ask about the lesbian population. You may find more gay women at a women’s college. I assume gay women will be glad of this, and straight women say they don’t find it a problem. One student said she was surprised at first by the many freedoms of college life, but was soon used to them and able to make her own choices about it all. My daughter felt the same way.

Until only 40 years ago, most of the very elite colleges were only for men. So these top women’s schools were prime choices for the highest-achieving girls. For a girl to get into one of these Sister Colleges was every bit as prestigious as a boy getting into the Ivy League. The opening of the Ivy League and other elite colleges to women was a big change, but the Sister Colleges remain excellent places to get a topnotch education. And the fact that you’re not competing with boys to get in may greatly improve your chances of being admitted.

 Where to go to college can be a difficult decision for a student who has enjoyed the intellectually challenging environment of a top-quality high school but who either isn’t admitted to Ivy League colleges or prefers a different type of school. For a girl in that situation, the elite women’s colleges are a great answer; for boys there’s no comparable solution. 

The bottom line is that women’s colleges are not about separating you from boys but about offering you career and life opportunities most women don’t get.