International Women's Day POLL: What Are the Most Important Women-Related Factors When Picking Your College

College Confidential Community
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Happy International Women’s Day! We are continuing the #WomensHistoryMonth celebration with a poll. What are the most important women-related factors when picking your college? Take the poll below and let us know!

What are the most important women-related factors when picking your college? (Select up to 3)
  • A student body that embraces women in all activities and roles
  • Abortion laws and legislation in the jurisdiction the college is located in
  • Percentage of women at the college
  • Percentage of women in the major
  • Percentage of women on faculty
  • Percentage of women within the university leadership
  • Presence of a women’s studies major
  • Presence of sororities
  • Presence of trans and nonbinary students (at women’s college)
  • Sexual violence against women on campus
  • Single-sex housing
  • Support & institutional commitment for women students
  • Other (please describe below)
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Thanks, @AustenNut for driving our diversity efforts on College Confidential! Reach out to us if you want to be part of this initiative!

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Can we vote retroactively? I remember what was important to our D back then, and what she says now.

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I’d say…absolutely!

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Picking only 3 seems restrictive. I know my D cares about more than 3.

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This poll was inspired a bit by this Pride month poll, and there people were only allowed to pick their most important factor, so I thought 3 was a bit more open. But if others and @CC_Sorin want to increase the number of choices, I will certainly yield on the topic.

I think that a number of the 12 listed options could be a serious consideration for women choosing a college, but I guess part of this is trying to see where schools also need to really focus in on (or maintain) if they’re doing well.

Additionally, I think that’s what this comment section is for. Talk about why people picked what they did, or what they wish was on there, or what they would have picked if they’d had more than 3 (or x) number of selections. Because I think that the discussion and the engagement on the topic is actually more important than the poll itself. A poll might have some interesting results, but it’s the interaction with others and thinking about the topics that I think can be most helpful in thinking about the choices women (or any other group that is being featured that month) need to make and the trade-offs they might be making.

On top of that, people might want to clarify what their vote actually means. If the presence of sororities is an important factor, for some women the presence of sororities is a negative whereas for others, it’s a positive, but they feel strongly about the presence and it’s something that could sway their decision-making. The comments help to elucidate what voters are actually thinking.

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Thanks for the explanation @AustenNut. Makes sense. I’m good with 3 (I will vote based on my D’s preferences - awaiting her response).

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I attended a historically women’s college, and my daughter now attends a historically women’s college. My child will tell you that as an athlete not having to compete with men’s teams for training spaces and resources is incredible. She loves the classroom dynamic, the presence of women in campus leadership and faculty roles, and the vibrant intellectual and social current that unites the student body.

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I only needed one - access to the full spectrum of gynecological healthcare, including abortion. Honestly, it is not safe to be a woman of reproductive age in states where abortion is restricted. A woman could die from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy while the ED physicians try to decide whether or not they will risk being prosecuted for saving her life.

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