When I told my friends that I wanted to go to an all-girls school for high school, they repeatedly told me that I was making the wrong decision because I was not going to have a "normal" high school experience.
What is "normal"?
Is "normal" not waking up every morning 10 minutes before you leave with no makeup on your face, uniform on, and carrying three AP classes worth of books to your locker?
Is "normal" not outrageously belting your school song at the top of your lungs when you defeat the rival all-girls school in basketball?
Is "normal" not missing seeing your fellow sisters', and teachers' smiling faces every day? Sometimes so much it hurts?
You're right though, that's not "normal." That's unique, that's special, and that's the definition of an all-girls school experience: defying normal.
Single-sex education has been a topic debated in the United States since the early 1900s, but even pro-coeducational advocates cannot deny the benefits that come from this schooling environment, especially for girls.
When you remove the opposite sex from the schooling environment, competition goes down and confidence goes up. Girls no longer have to worry about competing with boys for the correct answer, they no longer have the fear of saying something stupid in front of boys, and they are no longer intimidated to express their full intellectual potential. This is not to say that coeducational programs are not successful in their process of educating young minds, but the results from single-sex environments do not draw the conclusion that they are not highly successful as well.
More than just the academic benefits girls have when they are put in an all-girls environment, they are free to express themselves socially, and feel fully accepted for who they are as a person, and not for what they wear or what their makeup looks like on a daily basis. Once you open the doors to school, you're home, and everyone knows you are always loved for who you are at home. I could talk for hours about why I chose to go to an all-girls school, but the bottom line from my experience is that I would not be the person I am today without it. I have not taken off my class ring since I received it junior year, because I am so proud to say that I am an alum, plus it gives me an excuse to talk about my high school when someone asks where I got it. And I'm definitely not the only girl who has been impacted by the all-girl school experience.
"I thought that going to an all-girls school would be an awful experience. That is until I entered Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette, Ill., where my thoughts changed quickly. I soon fell in love with the school, made friends that will be my future bridesmaids, and made countless memories that I will never forget. My high school itself pushed me to be the best, and gave me the confidence to achieve anything if I put my mind to it. I may be biased, but going to an all-girl school was one of the best decisions I ever made." --Lexie Pognazik, Regina, Wilmette, Ill. '14.
"We freely saw each other at every high and low, and after four years I grew to call the girls at my school my sisters. It did not matter what grade we were in, nor what extracurricular activities we chose to do; we loved each other and encouraged each and every one of us to be the best young women we could be. Because of my high school sisters’ constant love and support, I felt confident and capable of stepping into the next phase of my life, in hopes to set the world on fire and ultimately be the best me I can be." --Julia Krebsbauch DSHA, Milwaukee, Wis. '14
"No one wore makeup; no one did their hair. No one wanted free-dress days because everyone loved being able to throw on their uniform in the morning. Coming to college was a serious wake-up call that I need to start looking like a real human. While it's probably a good thing that I learned how to present myself in public, there is no denying that I miss the no-pressure environment of an all-girls school." --Sam Medler, Villa, St. Louis, Mo. '14
"There was an unspoken trust amongst all my sisters. I feel that now even though we are thousands of miles apart, we can always come back and pick up where we left off. And till this day I still don't shave... Hahahaha." --Neda Award, Notre Dame de Sion, Kansas City, Mo., '14
Four different high schools, four different experiences, yet no argument that their high schools deeply impacted them and helped them become the young women they are today. There is a bond between those girls who have experienced this "abnormal" high school environment and you can see it not only in the class rings we wear religiously, but in our confidence in our abilities to know that we have the skills and talent to succeed in whatever we put our minds to. That's what we were taught and it's something we are never going to forget.
I miss my grey kilt, 91 sisters, one-of-a-kind faculty, and, most importantly, my home every day. I would not have traded those years for anything and I wish I could have just one more average high school day. Four years goes too fast, especially when you're having the time of your life making memories with friends that become sisters at a school that leaves a mark on your heart forever.
Don't settle for "normal." It doesn't exist. It's just four years, but it's an important four years. Find your home, because that definitely does exist and that is something we all deserve to find.
