The Benefits of Attending a Women’s College

In this webinar, Nicole Jobson, Director of College Advising at International College Counselors, explores the distinctive value of women’s colleges, highlighting how and why these institutions foster a unique learning environment that empowers women to thrive academically, personally, socially, and professionally.

 After this webinar participants will understand: 

• Why a women’s college? 
• What are the benefits of a women’s college? 
• Who are the Seven Sisters? 
• How to find the right women’s college for your daughter  

Take a look at our upcoming free college admissions webinars.

WEBINAR TRANSCRIPT

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Nicole Jobson: Welcome, everyone! I am so happy that you are here to attend the seminar on the benefits of attending a Women’s College.

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I’m the director of college counseling with International College Counselors. So thanks, thanks again for being here.

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I’d like to have you imagine, just for a second, walking onto a campus where every leadership role, every research project, every voice in the classroom belongs to someone whose potential is encouraged, is celebrated, where confidence is nurtured, ambition is supported, and the future feels wide open.

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That’s the reality at women’s colleges, institutions that empower a diverse range of students and consistently graduate resilient, high-achieving, successful individuals. And tonight, I, the director of college counseling with International College Counselors, and as the parent of a woman’s college alumna, welcome, you here tonight to learn more about why attending a women’s college could be the right choice for your child.

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As I mentioned, this webinar is part of a series that we regularly offer as a company. We provide comprehensive college planning guidance for students and their families. As for me, for the past 20 years I’ve worked with students in nearly every facet of education teacher, principal.
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For the last decade, as an independent college advisor, I have begun working with students as early as 8th grade, strategically guiding them as they prepare for and identify the best college fit for them, while helping them hone their skills.

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I’m happy to answer any questions you have about tonight’s theme, the benefits of women’s colleges, or the college planning process in general, at the end of the webinar. My contact information is Nicole at International College Counselors, and there’ll be an opportunity again to ask questions at the end, or you can type them into the chat.

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As you can see here from the slide we offer comprehensive service, including college and graduate school planning school list, narrowing extracurricular and activity and refinement, essay, review and brainstorming options, application, interview and guidance with expert advisors, and I think the most important part of the job that I have is making sure that we stay abreast as a team of counselors. We engage in professional development and communicate with each other on a daily basis. So thanks again. So let’s get started.

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So several years ago, when my own daughter, who’s now an alumna of Wellesley College, began her college planning, she asked me for a few suggestions.

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Like many other students, she had not specifically considered a women’s college, and, in fact, didn’t know much about them. In fact, only about 5% of students consider women’s colleges. One question we had was, considering the small number of students initially interested in women’s colleges.

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Why are colleges like some of these schools, Mount Holyoke, a women’s college in Massachusetts, Spelman historically Black women’s College, Smith, Bryn Mawr, and Barnard, and dozens of other women’s colleges stubbornly persist as single sex institutions? And I’m here to tell you tonight why some of these students have been converted.

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So when we talk about women’s colleges versus co-educational institutions. It’s not my perspective. Just as a parent, or even from my perspective from working with hundreds of students over the past decade or so. Indiana University did a study where they studied 42,000 women across higher education, including nearly 5,000 women at women’s colleges, and they sought to answer a critical question: were single-sex colleges as educationally transformative as claimed?

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And the results were convincing. Women at single sex colleges demonstrated significantly higher engagement levels. They worked harder. They spent more time preparing for classes. They collaborated more frequently and engaged in deeper discussions with their professors. These students developed stronger critical thinking skills and analytical skills, while more readily applying theoretical knowledge to real-world practice compared to their peers at coeducational institutions.

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So these are things that I think are really important for a parent or a student to consider as they begin to understand why you might consider a women’s college.

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Further, the campus environment proved equally transformative. These students reported making meaningful progress across virtually every academic measure, emerging as strong writers, critical thinkers, and quantitative analysts. Notably, nearly 90% of women’s college presidents are women. Students have the opportunity to reflect on leadership that looks like them in action daily. 
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And so, the academic choices reflected this empowerment. Women at women’s colleges were one and a half times more likely to major in math, science, or pre-med than those at coeducational institutions, and the long-term impact is remarkable, despite just representing 2% of all college graduates. Women’s college alumni comprise over 20% of women in Congress and one-third of women on Fortune 1,000 boards. So those are some of the benefits stick with me.

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So, from uniquely preparing women to lead a global society and closing the gap in male-dominated fields to being the epicenters of inclusive excellence and creating a community that promotes lifelong learning and connection beyond graduation. Women’s colleges today have more relevance than ever before.


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 Dr. Elizabeth Mead, who is the president of Cedar Crest College, a small Liberal Arts Women’s College in Pennsylvania, talks about with changing times require changing models, and I think women’s colleges, in light of some of the challenges that folks are facing, provide an inclusive, nurturing, welcoming environment.

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The impact of this experience could perhaps account for the dramatic surge in applications at women’s colleges across the country. This trend is striking, because we know that the overall number of high school students that are graduating is actually declining.

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So the question we want to ask is what kind of woman do you want to become? And I think this is particularly important as a counselor because, according to Wellesley College, the most powerful engine of social change is an educated young woman.

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But I think it’s true. I mean all of you here on the call tonight certainly are here for a reason, and much like when I’ve had these discussions with my daughter or the students that I’ve worked with over the last, you know, decade or so of working with students in this capacity.

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I help the students identify what are their goals. Help them articulate. What is it that they hope to see? So there was a study don a few years ago conducted by the Women’s College Coalition.

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 It indicated that women’s college graduates earned advanced degrees at a significantly higher rate than other graduates. More specifically, 51% of the surveyed women’s college graduates earned advanced degrees, compared to 33% of liberal arts graduates and 27% of graduates from flagship public universities. 

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So a PhD or graduate school may or may not be in your child’s future, but just know that if it is, they’re in good company.

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Students who attend women’s colleges may also receive stronger leadership training.

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Wellesley, Alumnae, Martha Casey, who’s a lawyer, indicates that Wellesley grads step easily into leadership positions, and one of those reasons, I believe, is not just the education they receive, but the supportive environment and the strength of the alumni network, the relationships that are built and the relationships that are maintained.

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So as we begin to consider, what kind of woman do you want to become, or what kind of woman does your daughter want to become, a change maker, successful, educated, strong communicator and communicator, empowered, self-confident, globally competent, and a leader who doesn’t want that.

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So my question for folks on this call is, what do you desire in a college? And so, whether that may be a co-educational institution or a woman’s college? 

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These are the kinds of questions that, when engaged in by my clients, the ICC advantages. We talk about developing a plan to ensure that you are ready to be able to engage in these small, discussion-based courses that small women’s colleges are often known for. So, begin to think about it. What do you imagine is the ideal learning environment?

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You can discuss, explore some of these questions, and once you do that, whether it’s as a family, whether it’s with me as a counselor, create a roadmap to what your future is going to look like.

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Bryn Mawr College, one of the 7 Sisters Colleges, and I’ll get into sort of the history of the 7 sisters colleges in a little bit, but these were colleges that were founded in the 17 and 18 hundreds as a place for young women to be educated when they could not otherwise attend.

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Schools like Harvard or Columbia, Yale, Penn, and others. But, anyway, Bryn Maw College states that it is their mission to provide a rigorous education, to encourage the pursuit of knowledge, in preparation for life by having small discussion-based courses with folks who care about their development academically as well as a human being.

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But what does that mean for a high school student?

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I had a talk with one of my students not too long ago. She was reluctant to put Bryn Mawr on her list. She’d never heard of the school, which was not surprising, considering it has roughly 2,000 students. Some of these smaller schools don’t get on the radar of the students with whom I work, but she wanted to major in neuroscience and at some point wanted to earn a PhD.

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 So I insisted, as I sometimes do when I work with the students, to at least take a look. 

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 Your list is a list that your family has ultimate authority on, but I am here to provide guidance and insight, and share things that maybe you’re not aware of. So, anyway, the student was aware of her academic goal. She knew what she wanted to do, but she really didn’t know the strength of Bryn Mawr’s Life Science Department. 
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 There’s a new class or a new one at that time called neuroethics, which examines the political and ethical concerns of neuroscience, and it helped her to see that this might be a good fit to connect her deep interest in science with her convictions about what is right and what is just.

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  28% of Bryn Maw degrees are in stem, nearly 300% more than the national average. That percentage holds true for Black women and Latinas as well.

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   And so we understand that neuroscience helps us not understand the biological basis of behavior, but it’s become increasingly relevant to law and education, war, politics, and religion who don’t want to learn in an environment where your science class is talking about things that are of critical importance to all of us.

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So it’s worth taking a look

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 All right. So, if collaborating with faculty on meaningful research with professors is important to your ideal learning environment, I would certainly recommend that you put a women’s college on your list this past year. One of my students, who, as a high school student, conducted both independent and mentored research and mathematical oncology wanted to be sure that she could continue this very interesting and difficult topic. Once she got to school, I suggested Barnard and Mount Holyoke.
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To her credit, she immediately put on her list. Barnard College is located in New York City and is affiliated with Columbia University. Mount Holyoke is in Massachusetts. And so again, as we begin to explore, one of the primary reasons colleges exist is to conduct research. And so if you want to do that, you’re going to have abundant opportunities to engage in research with faculty members.

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This study found that from the National Bureau of Economic Research, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to Harvard University, which recently absorbed Radcliffe College, one of the earlier women’s colleges and MIT and other schools. But anyway, so this study found that even at the graduate level, women are more likely to earn a PhD within 6 years if their principal investigator is female.
  
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 And so, again, we discuss leadership. Not that women can’t learn from a professor that’s male, but the research does show that even in graduate school, young women who seek to earn PhDs perform better and faster if they have a female PI.
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  The study also found that having more female peers created a female-friendly environment that also encourages these women to persist in doctoral programs, despite not having a significant effect on learning or financial support.
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So, if research with faculty is part of your ideal learning environment know that they will be both abundant, and you’ll find a female-friendly climate certain.

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All right. Strong writing skills.

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I’ll give an example. Writing, of course, is a significant part of how we communicate.

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When I work with students as a counselor, one of the things I put together and share with them is that I love to read; in fact, I own about 3,000 books myself. And so it’s very easy for me to recommend. Here’s a list of the top 20 books. But here’s a list of 4 or 5 books that I really think you will enjoy. I do that because I think all of us here know that strong readers become significantly better writers. 

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And so, as I prepare my students to be in an environment where strong writing skills are both necessary, encouraged, and supported. This is one way I help support my high school students, as well as some of the undergraduates I work with, in their pursuit of the next level of graduate school. However, at Wellesley, for example, the starting point for writing is the first-year Writing Requirement.

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All students are required to fulfill the first year requirement by taking an introductory course in writing. However, this may not be the same freshman writing a freshman composition that you and I took in college. I mean these goals, the goals of these programs are not just to develop strong writers, but also to discover a community, a community of peers.

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  Sometimes these courses are centered around current topics. Sometimes these courses are centered around the history or science.

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   Sometimes these courses are centered around other things, and just learning how to write outside of context. 
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  Lastly, if graduate school is on your list, you may want to consider putting a women’s college on your list at ICC as part of our advantage. We evaluate graduation outcomes for schools.
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   And so, again, whether it’s a women’s college or another college, part of my plan includes not only what the overall graduation outcomes are at this particular institution, but also what the graduation outcomes are for your demographic. Are women graduating at a higher rate or not at a higher rate? If so, why?

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 I think that’s really important we also provide some guidance, right? It’s a lot easier to get to graduate school if you are successful in your major, and so we provide guidance around majors and in-depth programs, and opportunities. You know what’s happening in terms of if you want to become a doctor, and what schools have larger, more robust, comprehensive pre-health, advising programs, for example.
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 Or pre-law advising, all of that is part of the ICC advantage, and all of that would make seeking a graduate degree part of a reason to consider a women’s college.

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  More specifically, out of the 3,100 or so colleges in the country, women’s colleges, at least some of these ones listed here, are amongst the highest in the nation. I think we all know that to gain acceptance in a PhD program, and, more importantly, to successfully complete the degree requirements, you need skills in oral and written communication, the ability to self-direct your research analysis, and problem solving skills. 
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  There are certain undergraduate colleges known for churning out graduates with this unique blend of talents to go on and earn doctoral degrees and become leaders in the world of higher education, for example, Bryn Mawr is ranked number 19 in PhD productivity. I suspect that’s also in part to their highly ranked PhD program in physics.

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Wellesley is ranked number 21. These are, of course, adjusted for student population. Mount Holyoke. We’ve discussed number 22, and then Smith College ranked number 28 out of nearly 3,000 colleges in the country. 

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These are undergraduate institutions. And so, when we talk about PhD productivity, I am specifically referring to what and where did these young women receive their undergraduate training? And then they go off to various universities. 

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Oftentimes we want to make sure that our children have options after they graduate. So the first step is in high school is to prepare them for college once they get to college, what is the next step? So, again, if graduate school, and more specifically, a PhD, is something you want to consider, I’d say take a look at these women’s colleges, and you will be pleasantly surprised by some of the academic outcomes.

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Beyond academic outcomes, I would hope that all of us want our children to attend a school where they’re outside of the classroom. Experience is as meaningful as the inside of the classroom experience. So when I work with students, I’ll ask them to share with me their ideal life.

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They’ll tell me what they want to their ideal college life to look like. They tell me that they want to work with intellectual peers, or perhaps some will even talk about cheering from the stands for the school’s football or basketball team, and that’s fair, and that’s reasonable. They almost always mention relationships with their friends.

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Based on my experience as a counselor, I know that women’s colleges are an ideal place to build and nurture and deepen and long-lasting relationships. 
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 So, as a student, begin to ask yourself some questions like, what is your ideal out-of-the-classroom environment? So yes, women’s colleges have sports and sororities and concerts and plays and hundreds of campus organizations. Can you imagine operating your own radio show or, through art, raising money and awareness of feminism at Barnard, which is in New York?
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 Applicants seem to be acutely aware of what is happening in the world, as current events have motivated them. They’re looking for colleges. These students are looking for colleges that will prepare them to enter these challenging spaces and navigate conversations with confidence at women’s colleges you can.
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Mount Holyoke, again in upstate Massachusetts, proclaims that what happens outside of the class is just as important and instructive as what happens inside. They believe that it’s it’s where you learn, not just how to think in the world, but to be in the world.

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So, how do we reach this point where we need institutions that can provide access to traditions, leadership, and phenomenal postgraduate outcomes? We’re here because women were not allowed. Women were excluded from admission from some of the most rigorous colleges in the country, and some of the earliest colleges in the country. So in the early 1700s some of these women’s colleges began as teachers, colleges, or even seminaries.

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Later, other women’s colleges were founded to provide this rigorous liberal arts education, as women were excluded from exclusively male institutions. And why? And those are the 7 sister schools that we often think about. And Virginia Woolf.

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A claim that for their intellectual, for women’s intellectual and creative talents to flourish. Women needed rooms of their own. I’m going to repeat that they needed rooms of their own, and I think that’s oe of the greatest benefits of being at a woman’s college. Hence the birth of some of these institutions. 

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As you may know, although I’ve already mentioned some of the historical significance and common characteristics of the 7 sister schools, I thought I would provide a quick overview of their application. 

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 Acceptance rates reflect some of what is required in terms of academic rigor. And what does it specifically look like? So we’re going to talk about a number of these schools. Mount Holyoke remains as a single sex women’s College and was founded in 1837.

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 Vassar in upstate New York, started as one of the 7 sister colleges. In 1969 became co-ed. Wellesley College remains a women’s only college. Smith’s College remains a women’s only college. Radcliffe merged with Harvard in about 1999, I believe Bryn Mawr and Barnard remain as women     only colleges.

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 So now I hope that I’ve convinced you that at least one women’s college should go on your list. The goal is for us to understand which one and why. This image here is Spelman College, historically Black College, and a worldwide leader in the education of women of African descent.

00:29:50.370 –> 00:30:19.980
To get to know women’s colleges, the first place you’re going to look is the college’s own website, and there are oftentimes opportunities for you to explore getting to know different colleges through webinars, seminars, virtual tours, and the like. But there are a few other places where you might get some important information. Picking a college is not just yes, yay, yay, Women’s College, yay, But, which one is right for me.

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Part of the advantage of working with a team of counselor is that we have the insight of about 16 full-time College counselors, not, just one.

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So it’s not just me. It’s not just me saying I think you should put Wellesley College on your list, or I think you should put Mount Holyoke or things of that that nature. But really, I have not only the insight of my decades of experience, but I have the wisdom and the insight that my colleagues have.

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But it really is important that once you decide that a woman’s college is right for you, to go ahead and check their websites.

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Talk with your counselor at school, who may provide some valuable information. Again, we talked about campus visits and meeting with Alumni.

00:31:32.690 –> 00:31:56.129
You know college search engines or social media. There are numerous opportunities to get to know the colleges, and when I say ‘when I work with students,’ I mean it. That’s a critical part of this entire process is not just the women’s college, but the right woman’s college for you.

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So, what should you know? We’ll start here with Wellesley. And I couldn’t thank Wellesley enough, because conducting research for this webinar years ago and talking to their alumni and admission office I was really provided some invaluable insights.

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And that’s one of the things that I do as part of our team is engage in year round, professional development to get insight both from the perspective of the colleges and  universities, but again, also attending visits and things of that sort. 

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However, I also wanted to thank Wellesley for their specific insight into how young women should approach the college selection process, particularly at colleges traditionally ranked as the Number One Women’s College in the country. It was also recently ranked as Number 3 in the country of all Liberal arts, colleges, including women and co-ed.

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So let’s take a look at these charts, and I prepared a few charts so that you have a better sense of what it means. 

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Again, we discussed the student body size. Most of these women’s colleges are small Liberal arts colleges. Wellesley, with about 2,400 students, offers its student body the opportunity to form phenomenal relationships. The acceptance rate has decreased considerably as it stands at 14% for the most recent cycle.

00:33:35.320 –> 00:34:50.939
You look at the SAT scores and ACT scores. They are among the top in the nation. And so, as your daughter begins to prepare their school list, hopefully with the guidance of a counselor who spent a lot of time doing this, these are some factors to be aware of that are not as common. When we’re looking at the class size, 96% of the classes at Wellesley College have fewer than 29 students. It is a lot easier to form relationships when you have these small class sizes. A lot easier to have small discussion-based conversations. Nearly every class at the school will have fewer than 29 students. And the next statistic that I want to share with you is the retention rate, or the first year satisfaction rate. 

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That means  that first year students who become second year students stands at 96 and a half percent. That means nearly everybody who was admitted and decided to attend, said, Wow! This is a phenomenal experience. I want to stay.

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That’s an important number. And I’m going to go to the next line because there’s similar information here for Mount Holyoke. Like many of the others, the student body is small compared to co-educational colleges, with an acceptance rate of about 36%.

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Highly qualified young women have a fair chance of being admitted. Mount Holyoke is also well known for their strength in preparing young women in STEM.

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Not only does Mount Holyoke have approximately 2,200 undergraduate students, but it also has roughly 100 graduate students. Although the number is relatively small, they are present.

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 A very large number of low class sizes, 92% first year satisfaction, I want to draw attention to the faculty. This chart here, this data here on the bottom. Almost 60% of the faculty at Mount Holyoke are women. Again, we discussed the number of college presidents, specifically women’s college presidents who are women.

00:36:41.300 –>00:37:08.280
 I think it’s an important metric that people should consider when evaluating colleges. Will your daughter have an opportunity to learn under the guidance and direction of someone with a shared set of experiences? And most notably, 95% of the professors have their doctorate or a terminal degree.
   
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I think that’s important. Again, not only for the academic, the inspiration, but also, perhaps there’s an opportunity to teach some of the soft skills that our students need to know to be successful.

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Mount Holyoke happens to be the oldest member of the 7 sister schools, and it’s also part of a consortium. The 5 school consortium with Amherst College, Hampshire College, Smith College, and UMass Amherst, meaning that if your student attends Mount Holyoke they can also use the resources of those other colleges.

00:37:49.350 –> 00:38:14.010
 So I think it’s really important that you know as much as possible before making a decision about which schools to include and to exclude. You might think, well, man, Mount Holyoke. There’s 2,100 kids there, that is too small for me. Well, the cross register at UMass Amherst was 22,000, and all of a sudden that argument disappears.

00:38:18.230 –> 00:38:41.440
 Smith is located in Northampton, Massachusetts, and has some notable alumni. Julia Child, Gloria Steinem. Keep in mind that there is a precedent for strong leaders and important people to graduate from these schools. Now, Smith at 2,500 students, undergrad and about 300 graduate students, is one of the largest women’s colleges in the United States.

00:38:41.730 –> 00:39:11.390
 Again, like I mentioned, Mount Holyoke, is part of the 5-school consortium, enabling it to offer even more opportunities for students. Smith’s College was also the first to offer an engineering program at a women’s college.

00:39:11.390 –> 00:39:32.509
 Again, take a look at those high SAT ACT scores, low acceptance rate, high first year satisfaction, and almost 100% of the faculty have their doctorate or a terminal degree.

00:39:37.270 –> 00:39:53.299
We’ve talked a lot about Barnard. So, I’m going to move through this very quickly. What’s important to know about Barnard is that it’s a sister college to Columbia and one of the most selective of the women’s colleges.

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00:39:53.350 –> 00:40:07.549
Some notable alumni include Martha Stewart, Zora Neale Hurston, and its located in Morningside Heights. There are plenty of opportunities for research. In fact, the last time I was on campus they were talking about research and internship opportunities, and the availability of such resources exceeds the student population.

00:40:07.550 –> 00:40:32.940
 So if your daughter is interested in gaining outside-the-classroom experience, there are opportunities to do so in abundance.

00:40:33.520 –> 00:40:56.679
 Now, Spellman, Spelman, has a 34% acceptance rate, slightly higher than some of the other institutions that we looked at. However, it has a different mission than some of the other schools we’ve discussed. Yes, they’re all women’s colleges, but Spelman has a mission to educate women of African descent.

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00:40:56.680 –> 00:41:13.950
 It boasts one of the strongest alumni networks available. There is also a close relationship with Morehouse College, an all-male college. 

00:41:14.010 –> 00:41:29.599

They’re in close proximity to each other so there’s often a significant overlap in the activities of the Spelman and Morehouse student bodies.

00:41:38.530 –> 00:42:04.590
 And all right now, Bryn Mawr, right outside of Philadelphia, not too far from where I grew up. Bryn Mawr is a host to a number of traditions. There’s Lantern Night and May Day, and as I mentioned, Bryn Mawr was also the first women’s college to offer PhDs to women. 

00:42:04.590 –> 00:42:34.100
I do want to remind you all that questions in the chat. If I don’t get a chance to get to them now, I will respond to them by email, and everyone here on the call has an opportunity to reach out to me. We can set up a brief consultation. You may have questions that are specific to your child, and I’m happy to answer those questions.

00:42:34.100 –> 00:42:46.729
So I’m going to just skip past this so we can move to the remaining slides. 

0:42:46.870 –> 00:43:01.890
 How do you prepare? A four year plan should include courses that meet high school graduation as well as college admission requirements. Those are 2 separate things. So once those requirements are met, the next step is to add courses that your child would like to take.

00:43:02.180 –> 00:43:26.679
 Barnard College, like many of the women’s colleges, recommends four years of math, three years of science, three years of language, and three years of history as part of a routine. Part of my role as a counselor is to work with my students at ICC to design a personalized plan for them. 100% of our students have a plan, including course selection.

00:43:27.150 –> 00:43:47.589
Smith College states that the Student transcript is by far the most important document in the application, and the greatest weight is given to academic preparation and achievement. So both parts are necessary.

00:43:47.590 –> 00:44:09.539
 Do well in the most challenging classes that are available. Again, with ICC, we’ll review the courses available at your school. Often, I recommend options outside of the school, assuming they are appropriate for that student. But again, both parts of this puzzle are necessary. You want to do well in challenging classes.

00:44:11.430 –> 00:44:47.640
Choose classes with increasing rigor each year. When an admission officer is evaluating your transcript, there’s an expectation that you’re going to take slightly harder classes, that you can balance your classes, and that you have the capacity to do well in high school.  These things act as an indication that the closer you get to college, there’s an increase in ability to work hard, and, you know, engage at a college level.

00:44:49.860 –> 00:45:04.479
  Use this opportunity, when I am working, collaborating with a student and a family, to talk about how you differentiate yourself. You don’t want your transcript to look just like every other student in your high school class.

00:45:04.570 –> 00:45:28.899
 Use your electives as an opportunity to explore, have fun, and differentiate yourself in the process. And remember that colleges will review your grades from freshman to senior year. 
00:45:29.080 –> 00:45:51.680
Oftentimes, when talking with students, their personal plan will address, how to mitigate less than ideal grades in 9th grade by taking classes in the summer. We’ll talk about what is necessary for a specific college in terms of those requirements.

00:45:51.680 –> 00:45:59.999
 Colleges have specific requirements for their courses; some offer recommendations that you should meet or exceed.

00:46:00.000 –> 00:46:23.379
 That’s a huge part of what I do as a counselor, whether for women’s college or otherwise, when I work with students. Their personal guidance includes a sample academic plan. We review the colleges on their list and what they require to ensure that the student is successful in high school and meets the requirements necessary for competitive colleges.

00:46:23.840 –> 00:46:44.699
Selective admission colleges, all of which the women’s colleges that I’ve discussed tonight are. But again, that’s a routine part of what we do as counselors at ICC.

00:46:47.780 –> 00:47:19.830
 While you are in high school make sure that you are also aware of the outside world, out of the classroom. Much like we talked about an ideal learning environment at a women’s college, how do you engage with the world outside of the classroom? Why are extracurricular activities so important? They want to see that you are committed. Have you used the gifts that you have to excel? Where have you demonstrated leadership?

00:47:19.860 –> 00:48:05.960
Women’s colleges seek students who have excelled both inside and outside the classroom, and there are numerous opportunities to do so, including securing a job. There’s no better place than working to understand what it’s like to major in business, of course. Also make sure to take advantage of summer programs. ICC maintains an updated database of hundreds of programs that our students have participated in, which we have found to be important to their application, impactful to their understanding of what they want to do, and meaningful to their time in high school.

00:48:06.080 –> 00:48:25.229
That’s going to be true for volunteering, internships, and shadowing opportunities, as they are a way to demonstrate readiness for college.

00:48:25.570 –> 00:48:44.129
 Another way to demonstrate readiness is to take actual college classes through dual enrollment or summer programs that some of these programs offer. 

00:48:44.150 –> 00:49:04.289
 Next, I will talk about family responsibilities. I’ve had students come to me who, perhaps, their resume is not as robust as it might have been when we discuss what’s going on, and maybe they are responsible for shuttling their younger siblings to school.

00:49:04.650 –> 00:49:24.559
 Maybe they have a sick parent or grandparent, whatever the case may be, please make sure that your student understands the value of putting things like family responsibilities on their application. 

00:49:24.560 –> 00:49:38.999
 When I work with students, that question comes up frequently. What else are you doing? It’s not just school-based clubs; the importance of self-directed learning cannot be overstated. 

00:49:39.010 –> 00:49:56.050
Whether it’s researc, whether it’s a decision to pursue competitions, whether it’s building something in your garage, these are all opportunities for you to demonstrate your readiness to live a life of engagement with the community.

00:49:57.410 –> 00:50:38.689
Alright, there are a couple of prompts here, and that’s actually a couple that would be more but I put these here, and I want to give families here just a kind of a quick example of what a well-written essay looks like. These are prompts from Agnes Scott and Georgia Barnard in New York, as well as Scripts in California. So one example of what not to write is: “I led my Girl Scout Troop on a difficult hike on some cliffs near our town.”

00:50:38.690 –> 00:50:50.839
“Although the hike pushed us to our mental and physical limits, the feeling of accomplishment we felt from showing courage made it a leadership quality that I will forever cherish.”

00:50:50.880 –> 00:51:11.679
 Well that’s not terrible, it talks about the students’ commitment on this difficult hike, it talks about their engagement in a well-respected organization, it talks about recognition of the value of courage and leadership. So that’s a really great start.

00:51:11.680 –> 00:51:24.680
However, something that might be better, is “staring at the steep incline before us, my Girl Scout Sisters let out a collective sigh. The hike was difficult, and morale was down, but I refused to quit.”

00:51:24.730 –> 00:51:36.299
“Leading with courage, I forged ahead, setting the example and giving words of encouragement until we reached Sunset Cliff’s Peak.” Now

00:51:36.950 –> 00:52:04.279
As a counselor, oftentimes students will come in with no idea about what to write, and so we’ll brainstorm what makes sense, and they’ll come back with a draft, and sometimes the drafts are not even as good as that first example. But that’s okay. Because we understand again, working with students for a very, very long time. We know that writing can sometimes be difficult.

00:52:04.280 –> 00:52:20.099
And so we spend a lot of time as counselors, helping students to brainstorm both activities to engage in and then brainstorming ways in which to describe those amazing experiences they’ve had.

00:52:20.430 –> 00:52:36.849
Much like when students are applying to co-ed institutions, we want to remember that the purpose of the essay is to convince admission officers whom you’ve never met in fewer than 10 minutes that you would be a good match for that particular college.

00:52:36.870 –> 00:52:41.630
And so how is that done?
00:52:41.650 –> 00:53:04.050
Spend time thinking before you write. Be specific and, most importantly, know why you want to apply to a specific college. I sit down and ask students to review their website, talk to people, and conduct all the early research they’ve done to identify schools they want to include on their list. 

00:53:04.060 –> 00:53:09.339
Use those notes that you took in your journal when you visited the college. 

00:53:09.340 –> 00:53:34.220
But remember, each woman’s college is unique. Each woman’s college has its own history, its own culture, its own traditions. Some have specialized programs, and some have cross-registration with nearby institutions. This essay is critically important because it reflects your understanding of that college. Make sure your essay matches the mission statement of the institution to which you are applying.

00:53:34.220 –> 00:53:46.410
You have the opportunity to discuss what you learned during your campus visit and demonstrate your curiosity.

00:53:46.850 –> 00:54:12.300
Final thoughts on the benefits of a woman’s college we discussed include academic success, opportunities for leadership, role models, and being prepared for STEM and graduate studies. 

00:54:12.470 –> 00:54:41.829
So again, this transformation begins in high school, or perhaps even earlier. Sometimes it starts in the classroom, right where you begin to think about who your peers are. How can you develop leadership potential? So when graduates of women’s colleges step into their professional roles, they have something they arrive with, something that maybe their peers don’t.

00:54:41.850 –> 00:54:53.970
Study after study, looking at the success of women who are alumni of women’s colleges, more than 80% of them report feeling well prepared for their careers. 

00:54:54.360 –> 00:55:10.779
So it’s not only the actual preparation, but also the confidence that comes from years of seeing themselves as natural leaders.

00:55:10.780 –> 00:55:35.110
 So, I encourage you to consider a women’s college for your child. These institutions are inclusive, welcoming, challenging, and an opportunity for your child to be their very best self.

00:55:35.110 –> 00:55:53.539
And part of what I am very proud of is being part of this 21-year-strong team, which provides guidance to students like your children.

00:55:53.760 –> 00:56:15.670
Over the years, and that’s a picture of us at our most recent retreat, we get together. We come together, both in person and virtually, to build our professional development, enhance our competence, and improve our ability to serve the needs of your child and your family.

00:56:17.220 –> 00:56:42.979
So I thank you for your time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to screenshot this QR code and contact me by phone or email. I’d be happy to answer your questions that are specific to your child, and your situation, your family situation. So thank you very much.

00:56:44.300 –> 00:56:45.190
 Goodbye.