You’ve made your college checklist and you think you’ve found the school that has it all; a gorgeous campus, great student activities program, and the major you’ve always dreamed of earning. But have you check out the school’s sexual culture? Before you say yes to that acceptance letter, consider the following about your soon-to-be school first.

1. Is the campus LGBTQ friendly?

If you are questioning, this is a big one to consider. Hell, if you’re straight, this is still something to consider. In general, if a college has a strong, positive LGBTQ community, the campus will be more tolerant. Check to see if your college has LGBTQ meetings, health services, groups, etc.

2. Is contraception available?

Sure, your school may hand out condoms like they’re candy, but does student health services also provide other forms of birth control? Check to see if you’ll have access to pills, IUDs, etc. Also: Research how to school would handle a potential pregnancy. If you do get pregnant, you want to be certain that you have access to abortion or childcare services.

3. What type of sexual health education is provided?

This could include things like a sex-centered freshman orientation class, and sexual health classes, courses, and workshops.

4. How does the school handle sexual assault?

This is a big one. Research how the school handles sexual assault in general. Is there a sexual health educator on campus? Does the school have a history of unresolved sexual assault cases? Also: This would be a good time to check out the “student” culture. Who is in charge of the parties? If it’s a male-centered party school, you need to consider that variable. Also: Check out if there’s a lot of pressure to drink or hook up among students.

For more sexual culture questions to consider, check out this incredibly comprehensive and interesting article from Rookie.

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College campus image via Shutterstock download

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Every woman and girl needs to have an arsenal of books to turn to when the world gets them down. So, we’ve rounded up the following books – all of them are oozing with girl power.

1. “Yes Please” by Amy Poehler

This book was recommended to me by a wise, wonderful woman – my mom! Mama Stutzer read this book in the fall of 2014 in about two weeks. The book is filled with amazing stories from Poehler’s life, and serves a heaping serving of inspirational advice.

2. “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” by Caitlin Doughty

This book definitely isn’t a conventional girl power book, but it’s inspirational all the same. This book tells the tale of how Doughty got into the death business. It’s an incredibly interesting story and full of a lot of emotion and respect for the human condition (aka, life and death). Also: It was one of my favorite reads of 2014.

3. “Rad American Women A-Z” by Katie Schatz, illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl

“Rad American Women” is a great book for anyone who is interested in women’s history. It’s filled with the histories of various influential women. While it’s described as a children’s book, I think I know more than a few grown women (including myself) who would want to add this book to their bookshelf.

4. “Girl Sex 101” by Allison Moon, illustrated by KD Diamond

The creators of this book wrote it for “ladies and lady-lovers of all genders and identities.” This sex-positive book is consent focused and filled with great stories that are LGBTQ-friendly. The book will officially launch on April 7.

Do you have any favorite books that are filled with girl power? What were some of your favorite female-friendly books you read when growing up?

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Image: Ginny

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