A pig-tailed girl with braces and a Girl Scout uniform once told me that “Girls rule, boys drool.” At the time, I didn’t think anything of it and brilliantly countered, “say it don’t spray it.”

Little did I know that she was on to something. New evidence indicates that women outperform men academically and dominate nearly all aspects of the classroom. According to the American Council on Education, women comprise 57 percent of students at American colleges. They earn higher GPAs, more honors degrees and score better on standardized tests. They are more likely to join extracurriculars, graduate on time and take harder classes.

Men lead in all the wrong categories. The department of education reported that men have a higher probability of facing disciplinary action, dropping out of school, and receiving a D or F. Every year, fewer men apply to college and more women are accepted. This “gender gap” is redefining the college experience and changing the way we learn.
A classroom with mostly women has a different dynamic than a classroom with mostly men. A study conducted by Tel Aviv University reports that both sexes perform better when the class has more women. In general, a higher percentage of women lowers the amount of classroom disruption and fosters better relationships among students and teachers. Adam Can, a fourth year studying engineering, notices that a guy is usually the class clown.

“Around 80 percent of the guys spent their time fooling around and didn’t try very hard,” he said. “The girls were always getting their stuff done in advance.” Classrooms with a higher percentage of females are better behaved, research suggests. Deniz Eren, a third year studying zoology, said, “Girls care about getting in trouble whereas a lot of guys don’t or pretend they don’t.” Some believe the learning environment is becoming more communal. Expect more group projects and open discussion.

“Women are group oriented,” said Deniz. “They seem to talk to each other easier even when they don’t know each other.” Have you ever noticed that women go to the bathroom in hordes? That’s partly because women are hard wired for collaboration, research said. That could also be the reason why the sports media flipped out when Hope Solo publicly declared that she should have started over her teammate Brianna Scurry in the 2007 World Cup. Women sports are suppose to emphasize teamwork. When a guy athlete complains about playing time, no one cares. Big egos are commonplace in men sports, i.e. Lebron’s Twitter. Many universities are worried about the dearth of testosterone on campus. Having guys on campus is important for a balanced perspective. Gender diversity is as important as racial diversity. Because male applicants are dwindling, admission counselors give men a slight advantage. Jim McCorkel, an educational advisor, told the USA Today, “We actually did a little affirmative action. If we had a tie (between a male and a female applicant), we gave it to a boy." Crissi Badurina, a third year studying interior space, is upset by the double standard. “That’s kind of bias,” she said. “It depletes everything women have fought for -- equality and equal measurements against the male dominated population.” Crissi went on to say she sometimes prefers classes with mostly guys.

“I’ve found that being in classrooms dominated by males can be socially comfortable, but not intellectually,” she said. “A classroom of unfamiliar females can be intimidating. Half and half makes your classmates more approachable. “ Other people embrace the gender gap.

“It’s definitely not a problem; I wish it was closer to 80 to 20,” said Can. “From a guy's perspective, it's harder to stay focused on the class material when there are so many women in the room.” On the dating scene, guys will be in higher demand. Jayne Dallas, a fourth year studying advertising, complained to the N.Y. Times that it’s tough to find a good guy at a female dominated campus.

“Out of that 40 percent, there are maybe 20 percent we would consider, and out of those 20, 10 have girlfriends, so all the girls are fighting over that other 10 percent,” she said.