I am a General Course student, and back in the US of A I attend Wellesley – the women’s college, the Hillary Clinton school, all that, yes. Compared to people in my home state, a lot of LSE students actually know what my school is. And while that is to all of your credit, I still get a lot of dumb questions about attending a women’s college. I’m answering some of the most common ones here so that the next time you meet someone from Wellesley or Smith or Bryn Mawr you can avoid sticking your whole foot in your mouth.
Q: So… you’re a lesbian?
A: I’m a vegetarian, and I play football, wear cuffed jeans, and attend a women’s college, but no, I’m straight, thank you for asking, that wasn’t at all a weird thing to ask someone you just sat down next to in lecture and have known for all of 3 minutes.
Q: Then what do you do if you want to shag?
A: There are plenty of other schools in Boston and I’m cute, it’s not difficult.
Q: Don’t you miss men?
A: Honestly no, you guys don’t bring as much to the table as you think you do.
Q: Do you hate men?
A: Also no, but I don’t think my worth or the worth of my education is conditional on the presence of men either.
Q: Aren’t you worried you won’t be prepared for the real world?
A: Oh absolutely, but that’s because I have no idea how to apply for a mortgage, properly layer clothing in cold weather, or replace the fan belt on my car, not because I will have spent the majority of my college experience surrounded by brilliant kick-ass women. After Wellesley, I do have a much lower tolerance for patronizing and sexist comments, but in a world where people can be pretty crappy, I think learning not to take crap from people is a useful skill.
Q: Why would you choose an all girl’s school*?
A: *Women’s college. I was apprehensive about the idea of a women’s college at first and I asked myself a lot of the same “dumb” questions I just answered above. But I loved everything else about the school so I went for it – and I got an experience and a community that I wouldn’t trade for the world… except temporarily… to study aboard in London. (Wellesley is footing the bill so I had to take advantage.)
Q: Wellesley, Lin-Manuel Miranda went there right?
A: Yes, he absolutely did. (Actually, he went to Wesleyan, but he’s awesome and we are happy to take credit for him.)
