Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

4 Myths About Women’s Colleges

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bryn Mawr chapter.

The majority of college-age women attend co-ed universities and colleges. Due to this, there are an abundance of misconceptions about women’s colleges. Here are just a few of those myths debunked!

Photo courtesy of Pexels

1. There are never any men around.

It’s easy to see where this myth comes from; since only women are admitted, it’s easy to assume that women are the only people around at a women’s college. However, this is not the case at Bryn Mawr and numerous other institutions. We can take classes at the neighboring co-ed college, Haverford, and vice versa. There are a ton of male faculty members, and since we’re close to Philly, we see guys there all the time as well.

2. There is no social life.

Bryn Mawr has just as much of a social life as any other college! There are parties every few weekends, where we can meet people and hang out with our friends. We can also go into the city, spend time on our studies or catch up on Netflix. The social scene is what you make of it, which is the case at all colleges, women’s or otherwise.

3. We never look presentable.

Even though Bryn Mawr is a women’s college, that doesn’t mean we don’t put any effort into our appearance. Some days, we put in more time than others, but the notion of not caring what we look like because there aren’t any guys around isn’t true.

4. Women’s colleges are made up of mean girls.

This myth is one of the most pernicious and untrue! At Bryn Mawr, I’ve never felt anything but loved and supported by all of the kind and amazing women around me. The academics, internship search and other opportunities can be intense, but the environment itself and the women that comprise it are nothing but supportive. I’ve met and am close with some of the kindest women I know here at Bryn Mawr, debunking the mean girl stereotype.

Since women’s colleges are in the minority of today’s society, there tend to be a lot of misconceptions about them, but hopefully this article cleared up some of those misunderstandings!

Samantha is a sophomore at Bryn Mawr College majoring in English. She's originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and can confirm that the winters are just as cold as you've heard. She's passionate about books, writing, girls' education, and Harry Styles. If she's not in class, you can find her studying in the library, grabbing brunch with her friends, or taking a yoga class. If you want to read Samantha's past work, you can find it on the Her Campus Bryn Mawr section.
Audrey Lin

Bryn Mawr

Computer Science and Linguistics double major at Bryn Mawr College. Lover of bubble tea and anything matcha.