College Guide For Women Faces Reality

College women have come a long way since Elizabeth Eldridge penned her 1936 guidebook for young ladies on campus, “CO-EDiquette: Poise and Popularity for Every Girl.”

In it, she advises, “A girl’s best defense is her helplessness; it appeals to a man (while he is still sober) more than shrewishness.”

Clearly, it’s time for a new guide, and two recent Barnard graduates have obliged with 614 pages of practical advice titled “The College Woman’s Handbook” (Workman Publishing, $14.95).

The authors are Rachel Dobkin, 27, a computer consultant, and Shana Sippy, 24, who attends Harvard University Divinity School. Their book is a “Reality 101” course for female undergraduates and covers such topics as financial aid, choosing a major, time management, sexual harassment and birth control.

To determine what issues to address, Dobkin and Sippy canvassed women’s studies departments and campus organizations nationwide, and gathering input from more than 10,000 college women. Participants were asked how they would avoid their worst college experiences if they could start over and do them differently.

“That’s where a lot of the advice came from, things that seemed like common sense only after you made a mistake,” Dobkin said in a recent interview. “It’s the small stuff that’s helpful, like picking classes by professor first, then subject … or snooping around the departments right before the semester begins, to see about last-minute course changes.”

Why such a comprehensive reference for women only? Besides the usual dilemmas of college life, Dobkin said, female students face issues that pose few problems for their male counterparts. An example is gender bias in the classroom.

“Women are less likely to fight to get their voices heard, argue a point in class, or make a point to clarify a misunderstood or misattributed comment or opinion. Professors will pay more attention to those who demand it,” Dobkin and Sippy write.

The book cites studies showing that professors are likelier to make eye contact with men, direct questions to them and respond to their comments.

She added that being informed is essential for a female student moving through the dangerous and untidy world of a modern college campus.

“Colleges give an illusion of security; everyone is wearing the same colors at the football game,” she said. “A lot of people are fooled. We talk extensively about harassment and rape and assault because it happens, and pretending it doesn’t happen won’t make it go away.”