30 YEARS OF COEDUCATION: The Barnard paradox

This story is part of a special issue examining the Barnard-Columbia relationship, 30 years after Columbia Columbia decided to go coed and Barnard decided not to merge with Columbia. Check out the rest of the issue here.

As a transfer, I have had the unique position of experiencing higher education as an undergraduate at a large, coed research university (McGill), and at a small and community-oriented single-sex college (Barnard). In considering the differences between the two, it is not easy to pinpoint the role of gender in the classroom at these respective institutions. For example, McGill has a mostly female population, but as is the case at most universities, faculty members are overwhelmingly male. Barnard’s single-sex education was not a factor in my choice to transfer here, but after a full semester I have come to favor a women’s-only education, though only as it is at Barnard, thanks to the presence of Columbia University.

What truly distinguishes Barnard from its sister schools is its relationship with Columbia University. Coeducation does actually exist here, and is an important part of the undergraduate experience at Barnard. In every class, I have at least one male student (even in my five-student French seminar!). Men’s contributions to class discussions are vital to the classroom experience but not dominating. For example, my Organizational Psychology class is nearly split between the genders, and discussion is always lively and multifaceted as a result of the various backgrounds people bring to the table, such as in working in technology and similarly male-dominated fields. And there is enough overlap between the Columbia and Barnard communities outside of class that it is quite easy to meet and make friends with the opposite sex. So what, then, is the difference between Barnard and a school like, say, the coed Sarah Lawrence College, where male enrollment is 29 percent of the student body?

The strength of female leadership and scholarship that exists at Barnard is at the heart of what makes us a women’s-only institution. I am consistently impressed and inspired by the levels of achievement my fellow Barnard women have attained—a direct result of single-sex education. Balancing internships, campus activities, and schoolwork is not an easy task, and Barnard girls do all this with high levels of success because there is a strong support system. People believe in female leaders and want us to be them, so they help us along the way because they know we are taught to break the glass ceiling and are tenacious enough to do so. Barnard girls are taught to believe in each other, too, and are generous when it comes to passing along a résumé or an internship, especially in male-dominated industries. I recently received valuable advice from alumnae who are helping me in the beginning of my career. The kindness shown by others in typically competitive arenas is due to the relative safety of attaining an education in a (mostly) female environment—in an environment where women can envision more female leaders in the world, and where students can see positive role models in our professors, administration, and peers.

This leads to my conviction that single-sex education works, but specifically that it works at Barnard. There is just enough male participation and presence across Broadway to keep things grounded and add diversity to our discussions, but that in itself comes from our tendency to make men feel welcome here. At McGill, there was an infamous professor who tended to favor girls, particularly attractive ones. I heard many boys grumble about the unfairness simply due to gender, and moreover, people sometimes questioned their grades because they were unsure if gender factored into the grading. At Barnard, we cease to become “male” or “female,” but are simply students, here for an education that is taught by world-class faculty. An institution that focuses on women’s empowerment while still allowing for academic interaction between the genders is a perfect situation.

With Barnard’s unique situation, providing access to both an Ivy League research institution and an intimate community focused on fostering the growth of independent thinkers and female leaders, Barnard women receive an education no one else in the world can experience.

The author is a Barnard College sophomore.