The Girls' School Experience (continued)
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- 84% of respondents felt more prepared for college writing and 15% felt equally prepared.
- 69% of respondents felt more prepared for public speaking and 28% felt equally prepared
- 50% of respondents felt more prepared for college science and 43% felt equally prepared
- 50% of respondents felt more prepared with computer skills and 42% felt equally prepared
- 51% of respondents felt more prepared for college math and 39% felt equally prepared
Table 4 Prepared for college academics
| Compared to peers who attended coed schools: | Much less prepared | Somewhat less prepared | Equally prepared | Somewhat more prepared | Much more prepared |
| Writing skills | <1% | 1% | 15% | 30% | 54% |
| Public speaking | <1% | 3% | 28% | 34% | 35% |
| Science skills | <1% | 7% | 43% | 30% | 20% |
| Computer skills | <1% | 8% | 42% | 28% | 22% |
| Math skills | 1% | 9% | 39% | 28% | 23% |
| N = 1,013 |
With regard to the dynamics and interactions taking place within the college classroom, alumnae believed their preparation was comparable or superior to that of their coed high school peers in several ways:
- 78% of respondents felt more prepared to interact with faculty and 21% felt equally prepared
- 80% of respondents felt more prepared to participate in class discussions and 17% felt equally prepared
- 60% of respondents felt more prepared to take on leadership roles in college and 36% felt equally prepared
Table 5 Prepared for the college classroom environment
| Compared to peers who attended coed schools: | Much less prepared | Somewhat less prepared | Equally prepared | Somewhat more prepared | Much more prepared |
| Interactions with faculty | <1% | 1% | 21% | 32% | 46% |
| Participation in class discussions | <1% | 3% | 17% | 27% | 53% |
| Taking on leadership roles in college | <1% | 4% | 36% | 32% | 28% |
| N = 1,013 9 |
Compared to other dimension of preparedness, alumnae felt at least as well-prepared as their coed peers to respond to gender bias in the classrooms and for academic interactions with men.
- 51% of respondents felt somewhat more or much more prepared for gender bias in the classroom and 33% felt equally prepared, for an overall figure of 84%
- 29% felt somewhat more or much more prepared than their coed high school peers for academic interactions with men and 39% felt equally prepared, for an overall figure of 68%
Table 6 Prepared for the coed classroom
| Compared to peers who attended coed schools: | Much less prepared | Somewhat less prepared | Equally prepared | Somewhat more prepared | Much more prepared |
| Gender bias in the classrooms | 2% | 13% | 33% | 23% | 28% |
| Academic interactions with men | 8% | 24% | 39% | 16% | 13% |
| N = 1,013 |
Academic Interests and Career Aspirations
Nearly all of the alumnae expected to have careers and professions, and the majority felt it was important to hold positions of leadership and to contribute to their communities. Ninety-five percent (95%) of the respondents said that having a career and profession were very or extremely important to them, and 73% said that it was very or extremely important that they be recognized for their career success, community service, and volunteerism. The vast majority of alumnae view a career or profession as an integral part of their lives.
At the time of the survey, 99% of the respondents were completing their first year of a four-year college. Although many first-year college students had not yet declared a major, alumnae were asked what major they thought they might select. Eighty-five percent of alumnae (856 of 1,018) indicated a possible major. The top five intended majors, as shown in the table below were:
- History, Geography or Politics
- Psychology, Sociology or Anthropology
- Math or Science 10
- Economics or Business
- Arts or Music
- English, Literature or Writing
The most significant career influences for alumnae were their families, teachers, and advisors. Alumnae were asked to describe who or what had been the greatest influence on their career aspirations. Thirty-eight percent (38%) indicated a family member, 20% specified that a teacher or advisor had influenced them, and 17% attributed their career aspirations to a specific life experience, such as an internship. An additional 10% of alumnae said that they were their own most significant influence and 8% cited specific non-familial people. Four percent said they either didn't know or that there had been no influences thus far.
Reprinted with the permission of the Education Resources Information Center.
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