Sugar and spice and everything nice, is that what a Women’s College is made of? To some, women’s colleges can be a mystery: a land full of feminism and too much estrogen. But to the women who attend these institutions, an all women’s education is something they value and cherish. Here’s your chance to be a fly on the wall and see what a women’s college is really made of.
1. It’s not that difficult to meet guys
“I don’t think it’s difficult to meet guy friends across the street at Notre Dame. However, we do see each other mostly in the going out scene.” –Sarah McKevitt, junior, Saint Mary’s College
“I have lots of friends at Saint Mary’s. I met them at parties on and off campus, through friends of friends, bars and at the hottest nightclub in Michiana: the one and only Club Fever.” –Austin Collins, senior, Notre Dame
2. Not every women’s college is the same
“I definitely found it hard to make guy friends, especially last year when I was a freshman and lived on campus. Once I decided to take a class at St. Thomas (a nearby co-ed school) and moved off campus, I found it a little easier to meet guys and get involved.” –Kendra Crowe, sophomore, St. Kate’s
“Meeting guys at Wellesley is definitely possible, but you have to make more of an effort. Wellesley is cross-registered with Babson, Olin and MIT so occasionally you’ll get a stray guy in a class, but most of the people I know with guy friends met them from going out or being involved in cross-campus extracurriculars.” –Vivien Chen, sophomore, Wellesley College
3. We aren’t an annex of our co-ed university nearby
“People will ask where Saint Mary’s is and I’ll say it’s across the street from Notre Dame. Then I hate myself for saying that because I don’t ever want to come off as justifying my reasoning for going to an all girl’s school. You won’t know unless you go, but I think people are impressed once they have a conversation with me because there is something special about Saint Mary’s women that other women don’t possess.” –Hannah Drinkall, senior, Saint Mary’s College
“When I tell people I go to Saint Mary’s, they sometimes ask if I plan on transferring to Notre Dame. Sorry but no, I like my school and don’t plan on transferring.” –Madeline Rafferty, junior, Saint Mary’s College
4. It’s like one big sorority
“Our school is so small we always joke that we’re like one big sorority, we even have sweatshirts with EMX, the Greek letters for SMC, on them.” –Madeline Rafferty, junior, Saint Mary’s College
“The bond between my SMC sisters and I is one that will last forever. We fight like sisters but more importantly, we love each other like them too.” –Sarah McKevitt, junior, Saint Mary’s College
5. Confidence is key
“Thanks to my all women’s college education, I think I am more confident and more likely to speak up in class. Also, I love that I can walk around in sweats without caring what I look like, at least on most days.” –Hannah Drinkall, senior, Saint Mary’s College
“I make my choices for me and know I will be backed up 100% by my noncompetitive peers.” –Sarah McKevitt, junior, Saint Mary’s College
6. We are normal college students. Promise.
“I’ve realized that Saint Mary’s students are just as diverse of a group as ND students, the two groups as a whole are really not different at all.” –Ryan Kearney, junior, Notre Dame
“On a typical week night I usually grab some dinner with my friends after class and try to fit in a quick work out. After that I head to one of my favorite study spots and lock myself in there for the rest of the night. It’s sometimes hard to study in my room because our door is always open and friends come in and out all the time, just like in any other college dorm.” –Madeline Rafferty, junior, Saint Mary’s College
7. The party scene is fun too
“There are definitely parties at Wellesley, I’ve always felt much more comfortable and safer at on-campus parties too…Wellesley is very small so you’ll always know someone who knows someone else.” –Vivien Chen, sophomore, Wellesley College
“Now that I’m 21, I live for Wednesday Finni’s and Fever front bar. I’d say we are more of a bar school, for sure, but as long as you’re hanging out with friends anything is fun.” –Hannah Drinkall, senior, Saint Mary’s College
8. Alumnae networks are stronger than most schools
“When you see someone with a Saint Mary’s class ring on their finger while you’re checking out of a corner store in NYC or checking into a hotel in Hong Kong, the reaction is always the same: a hug. There’s seriously just something about Saint Mary’s women that I can’t put into words.” –Hannah Drinkall, senior, Saint Mary’s College
“I spoke with a friend recently who landed her dream job next year and I could not express how genuinely happy I was for her. Our environment supports one another’s success.” –Sarah McKevitt, junior, Saint Mary’s College
9. Sorry guys, we don’t miss you
“People always ask me if I miss that there aren’t guys on campus, and I always say nope, never. I have truly never ever missed that… ever.” –Vivien Chen, sophomore, Wellesley College
“I receive such an amazing education at St. Kate’s that I don’t think I could ever get from a co-ed school. I feel more focused on my studies and more comfortable speaking up in class discussions.” –Madison Ming, sophomore, St. Kate’s
10. Stereotypes aren’t always true
“I’ve never heard it in a serious context before but I have heard joking about how the girls at St. Kate’s are lesbians.” –Jack Burke, sophomore, University of St. Thomas
“When I tell people I go to an all women’s college, someone always asks ‘oh, are there a lot of lesbians there?’ or ‘Do you even know any guys at all?’ I’m not bothered by these questions because there is really no difference between being straight or lesbian here than at a co-ed school.” –Kendra Crowe, sophomore, St. Kate’s
