This volume provides a fresh lens for viewing single-sex colleges by examining a different setting—a non-elite women's college in the Midwest. This is the story of how a group of undergraduate women experienced and coped with the contradictions of gender traditionalism, careerism, and community that formed the context in which they received their college education.

Featuring an engaging text, this book provides:

• A new look at the old debates about careerism versus a liberal arts education.
• New approaches to understanding student retention and college communities.
• A framework for understanding how the failure to examine what it means to be woman-centered undermined the college's single-sex mission.
• An in-depth look at the differences between sorority members and independent women, testing historical and contemporary beliefs.
• A look at how students' academic achievements and career plans are affected by the collegiate culture and the importance placed on campus life.
• A multidimensional research study that includes surveys, interviews with students, and archival research.