My Experience Attending an All-Girls School

by Jasmine Cordero

A month into the new school year and I am a little nostalgic about my school days. I've started to miss back to school shopping for new bags, clothes and books for the semester. Now the daily cycle of work and going home has started to feel restricting. One of the great things about school is that you learn things that interest you and you talk to people from different walks of life. These thoughts have me reminiscing about my own high school experience attending an all-girl school. 

In 2006 I attended an all-girl high school as a freshman. I experienced being in an environment that was out of the social norm. I was around a group of girls that were already friends because they shared the same religion, culture and similarities. It was difficult to make friends back then because I didn’t know who I was or what I liked to do. My school encouraged us to take part in clubs such as Human Rights club, where we wrote letters to other all girl schools in different countries. This club was a great way to connect with other women because we all enjoyed sharing the letters we received.

In recent years single sex education has helped women speak up more about what they want because they do not have to feel pressured by having the opposite sex around. In an article by the American Psychological Association, single sex education is beneficial because “they create opportunities that don’t exist in the co-ed classroom.”  My class was small so it was easy for teachers to know whom needed the extra help in certain subjects. This inclusion of tutoring and homework help may not have happened at a large co-ed high school. 

My favorite experience at this school was when my human rights club visited The Oldest New York City Bar Association.  This building had future lawyers whom had no problem talking to us about our community and answering our questions. Although I personally had no interest in becoming a lawyer I learned that other girls in the club did. They were two years younger than me and were freshmen and it was interesting to hear them speak about what laws they knew were passed and why they wanted to be lawyers. As a senior in high school I didn’t know much about laws and how it affected my community but this experience opened my eyes to a world that showed me women in a role dominated by men but being confident.

In my years of attending an all-girl school I have learned so much more about myself. I have learned how to not give into peer pressure. According to a recent study 80 % of all-girls school graduates consider their academic performance highly successful. I always had a sense of pride in my academics, especially when it came to making portfolios of our great work at the end of the year. These portfolios not only showcased my talents but it also encouraged me to public speaking.