features

The women who changed Yale College: first-person stories

We asked some of the 500 women who entered Yale in 1969 to tell us what they remember: the good and the bad.

In planning this issue commemorating the 50th anniversary of coeducation in Yale College, we found that what we really wanted to read were the stories of these women. So we asked them to send their memories of their experiences as the first female undergrads at Yale. We've divided them into five categories; you’ll find them by clicking on these links:

In the Colleges

Gratitude

Yale Administration

In the Classroom

May Day

Yale Men

You’ll see that some writers’ names are asterisked. These women submitted their stories also to the Written History Project, founded by the 50th Anniversary Committee so that all alumnae of the time can contribute to the history of coeducation at Yale College. (There’s also an Oral History Project and an Archives Project.)

And finally: we invite all readers to send their letters and reactions—including stories of their own experiences of breaking boundaries at Yale—to editor@yalealumnimagazine.com.

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