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Female Students In College

By Dr. Marciene Mattleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - In 1991, women represented 41% of the college student body. Today, at 57% of colleges and universities nationally, women outnumber men.

As with anything, there are exceptions especially where STEM fields—science, technology, engineering and math, are strong. At Southern Illinois University's campus at Carbondale, where only 30% are women, just 10 of the 171 aviation management students are female.

Recruiting at Southern starts with a summer camp for high school girls getting them interested long before college and keeping in touch.

At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, where only 31% are women, female students go out to share their enthusiasm and announce a math contest for women with a $25,000 prize.

Do recruiting programs work? For all Southern's camp efforts, no one showed up for a one-hour invited campus tour. A few months later three former campers applied and were admitted.

Read about gender in colleges in the latest New York Times "Education Life" supplement.

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