Is a Women's College Right for You?

Choosing to attend an all women's college was one of the best decisions I've ever made. After talking to other women at my college, I've found that many of us initially had reservations about going to an exclusively female college, but we all decided that the benefits outweighed the negatives for us. If you are considering enrolling in or applying to a women's college, there are some positives and some negatives that you will need to consider. In the end, it is up to you as an individual to decide whether a women's school is right for you.

Many people incorrect perceptions of women's colleges. The first major mistake many people make is to assume all women's colleges are religious and stifling. This is not at all true. While there are religious women's colleges, the biggest women's colleges in America are not religiously affiliated at all. In fact, many of these women's schools are just as, if not more, liberal and free as any other liberal arts college in the country. Every school differs in terms of rules and regulations, but many women's colleges have highly liberal environments. I do not necessarily mean liberal in the political sense, although that is often true as well.

Another view many people hold is the exact opposite. Some people see women's colleges as "girls schools" where naked barely legal girls run around in what could be called a perpetual slumber party. If you think that going to a women's school will mean having pillow fights in your lingerie, you will probably be in for a disappointment. Many of the women's colleges in America are some of the most serious academic institutions in this country. The young women who enroll in these institutions are generally very serious about their future careers and spend much of their time studying. While the absence of men on campus can make female students less worried when they party, it does not mean that they will necessarily lose all their inhibitions. If you are worried about naked parties, you will probably find them even easier to avoid at women's colleges than at coed institutions.

The last big misconception about women's colleges is that the women who go there are angry, man-hating lesbians. This idea is completely untrue. Everyone has a different reason for choosing to go to a women's college, but most people choose the schools for their academic excellence, not because they hate men. Women's colleges are a wonderful environment in which young women can receive a quality education .It gives women the chance to have leadership roles on campus on in the classroom. In some coed schools women feel less comfortable speaking up in class, but women's colleges help those female students who feel reticent about volunteering.

If you are uncomfortable with lesbianism, a religious school may be a better choice than one of the larger women's colleges. But lesbianism occurs at all liberal arts colleges. Going to a women's college will not turn a straight person gay. Instead, women's colleges usually provide a safe haven for lesbians who are often harassed at coed schools.

Women's colleges are a great place for any young woman who is serious about her education. They provide a great space for educational dialogue that is free from the competition between young women vying for men's attention. While it is harder to meet men at a women's college, there are plenty of on and off-campus social events that provide contact with the outside world. In the end, only you can decide if a women's college is the right fit for you.