If you think women's colleges fall short when it comes to preparing students for the real world, think again. These top women's colleges provide some of the finest liberal arts educations in the country, and all have the advantage of cross-registration programs with nearby colleges and universities. These schools were chosen based on their name recognition, student/faculty ratios, financial resources, quality of instruction, selectivity and quality of student life. I list the schools alphabetically rather than making the often arbitrary distinctions used to separate #3 from #4.
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Agnes Scott College is in Decatur, Georgia, a mere six miles away from Atlanta. The college has received accolades for the beauty of its campus and the quality of residential living. The school also boasts a robust honor code, a diverse student body, and a 10:1 student / faculty ratio. Agnes Scott is also about $10,000 less expensive than the other colleges on this list.
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Barnard College is affiliated with adjacent Columbia University, but it maintains its own faculty, endowment, governance, and curriculum. However, Barnard and Columbia students can easily take classes at either school. Barnard's four-acre urban campus stands in sharp contrast to the open green spaces of the other top women's colleges. On the admissions front, Barnard is the most competitive of all the women's colleges.
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Another academic powerhouse, Bryn Mawr is a member of the Tri-College Consortium with Swarthmore and Haverford. Shuttles run between the three campuses, and students can easily cross-register for classes. The college is also close to Philadelphia, and students can register for courses at the University of Pennsylvania. Along with strong academics, Bryn Mawr is rich in history and traditions including "Parade Night" at the year's start and "May Day" at the end of the spring semester.
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Founded in 1837, Mount Holyoke College is the oldest of the "seven sister" colleges. Mount Holyoke is a member of the Five College Consortium with Amherst College, UMass Amherst, Smith College and Hampshire College. Students can easily register for courses at any of the five schools. Mount Holyoke has one of the more beautiful campuses in the country, and students can enjoy the college's botanic gardens, two lakes, waterfalls, and horseback-riding trails. Mount Holyoke, like a growing number of colleges, does not require ACT or SAT scores for admission.
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For both academics and resources, Scripps College holds its own with the Northeastern women's colleges that might have greater name recognition. And some students might even prefer palm trees and Spanish architecture to snow and ice. For prospective students who have reservations about single sex colleges, realize that Scripps is one of five members of the Claremont Colleges (along with Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer and Claremont McKenna). Students can take up to 2/3 of their classes at these other schools.
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Located in Northampton, Massachusett, Smith is a member of the five college consortium along with Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, and UMass Amherst. Students at any of these five colleges can easily take classes at the other member institutions. First opened in 1875, Smith has a beautiful and historic campus that includes the 12,000 square foot Lyman Conservatory and the Botanic Garden with about 10,000 different plant species. The college can boast of many famous alumnae including Sylvia Plath, Julia Child, and Gloria Steinem.
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Located in an affluent and beautiful town outside of Boston, Wellesley provides women with one of the best educations available. The school offers small classes taught exclusively by the full-time faculty, a beautiful campus with Gothic architecture and a lake, and academic exchange programs with Harvard and M.I.T. Wellesley frequently tops the lists of the best women's colleges in the U.S.