Best universities for women?

Nunar@lemmy.world to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 64 points –

I have a few daughters looking for science and engineering programs in the next few years. They're all scared to attend schools in states hostile towards women. I get that. I'm looking for recommendations for schools in states positive towards women that have good STEM programs.

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I assume you are refering to the US without explicite writing it. But most European countries should be fine - especially Nordic countries.

Definitely look into European universities if you can afford the plane tickets. I wish I had as a young adult -- I've heard great things about education quality as well as affordability.

University of Michigan. Ann Arbor is a hardcore dem city and in a state with abortion rights protected af

I second Michigan! I live here, and the middle-state cities here are typically full of left-leaning young folks.

The farther north you go, though, the political leanings get worse. Definitely recommend mid & lower Michigan, though.

I apologize if this isn't the kind of comment that you're looking for...but what's wrong with the colleges local to you? Do you live in an unsafe area? It makes a hell of a lot more sense to go to a school with in state tuition rather than going across the country to a school with needlessly exorbitantly expensive out of state tuition.

Maybe I was just lucky in the state I grew up in.

Buy the "Fiske Guide to Colleges". It lists hundreds of colleges in the US. You can look up by major, location, price, etc.

It also discusses things like social life, acceptance rate, and amenities.

I have 3 kids that are in or went to college. This was indispensable.

Is this American ? You don't say where. I'm not aware of any difference in the states here in Australia. But if so, maybe RMIT?

I'm sorry you live in a country like that.

Have you considered sending them abroad? I work at a university in Australia and it is actively encouraging female participants in STEM, to break any stereotypes traditional family may have taught them. I think all universities are.like that here.

We are partnered with a university in England and my understanding is they are the same.

You are also able to look at university rankings which cover diversity topics. We have just submitted our data for 2023, so expect new rankings to appear in a few months. Since the data is public, many websites use it for higher education rankings.

Make sure to set out the financial implications of different states. E.g., the California unis might be good - but you're also dealing with out of state tuition.

And also look at the pipeline - I was interested in biology, but all of the people in the program were hyper competitive pre-medical students. And who wants to deal with that?

Any of the dozens of unis in California should be fine

What do you mean by "states hostile towards women"? What's going on there?

Texas, Florida, Idaho, Ohio, Oklahoma....

We are in Florida and the universities are fine, except for the loss of the New College (may RDS rot in hell for what he did to that school). But if they are interested in engineering they wouldn't have needed the free school.

If it's cool here, it's probably fine everywhere. Colleges are filled with kids from different places.

As long as it's not a state university. The Florida government is doing all in its power to put their state universities to work as conservative ideology factories.

They are trying, yes. I have a kid at a state school in a science major and she isn't getting any of that. The one in high school is getting ripped off but honestly they do call the kids by their chosen names and just ignore a lot of the culture war rules.

I think it's hitting the K-12 education department at the universities harder, and anyone coming here for an education degree is making a mistake already.

Many states in the US are on an anti-abortion warpath. I live in North Carolina, which recently outlawed abortion after 12 weeks. I want to move elsewhere -- I feel unsafe and uncared for.

I have never been so grateful to live in the PNW. We're a bit of a hike from NC, but you'd be plenty safe here!

Universities with higher female student ratio are probably a safe bet, although fair warning your daughters will statistically have worse matches for a partner.

Source; went to a school of higher women pop, scored a gem.

Jokes aside though, simply aiming for the best school is a safe bet too.

Not sure if it's implied by I'm assuming you are looking for American schools?

New Jersey has Rutgers, NJIT, and Stevens Institute of Technology. New Jersey in general is positive to women and all schools have programs in place to be inclusive to women in engineering.

BU is a good bet, sticker price is expensive but the financial aid is pretty decent if you can take advantage. I'd definitely recommend them picking a school somewhere they'd probably want to live after college, as getting employment in the same area you're going to school is much easier.

73% upvotes.

The downvotes that are part of the 27%, what's your problem?

Downvoted it because OP didn't specify where in the world they were, therefore nobody can properly give a good answer. Recommending an overseas university is very different to recommending one from their country.

Fair, but they wrote "states" which immediately maked me think it's the US.

What makes a good STEM program is usually dependent on both the student and the exact discipline they want. My university had a great engineering department and great wildlife management program, but good luck to you if you want biochemistry.

Other than that? Just avoid the Neoconfederacy. They've even done us all the favor of trying to outlaw abortion, and there are plenty of infographics that can show you the no-go states.

If their STEM inrerest is computer science, I have a rare and excellent recommendation of Champlain College.

Pros: In Vermont, very liberal, frats are frowned upon (only exist at UVM), Small city not very dangerous. Kids tend to smoke more weed than they do drink or experiment with drugs. The drug experimentation of choice tends to be psychedelics. Excellent CS program with a truly excellent track record for students working in their field straight from graduation. Excellent food, beautiful state.

Cons: Vermont is seductive. Hard to leave; no good jobs. Also, expensive. Way more than you'd expect for being in the mountains.

I'd be looking more at interests and leaders in those interests if possible. Red States don't do much leading in anything relevant. It sucks to be looking at what one's life interests might be like at such a young age.

Personally, I'd be looking at who is closest to TSMC, Intel, Samsung, etc., and focus on getting into schools and programs that lead to semiconductor fabs. There is a lot of money and investment in that space.

Women go to the same universities as men.

This isn't like shampoo, where the women's version is a seperate product.

Take a little time to read the whole question. They're asking about cities/states where their daughters can feel safe & empowered, as well as the fact that there is a good university, that likely shouldn't have a "frat bro" culture.

Aren’t women safe in all states?
It’s a bit hard to fathom as a European, so I’d love some knowledge if you’d share

Not only have many states removed the right to an abortion, some of them are starting to restrict access to abortion care even when failure to provide that care could lead to grave injury such as the loss of organs or fertiity.

While there is a federal law on the books that seems to require this care, a case challenging one such state law was ruled on by SCOTUS over procedural issues and it is not clear yet how the high court will decide on the substance of the issue.

States that swing Republican have higher odds of abortions being unsafe

Some states have pretty strict laws regarding abortions.

I assume that this is what the person is referring to.

He only wants to send his daughters to places where they can get abortions? Seems a weird way of picking a college.

He wants to send his daughters to school in a place where they're not only being valued for their wombs. Where they're looked at as being equal contributors to their field of study. Where they're provided opportunities the same as every other scholar there, and not assumed to be in college to find a husband.

And, yes, there is a bit of "if they get into trouble will they have options?" At play I'm sure as well.

Quit being obtuse.

Sorry, I should have elaborated.

The laws are strict and would hold doctors liable in some places. There was an instance where a woman needed some pain killer but the doctor wouldn’t prescribe it because it could cause the termination of a fetus.

When the lady told the doctor she wasn’t pregnant, he told her that she could become pregnant.

I know that’s an extreme example, but it is an example.

Another is that abortions in the case of rape might be illegal in some places and traveling out of state to a place where about is legal is also illegal.

It’s also illegal in some places to knowing help a person get to a place where it’s legal to get an abortion.

I’m not in expert in the subject, and the law varies by state so it gets confusing.

My wife and I do not live in the US and don’t plan to return, so we have not followed it closely.

Oh, I think there was also an issue of cops or the government possibly buying the data from period tracking apps, but I’m not sure about that.

Think of the US like 50 countries in a trenchcoat, cosplaying as a single country. It's a crap shoot in a lot of ways.

Ah yeah, here comes the misandrist spiel... "all men bad, all universities around me are patriarchal, won't someone save me from my own fears and insecurities".

You're so...icky

Fuck off, misandrist.

Such a yucky little personality.

I'm so glad karma will do all the rest as you keep being yourself.

Karma's a made up wish upon a star, or like believing in a horoscope.

The reality is, you're a very nasty minded little creature.

I think she's hinting at looking for states that allow abortion.

Just study wherever and cross the state line if needed to deal with that. This is just fearmongering.

As if crossing state lines to deal with that isn't illegal in some places

Right to travel in the US. Courts literally recognise it under the fourteenth amendment's Privileges or Immunities clause, and the Commerce Clause. Get your head out of your ass, it's in your laws.

Get your head out of your ass, it's in your laws.

My head just might be in my ass, but none of that is in my laws, as I'm not a US citizen.

From what I've read online more than a few months ago, there were criminal charges in certain places for having abortions in certain other places where they weren't illegal. Maybe it wasn't for the people having abortions themselves per se (I don't remeber anymore), but there definately was a doctor sending aborion pills/information that was sued as well as some police sharing data and peoole getting in trouble shenanigans. Or just straight up people looking stuff up on the internet and being investigated for it. Chilling stuff, really, whichever way you look at it.

Also, with the way the US seems increasingly unstable (what with the Supreme Court doing whatever they please, more or less, as well as a potential 2nd Trump presidency), there's a high chance that the current status quo changes for the worse, i.e. some of the ammendments/clauses you've listed get selectively overruled for abortions, as well as more states getting abortion bans (perhaps even as a simple "No More Abortions, Anywhere" Supreme Court ruling).

Bro whats your problem? Just be lucky to have a dick. The world looks so much different when you have one.