College Admissions Counseling Blog

Whenever I talk to a young women and advise her to consider a women's college, I generally get an emphatic "NO" in response. That is unfortunate because there are a number of wonderful women's colleges that provide a great education to their students. A new report from The Women's College Coalition again reinforces the strengths of an education at a women's college. This recent study spoke to graduates of women's colleges as well as similar co-ed liberal arts colleges and public colleges.

In most instances women who attended an all women's college fared better than the students at public colleges and generally better than those students who went to co-ed liberal arts colleges. Women college graduates had a lower rate of transfer and a higher graduation rate than at the comparison colleges. Women's college graduates were more likely to rate their college as highly effective in helping students learn to solve problems and make effective decisions and were more effective at helping their students relate to people of different backgrounds. Women's colleges were also more effective at helping students to think analytically, learn to work as part of a team and learn to write and speak effectively. Finally, women's college graduates were more likely than any other group to complete a graduate degree.

Women's colleges are not for all young women. But if given the chance to prove themselves, these colleges generally prove the quality of the education they provide.