For the past decade, women have out numbered men in admission rates and Fairfield is no exception. The University’s undergraduate student population is 57 percent female and 43 percent male.
This trend is also occurring at other prominent colleges and universities nationwide. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 2006, women made up 56 percent of the total undergraduate students in the United States.
Today, more women who graduate from high school and seek college degrees than their male counterparts, according to ?. In order to maintain the gender equilibrium, some colleges have begun to alter admission rates for both men and women.
Paul Quagliato ’09 disagrees with this policy.
“I believe that it is unfair for more women to be admitted to college than men unless they are more qualified than their male counterparts,” he said. “If both genders are equally qualified, I think they should have equal admittance.”
Simone Jadczak ’10 disagrees.
“Men have always held the dominant position in education and the workplace. It is only recently that women have been granted more opportunities to excel,” said Jadczak. “Women should be able to take full advantage of these opportunities.”
Men, on the other hand, are enjoying increasing opportunities.
“In my experience, I have seen instances where the admissions bar is set a little lower for boys, compared to girls,” said Bari Norman, an independent college counselor and former admissions officer at Barnard College, in the Georgetown University newspaper The Hoya. “With somewhat relaxed admission standards, a reach school may very well become their reality.”
U.S. News and World Report published a list this past summer labeling 18 schools “Girls Need Not Apply.” The magazine selected these colleges for their increasing disparity between male and female admissions over the past 10 years, including University of Richmond, Boston College and Fordham University.
Some schools have begun instituting new programs and initiatives to help equalize the student body. In order to attract more male applicants, admissions offices are creating football teams, emphasizing hands-on learning on college tours, tweaking their advertising brochures, and reaching out to all-male high schools.
Gender ratios often vary between different types of universities. Girls have “the biggest challenge” against them applying to small liberal arts schools.
“In certain pools, it may be harder for women than for men, especially in liberal arts fields. Many private schools want to keep the balance 50-50,” said Suzanne Colligan, director of college counseling at Georgetown Visitation Prepatory School, in the same Georgetown article.
Jill Holman ’09 agrees.
“I think it really depends on the intended field of study. Mathematics, science, and engineering departments are eagerly recruiting women,” said Holman. “Also, nursing schools are looking to recruit women into this traditionally female occupation.”
Colligan suggests that prospective students and parents must “look at the dynamics of the institution as a whole,” when trying to determine admission trends.
“The entire admission process gets more and more competitive every year, regardless of whether you are male or female.,” said Colligan. “As an institution, you are looking at what your character is and what the student body is that you want to make up,” she said.
Leave a Reply