Daria Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 My son has a very specific list of things he wants in a college, and one school that ticks all the boxes is Ursuline College outside Cleveland, a tiny women's college. At first, for obvious reasons, I thought it simply wouldn't be an option, but apparently Ursuline does accept men, and about 9% of their undergraduates are men. They have one floor of one door that is set aside for them. However, they continue to define themselves as a women's college. If you look at their website, it's all about being a women's college, with an occasional reference to "plus men". My son seems to think this isn't a problem. But, I'm curious what other people think would be pros and cons. My son is straight and cisgender, which I mention only because I understand some of the reasons why a transmen might choose a single sex school, and also some of the controversy there. Those reasons don't apply to him, although some of the reasons why some women object to transmen on campus (because they want to keep it completely female) would apply to him, and I worry that he'd feel unwelcome. Anyway, thoughts? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 I think he should arrange a visit, ideally with an overnight in the dorms, to get a feel for what his experience would actually be on campus. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted September 10, 2017 Author Share Posted September 10, 2017 I think he should arrange a visit, ideally with an overnight in the dorms, to get a feel for what his experience would actually be on campus. That's a good idea about the overnight. I hadn't thought about that, but they'd obviously put him on the men's floor and he could ask questions. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 That's a really interesting question. My immediate response is no way, but I bet my ds wouldn't be bothered by it at all and would take a who cares attitude. He generally gets along better with women anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 (edited) He should visit & ask the other men there about the atmosphere, at least try to eat a meal in the dining hall to get the vibe & attend a class. I went to a women's college. The alumni are pretty pissed that men are now allowed to take classes & be on campus, (it's also "still" a women's college but men are allowed to take classes there, but I have no idea what the current students think about it. It could be awesome or the women could make the men miserable Edited September 10, 2017 by Hilltopmom 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 (edited) Oh well, if my kid were open to it, I'd certainly check it out as an option. The dorm visit idea is great. Edited September 10, 2017 by WoolySocks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted September 10, 2017 Author Share Posted September 10, 2017 That's a really interesting question. My immediate response is no way, but I bet my ds wouldn't be bothered by it at all and would take a who cares attitude. He generally gets along better with women anyway. DS gets along fine with women, but I wonder how the women feel about the men being there? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted September 11, 2017 Author Share Posted September 11, 2017 OK, so we found some stats, and last year the school had 3 male traditional freshmen (by which I mean, not adults returning, or part time students). DS decided that is just too low. He said he'd be fine with something like 80/20, but he wants male friends and that just isn't enough of a peer group. So, I guess we won't be pursuing it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 I agree that I wouldn't pursue it with that low of numbers. In general, I'd be open to at least considering the non-traditional path. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 I was one of only two women in grad school. But it was graduate level and there were no dorms. And I didn't care. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted September 11, 2017 Author Share Posted September 11, 2017 I was one of only two women in grad school. But it was graduate level and there were no dorms. And I didn't care. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I don't think I'd care if I was taking classes, or working at a job, where I was the only woman, although as a special educator that will probably never happen. But I know that my closest friends to this day are the women I went to college with and lived in the dorm with. I think that had I done undergrad in an otherwise all male environment it would have been totally different. I can see why he wants guys to bond with. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 I don't think I'd care if I was taking classes, or working at a job, where I was the only woman, although as a special educator that will probably never happen. But I know that my closest friends to this day are the women I went to college with and lived in the dorm with. I think that had I done undergrad in an otherwise all male environment it would have been totally different. I can see why he wants guys to bond with. Yes, which is why I pointed out that it was at the graduate level. ;). Though I retain a lot of close friends from that time- and their wives. I would not have had as positive an experience in such an environment for my undergraduate studies. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 My boys are too little, but since a couple people are tossing in their own experiences, I'll toss in mine. I think it is different to be the only woman in a sea of males than to be one of the only men in a sea of females. My undergrad degree is in engineering. In almost all of my classes, as in my work experience later (except for one employer), I was surrounded by men. I had one other female in some of my classes, but it was never the same female. All my best friends, except for my dorm roommate from sophomore year on, were males. All my study groups and all the people I hung with (again, except for my roommate) were males. I fit in with them beautifully. I think part of it was personality & part was interests being aligned. I don't know that most guys would fit in nearly as well with a large swath of females, but I suppose there are some that would. I personally wouldn't want to be surrounded by all the behavior that periodically comes with a group of women hanging out closely together for months on end. (There are four females in my household now & I find it tough sometimes!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 My DS's interests don't seem to lead him to a "women's" college, but my DH attended a traditionally African American school as a non-African American. He got really great financial aid for being a minority population at that school. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 I think DS, who is also hetero and cisgender, would do fine at a Women's College. He's so easy going and friendly that everyone just feels instantly comfortable with him. Plus he doesn't have any hangups about appearing feminine or masculine. I think I would also insist on a couple visits to get the feel for the place and how they would receive him, he would not want to be an "outsider" or to make others uncomfortable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 I don't think my ds would have had a problem with that at all. In fact, he probably would have enjoyed the statistics. He grew up with four sisters and was more comfortable with girls than boys for a long time. He was actually looking at a college in our state that only recently converted from all girls to both genders, but is still 90% girls. He maybe would have gone there but it didn't have his major. But I think what others have said about making sure the girls there would be accepting of him was all okay. I'd want him to spend the night and a couple days there on a trial. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted September 14, 2017 Share Posted September 14, 2017 I don't think my ds would have had a problem with that at all. In fact, he probably would have enjoyed the statistics. He grew up with four sisters and was more comfortable with girls than boys for a long time. He was actually looking at a college in our state that only recently converted from all girls to both genders, but is still 90% girls. He maybe would have gone there but it didn't have his major. But I think what others have said about making sure the girls there would be accepting of him was all okay. I'd want him to spend the night and a couple days there on a trial. DS is also the only boy with 4 sisters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.