Reply to comment

 There were a lot of factors that I took into account when choosing a college, and surprisingly enough I was never too concerned with what the curriculum looked like. I was more concerned with how I felt when I visited the campus, and what the people were like. It was nice to know that the school was academically rigorous but what seemed more important was whether or not I would actually be happy there. Though if I had to choose one factor that contributed the most to my final decision, it would be the fact that Bryn Mawr is an all women's college. I was very surprised to find that I cared as much about a single-sex education as I did, but I thought it would make for a better environment in which I could thrive. I felt that I wanted to have confidence in a classroom, without the fear of constantly being competed with, as was my experience in high school. A number of people had told me that by attending an all women's college I would have more opportunities to succeed in subjects like math and science, and to have the opportunity to be good at subjects (and to also have support in those subjects) that I found particularly difficult in high school sounded somewhat appealing. I recently read a few articles that reinforced the idea that attending an all women's college can be extremely beneficial. One article was directed towards international students but I found it interesting because the article mentioned how women who went to single sex colleges had increased levels of confidence, while women who entered co-ed colleges actually had decreased levels of confidence. Also, students were more likely to choose male-dominated careers (things like the sciences) when they went to an all women's college. To my surprise a number of the articles I read all reinforced the same ideas. Some of which included facts like, women at all women's colleges are more engaged, and more self-confident due to a lack of pressure that is normally caused by males in the classroom. The articles also said that women are more likely to graduate and earn doctoral degrees than those who are in a co-ed institutions. Those women who have attended women's colleges seem genuinely satisfied with their decision to choose single-sex education, although at one point in their life they may have been skeptical of the idea. Many women have found that the women's institutions are so enthusiastic about them attending that they will provide a very good amount of financial aid, which is something that plays a large role in many student's final college decision. 

International Student Guide to the United States of America, "The Advantages of Choosing an All Women's College". <http://www.internationalstudentguidetotheusa.com/articles/women_colleges.php>

The 2009 High School Graduate, "Why Should you Attend an All Women's College?"<http://www.thehighschoolgraduate.com/editorial/MI/why-should-you-attend-a-womens-college.htm>

CBS Money Watch, "Ditching Boys: Why Attending an All Women's College is a Great Idea."<http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/college-solution/ditching-boys-why-attending-a-womens-college-is-a-great-idea/757/>