Despite a rise in enrollments at women's colleges nationwide, there is concern that the applicant pool is weakening. Average college entrance test scores of freshmen have dropped considerably since 1968. Some see research comparing women's performance at single-sex and coeducational colleges as unreliable. (MSE)

Why do students choose to apply and, if accepted, choose to come to Amherst College? To answer this, questionnaires were sent to: (1) matriculating members of the Class of 1987; (2) students interviewed at Amherst College who chose not to apply, and (3) selected secondary school guidance counselors to discover factors they thought important in…

During the past decade many single-sex colleges became coeducational and many religious colleges became secular. What have been the effects of these strategic institutional changes? Examined are the environmental, educational, and financial consequences at 40 private colleges that changed their policies. The evidence shows that broader missions do…

The question of whether women enrolling in women's colleges are more career-oriented than those enrolling in coeducational colleges was investigated. The study was prompted by earlier work concerning the effects of women's colleges on career success. The 1,818 subjects from generally comparable colleges (five women's and nine coeducational)…

Uses state-level census data from 1900 to examine relationships between the social-structure characteristics and enrollments in three types of institutions of higher education: coeducational colleges and universities, women's colleges, and normal schools. Concluded that enrollments were differentially affected by characteristics of the social…

This book examines the role of women's colleges in the United States from the early 1800s to the present. It reviews how they began, how they changed as more colleges became coeducational, and the legality of publically supported single-sex colleges. The book also looks at what women's colleges are like today and examines differences in…

A selected population of 2,430 white, native-born, college freshmen women (under 22 years old) who remained at one institution for four years were studied to determine the effects of institutional and other variables on their career aspirations. Variables selected included background, career plans and self-esteem (after one, four, and five years),…

Transcripts from a four-part National Public Radio "Options in Education" series are presented in this publication. The first program examines student cheating at colleges. Students and faculty discuss methods of cheating, reasons for cheating, student attitudes toward cheating, specific instances of cheating, and provide insights into why…