Senior Reflections: The Power of An All-Women's College
Hello! Welcome to a new column here on the blog entitled “Senior Reflections” where I (yes, a senior) will be looking back on my time at Barnard. I hope through my reflections you will get a holistic picture of the Barnard experience. In this post, I will be reflecting on how I’ve grown and benefitted from attending an all-women’s college.
Barnard was the first school I visited throughout my tour of colleges. It was actually a “practice” visit--I had no intention of applying to Barnard, mainly because I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of an all-women’s school. I remember anxiously sitting in the Visitor’s Center with my parents and filling out my visitor card. The woman at the front desk handed me a pen with a large, purple flower at the end of it. ”Only at a women’s college”, I thought, thinking I was being clever. Little did I know, I was about to be proven very wrong.
The tour started, and a spunky, poised senior tour guide introduced herself to the group. I was immediately intrigued by her confidence and ease. As we maneuvered through the buildings and rushing students, I listened to the tour guide explain the challenging (yet rewarding!) Barnard academic curriculum, attending school in New York City, and her experience with Columbia.
By the end of the tour, I was hooked, and here’s why: it was obvious that the Barnard experience had shaped my tour guide into the confident woman she was that day. Not only did I want the same thing for myself, but I wanted to be surrounded by other women who had the same goals. I visited Barnard two more times after that, and each time this idea of the strong, confident Barnard woman was solidified for me. Now, having been at Barnard for almost four years, I can positively say that this has been the case for me.
Attending an all-women’s school has been one of the most defining parts of my college career. Throughout my time here, I’ve come to recognize that an all-women’s school is more than just a 100% female student body. Women come to Barnard because they are all highly motivated students who are curious about the world around them, and we want to make a positive contribution to our communities. Barnard has the resources to make this possible: professors care about your success, additional academic help options are available, career counseling prepares you to enter the workforce, and so many other concrete tools are available to ensure you can grow as a student and individual.
At Barnard, your peers are your role models. Whether it’s students in your classes, your RA, your roommates, or alumnae you may encounter, learning and growing with other Barnard women is one of the most inspiring aspects of going to to school here. My time here has transformed me into a more confident, intelligent, and motivated woman, just like the tour guide I met on my very first visit. I know this can be attributed to attending an all-women’s college.
The idea of an all-women’s college might be very familiar to you, or it may be extremely foreign (as it was for me). I encourage you to consider how an all-women’s school could benefit you, and what you want to get out of it. Being a Barnard student has been an extremely rewarding experience, and I hope you can find the same!
Questions? Comments? Email current students at askastudent@barnard.edu — we’d love to hear from you!