Seven Sister Schools
When the Ivy Leagues were founded, their resources and the education they provided were reserved solely for men. Cornell is the only school in this elite selection of institutions to have maintained a co-educational philosophy since its founding. The last Ivy League to switch to a co-educational system was Columbia in 1983. Prior to this, female students were barred from attending higher education programs at these schools. In 1837, Mary Lyon pioneered women's education by opening Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The university solely admitted female students. As the feminist movement began to gain steam, six other women's liberal arts colleges soon followed: Smith, Wellesley, Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Radcliffe, and Vassar. All of these schools are based in the northeastern region of the United States.
Evolution of Women's Education
Cornell University (shown above) was the first Ivy League university to allow both women and men to attend.
At the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, the women in attendance decreed that women were being denied the opportunity of equal higher education. The first academic institution in the United States that admitted women into higher education programs was founded in the late nineteenth century. Women's education was organized into three types of schools: schools for girls, academies, and teaching seminaries. From the time of inception of these academies to the early twentieth century, women were only allowed to train to become teachers and educators. Furthermore, teachers had to be unmarried women; once they married, it became their sole duty to tend to the house and raise children. It wasn’t until there was a male worker shortage due to wars that women were commissioned to the workforce and permitted to study professions other than teaching.
Individual Women's Colleges
Today, only five of the original Seven Sisters remain womens’ undergraduate institutions. These five consider themselves “historically women's colleges”. This title acknowledges that while the colleges formerly only admitted female students, the student population now has diverse genders and identities.
Mount Holyoke College has an acceptance rate of 38%, and a notable alumni is Emily Dickinson. Its most popular majors are Environmental Science, Computer Science, and Psychology. Mount Holyoke College is located in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
Smith College’s acceptance rate is 32%, and former first lady Barbara Bush was an alumni. Popular majors include Political Science and English Literature. Smith College is in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Wellesley College has an acceptance rate of 22%, and Hillary Clinton graduated from Wellesley in 1969. Wellesley is known for its Social Science and Biological Studies majors. Wellesley College is in its namesake city: Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Barnard College sports an acceptance rate of 12%, and one notable alumni is Martha Stewart. Barnard’s popular majors include Visual And Performing Arts and Psychology. Barnard is in New York City, New York.
Bryn Mawr College’s acceptance rate is 33%. Katharine Hepburn is one of its notable alumni. Bryn Mawr is known for its Foreign Language and Interdisciplinary Studies majors. Bryn Mawr is also in its namesake city of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
Radcliffe and Vassar
Vassar College, unlike five of the other original Seven Sister schools, chose to adopt a co-educational philosophy in 1969. This decision came after the school declined an offer to merge schools with Yale University. The school has an acceptance rate of 24%. Notable alumni include Meryl Streep and Mark Ronson. Vassar College is located in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Radcliffe College is also no longer a womens’ college. The school merged with Harvard University in 1999; it no longer functions as an undergraduate institution. Instead, it now serves as a research institute.
Co-School Consortiums
One unique aspect about these schools is their relationships with other nearby universities. At almost all of these colleges, students are able to attend classes and social events at the other universities in the consortiums.
The University of Massachusetts- Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Amherst, Hampshire, and Smith Colleges are part of a Five School Consortium. All five schools are located within a 6-mile radius.
Wellesley offers consortium programs with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Babson College, Brandeis College, and Franklin W. Olin School of Technology. Wellesley is also part of a twelve school exchange program; other colleges in this program include Amherst, Bowdoin, Connecticut College, Dartmouth, Mount Holyoke, Smith, Trinity, Vassar, Wesleyan, and Wheaton.
Barnard College has an intrinsic relationship with Columbia University. The school’s diplomas are given by Columbia, and Barnard’s gates announce that the school’s title is “Barnard College of Columbia University”. Students at either university may take classes and attend events at the other. Barnard also offers programs with Brown University and Pembroke University.
Bryn Mawr College has consortium programs with Haverford College and Swarthmore College. All three of these colleges have the same academic calendar, and students are free to take classes and attend events at any of the schools. Bryn Mawr also has a relationship with the University of Pennsylvania. Students at Bryn Mawr can begin working on a graduate degree at UPenn while completing their undergraduate program at Bryn Mawr.
Vassar College is also part of the 12-School Exchange Program.
The Seven Sister Schools were founded to rival the Ivy League education. To this day, their academic rigor and selectivity are among the highest in the nation. They are committed to providing a holistic education, and they are renowned colleges.
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