ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the lives of American woman Betsy Mix Cowles. When Betsy began to think about attending Oberlin, the nation offered women few opportunities for higher education. While Oberlin had opened its doors to both sexes since its inception, no other collegiate institute admitted female students at the time. Oberlin offered women a more challenging educational experience. By the time Betsy and Cornelia discussed Oberlin in 1837, its antislavery credentials were widely known, as was its reputation as a pious and warm educational home that welcomed women. Cowles's desire to pursue a higher education at Oberlin was also driven by her career ambitions. An Oberlin education would provide Cowles with the tools to rise to positions of power traditionally held by men within the field of education, including principal and superintendent. Cowles also hoped that an Oberlin education would help her apply her ideas for improvement to the teaching profession.
