Sorry guys—it’s women-only at Scripps College where 800 smart, artsy, confident women enjoy a rigorous liberal arts education with a strong sense of female community.
Scripps is the women’s college of The Claremont Colleges, a cluster of five tiny schools on 317 acres in Claremont, CA that includes Claremont McKenna, Pomona, Harvey Mudd and Pitzer. Each school specializes in a particular area that compliments the others (Scripps is strongest in the humanities like languages and history and also has a strong psychology program). Students may take up to a third of their courses at any of the sister campuses. This allows students at any of the Claremont Colleges to combine the personalized attention of a tiny college with the academic and social opportunities of a large university. And yes, even the boys can take classes at Scripps.
Why attend a women’s college? A recent study by the Women’s College Coalition showed that women’s college graduates account for less than 4% of college-educated women, and yet 33% of the female board members of the 1992 Fortune 1000 companies, and 20% of the female members of Congress attended women’s colleges. Graduates of women’s colleges are twice as likely to earn doctoral degrees and to enter medical school, and they earn median salaries $8,000 higher than those earned by women who graduate from coeducational institutions.
Ask any of the Scripps women to tell you about her college experience, and you’re likely to get a glowing account of time spent with caring professors and impressive, motivated students.
One of our former Collegewise students once visited Scripps College with her mother. When her mom stopped a group of students and started peppering them with questions about whether or not it was easy to date guys at an all women’s college, our student felt a wave of high school embarrassment wash over her. But the Scripps students didn’t mind. In fact, they not only answered all her questions (and by the way, they said it was easy to meet men), but they also offered to give our mother/daughter combo a personal tour of the school. Today, that former Collegewise student is a happy and successful junior at Scripps (who’s willing to answer any questions that visiting mothers and daughters might have).
You’ll find this openness—and pride in the school—throughout Scripps College. Want to have a personal interview with an admissions officer to find out about the school? Just call and ask. Want to meet individually with a professor to find out more about a particular program? The admissions office will set it up for you. Want to spend the night on campus and see what Scripps life is really all about? It happens all the time—just check the website for information on scheduling an overnight visit.
Women’s colleges—Scripps included—are not for everyone. If you see your college experience involving a sorority and throngs of students who pack the football stadiums, you’re probably better served looking elsewhere. But if you’re looking for a supportive academic and social environment driven by successful, motivated women, you might find a home at a women’s college like Scripps. And Scripps’ membership in the Claremont Colleges means you can get all of this without sacrificing opportunities—or guys. Learn more about Scripps at www.scrippscol.edu.