Not many schools offer all those components. Research universities don't have community, and small colleges can't offer a research of such high quality. I would definitely recommend a small school over a large research university. Smaller schools can help people grow, help them make the transition between family and independence. This is not always an advantage.
Men are less likely to accept criticism or be critical of their own work.
Doubts about research are good, however. I don't think I could say that's true. I think women do science differently, but I would not want to label it better. Men do interact differently with authority, however. They're more assertive and argumentative, so naturally one becomes more defensive as a teacher.