academic value of Vassar

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vassar College
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<p>One of the schools we are interested in is Vassar. When I ask people if Vassar is a good school, they say "yes, one of the best." When I ask them why, it appears that most answers boil down to "because it's known as a good school." </p>

<p>If we're going to pay a premium for a Vassar education, what increased value is there at the school? Is its value more cultural - it's a special kind of place - than academic? Specifically, what makes Vassar such a good school? Which liberal arts departments are exceptionally good? Is the Computer Science department strong or not? Are the life sciences favored over the other sciences? Is the French department cutting edge? If one is not majoring in English, Bio, music or theater, is Vassar still a good place to go?</p>

<p>Kei</p>

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<p>Disclaimer: My username is misleading, while I do love Vassar, I made that name when I found out I was going to the school, and didn’t know about it. So I’m not crazy biased, I am very critical and as objective as possible.</p>

<p>Anyway, I’m a sophomore. VC does have, historically, a prestigious academic reputation, that in my opinion, is COMPLETELY warranted and still holds true. Granted, I’ve not gone to another college, but every class I have taken (except maybe a few intro-levels) have been the most incredibly academically stimulating experiences I’ve ever had. The professors are INCREDIBLE, dare I say genius, in some cases (some bad apples, too, of course), and the work and knowledge really makes you think. I can’t say enough about Vassar’s academics. Considering it wasn’t one of the things I really thought about as a high school applicant (yes, I knew I wanted to go here “because it’s a good school,” but really I was concerned with other things), from the first day of classes my freshmen year, continuing now, I just feel so alive intellectually in this environment.</p>

<p>I don’t know what increased value there is, other than what I’ve said, which I’m sure can be true of similar institutions. There really is a beautiful level of professors caring about what you’re learning, and they are all so truly passionate and informed on their respective subjects that sometimes it blows my mind. (Often times!)</p>

<p>Most of my friends are biology, film, psych, or history majors. I know my fair share of economics and math majors, and plenty of English and sociology ones too. Believe it or not, I don’t know any drama majors. It could just be my crowd, which just goes to show that one stereotype about Vassar, that there are excessive amounts of artsy, drama kids, can be ignored. There are, in my opinion, too many “hipsters” (or wannabe hipsters), but that’s more fashion than anything else. Drama and art is completely a non-factor in my life and the lives of most of my friends, whereas I’m sure for the drama kids it’s everything. That’s not to say there’s a social barrier between us, but you know what I mean. </p>

<p>Computer Science – I honestly don’t know anyone whose taken a class there. I don’t know endless amount of people, either… most of the people I know are in my classes, and I don’t take CS type classes.</p>

<p>I’m not a science person, but SO many people are, and I can say that those departments, bio, chem, and physics, seem strong, especially bio, and that geology/ecology is also good, there’s a little museum there. Vassar is a big green machine, so the earth gets plenty of attention.</p>

<p>I don’t know the ins and outs of each department, but I wouldn’t be concerned if you’re not majoring in English, Bio, music, or theater… most people aren’t. I’m a history major, and that is, IMHO, the greatest department in the school (I could never praise it enough). </p>

<p>Fact is, the education is great, I wouldn’t stress out over the Majors. Though we don’t have business, and engineering is best served elsewhere (though I know a few, and they’re quite happy too) You’re going to learn well here no matter what. And keep in mind VC requires that 50% of your classes be outside of your major, with 25% being outside your Major Division (So if you’re a History major, you have to take 25% of things not even in the HUMANITIES)</p>

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<p>ILV – I’m trying to figure out if I’m interpreting your answer correctly. Would you say that if a student is more interested in the arts, that he / she would tend mainly to hang out with those kids?? one of the things that appealed to me about Vassar for my daughter is that there wouldn’t be such a divide between the “artsy” crowd and the general student body. Am I wrong? She is, actually, a theater kid and I thought that by considering Vassar, she might be going to a school where being artsy blends right in rather than being in a distinct minority, as it is at her high school.</p>

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<p>I don’t want to be misleading or unclear… She would not be in the minority, nor would all her friends be artsy. I know of many people in theater and it’s not considered “weird” OR “unique” (meaning people don’t look down on you or revere you either)… it’s just what you do and really would not affect your social life. Fact of the matter is you largely make friends through clubs and programs and classes, so a theater kid would have a lot of theater friends, but there’s definitely no distinct clique and for the most part friendships cross majors and interests. </p>

<p>There really is no divide. She would blend in fine and definitely not feel like her only friends would be the other theater kids… that doesn’t really happen. My post might have confused you because I said I don’t know many theater people, but many of my friends do dance and improv/sketch comedy/music, and I definitely don’t. Not a big deal.</p>

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<p>ILV, what major are you doing?</p>

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<p>I’m still interested in this topic</p>

<p>anyone available to help?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Kei</p>

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<p>I am quite surprised by the silence accompanying your query regarding curriculum and academic expertise on this thread.</p>

<p>My aunt attended Vassar of which she matriculated to University of Chicago. She was a computer science major with mathematics and economics as minors.</p>

<p>I do not know the advantages of a Vassar degree other than that. You would be best served by making serious inquiries within the school and outside sources.</p>

<p>Do not let this thread discourage you, as these threads are only by submittal and often we as student do not care to enter into conversation, especially after we have been accepted to the school of our choice.</p>

<p>Kei-o-lei, do the best that you can and persevere.</p>

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<p>I agree with Horseradish. You are really asking a question best answered by a recent alum or a student. And, they are probably not in the majority of viewers. My D goes to Vassar and she is academically very happy. A soph. and a anthro major w/art history correlate (minor). She has many friends from different areas…some premed, some film, etc. etc. Extra curr. activities, classes, and the dorms are the main points of contact and friendships are formed with people w/whom you share something in common. Meaning, a drama student will have friends any where she/he finds a common bond. Drama students are not islolated or not accepted by their major by the rest of the population.
I would suggest you visit and attend a couple of classes - the higher level classes if they will let you. Talk with a prof in the depart you are most interested in. You will learn a lot from doing those things.
And, in the end, you will get out of any class as much as you put into it.<br>
PS - the workload has increased from fresh to soph year for D</p>

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<p>the department is small but good.</p>

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<p>I get it that the social sciences, bio, theater, psych and the arts are strong at Vassar.</p>

<p>But math seems to be a weaker major there. Info from the Vassar website says there are about 10 students per class that major in Math.</p>

<p>Any hard core math people go there anyway?</p>

<p>Thnx</p>

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<p>I took 1 math class and I had 2 friends who were math majors, but I wouldn’t say I’m an expert on the math department. In general, at colleges across the country, math is one of the least popular majors overall. That doesn’t make it weak by any means. You can go on and on about why math would be an unpopular undergraduate major across the board (not to mention that is one of the least commonly studied subjects for PhDs, and among the ranks of the subjects with the fewest PhDs are granted each year). </p>

<p>I majored in something where there were 3 other students in my class. It was a FANTASTIC program. One to two students each year major in Victorian Studies at Vassar, yet it is probably the best places in the country to study it. Small does not equal bad. Honestly, out of 600 students each year, 10 math majors is no shocker.</p>

<p>In terms of the math department itself - small means it’s intimate. it means that students form close relationships with faculty. It is like all other vassar classes, in that there is a strong emphasis on thinking for yourself, questioning texts or dogma, and speaking up - not sitting passively in a lecture.</p>

<p>I would really press you to not think about most popular as strongest. Bio, psych, poli sci, and english are some of the most common majors for undergrads everywhere! That doesn’t mean these departments aren’t great at vassar, but it also doesn’t mean that the smaller departments are weak.</p>

<p>To the original question about what gives value to a vassar education:</p>

<p>-Small classes. Even the intro classes are small. There is a huge difference between sitting in a room with a few hundred (or even just 100) students, and classes that are limited to 15, 20, or 30 students. Discussion, not lecture most of the time - interactive classes, even in the sciences! Professors know your name. They sure as heck know if you’ve done your reading.</p>

<p>-Faculty taught. There are no TAs. You are being instructed by a faculty member who knew what they were signing up for - a teaching position. Yes, they all have their research, but they aren’t faculty who are solely research driven, and hate having to waste their time going down to the lecture hall. And no grad student mediators, your faculty is reading your papers, grading things, teaching you, answering your questions.</p>

<p>-No core curriculum = students who really want to be there. You won’t ever be sitting in a class full of students who are there just because they have to fill a requirement. I audited a class at the undergrad of my med school (a very well regarded institution), and on the first day when they went around and asked why students were taking the course, well over 75% of the students said something about their distribution requirements. I was shocked! (especially since they couldn’t even think of something nice to say about, maybe, being interested int he topic?!). </p>

<p>-an environment that is completely infused with an academic spirit. I can’t explain it any other way. People LOVE to learn. They love to be around others who love to learn. They go to evening/afternoon guest lectures just because they are interested. In topics they have never studied. Because it’s the cool thing to do, and they heard the speaker was great, or the poster made it look interesting. This is really unique. I didn’t realize how rare this was until i got to grad school, and everyone looked at me funny when I mentioned it, or asked about the lectures going on at the undergrad campus.</p>

<p>In terms of students knowing each other outside of their interests:</p>

<p>You make friends in a few different ways - </p>

<p>1) from your dorm. You stay in the same dorm the whole time (except for optional senior apartment style housing), and I think most students would say that the closest friends they made at Vassar are those they lived with. My closest group certainly is. Housing is random, and since there are no affinity halls, you don’t have a situation where all the english majors live together, and all the drama kids do, or whatever. Friends from your dorm are a mixed bag in terms of their majors/interests. The dozen or so of my closest friends from my dorm had different majors.</p>

<p>2) your classes. These people, as you might expect, will have similar academic interests to you - but they may have lots of other exciting interests. They may have another major, a minor, whatever.</p>

<p>3) clubs and other activities. There are plenty of people - in fact, I would say the vast majority, who participate in the drama related clubs without being theater majors, the music groups and clubs without majoring in music, the political groups without majoring in poli sci, and the religious groups without majoring in religion. There is intense cross pollination.</p>

<p>So, you can imagine, that by meeting people in all these different ways, people really do get very mixed up, and people REALLY DO sit with each other for meals no matter what they are interested in… there are so many interrelated threads, that by the end you know all sorts of people in all different spheres.</p>

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<p>I’m a math major at Vassar, and my experience thus far has been a very positive one. Opportunities to study applied math are slim (there’s one 200-level course in the methods of applied math), but if you’re interested in pure concepts, Vassar offers great courses in algebra, analysis, dynamical systems, topology, number theory, logic, you name it. Becoming familiar with the catalogue is crucial, however, as many of the subjects are offered in complementary semesters (real analysis in the fall and complex in the spring, for example), and it can be a real bummer to miss out on a spring course because you didn’t fulfill the prerequisites in the fall.</p>

<p>That said, the department is also great. Some of the professors are a bit cagey (these are mathematicians, after all), but they’re all easily approachable in office hours to talk about whatever. For the most part, they’re also totally supportive of any independent study you may decide to pursue for credit. A professor who I’d never met before, for example, offered out of the blue to advise an independent study for me when I mentioned cryptography to him a few weeks ago. I’d have to say that’s pretty typical in the department; my math professors here are generally more than willing to go out of their way to make sure you get everything you want out of your work. There are indeed very few math majors, but the individual care and attention each gets as a result is fantastically invaluable, especially if/when writing an honors thesis.</p>

<p>Outside of academics, the department fields a team for Putnam every year, and there are typically a few visiting math lecturers every month, all of whom I’ve met so far have been fascinating people. Oh, and there’s a goofy little ice cream social every semester to try and get the math community together and talking.</p>

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<p>I teach high school English. When my son went to Vassar in September 2008, he was an adequate writer. Now, I cannot believe he is actually writing the papers he has done!! His growth as a writer and a thinker is phenomenal. I don’t know if this happens at all of the LACs, but it has happened here.</p>

<p>And he loves the school.</p>

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<p>How about the academic value of an economics degree? Is that department strong, and will one be marketable for immediate employment out of school vs. going to grad school right away?</p>

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<p>For guys, does it feel like a girls school? Also, since it was a “Seven Sister,” do most people think of it still as a girls school? If so, are guys who graduate from there looked at with a crooked eyebrow later in life?</p>

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<p>My son goes there. On campus, it seems utterly coed, I think it’s a little under 60% female, close to typical for liberal arts schools. Yes, when people hear where he’s going, many say “Isn’t that a girls school?” Which of course, it was, until 1970, which is really not all that recent. Shouldn’t be a deal killer if you like the rest of the package.</p>

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<p>^^ @ kellybkk: In 1947 – 33 years before I started college – a state legislature in the South changed a leading all-female college’s charter to make it co-educational. It is now – and was when I was in college – home to one of the most successful Division I football programs in the country. Nowadays, if my alma mater (which accepted its first female students about the same time Vassar’s charter embraced male students) got on the field with that former all-female college from the South, the eyebrows would be raised only if my Fighting Irish could keep within the point spread before taking the loss.</p>

<p>The same dynamic that made Florida State University turn co-ed from an an all-female college in 1947 led Vassar to accept its first male students: the G.I. bill. </p>

<p>In 40 years, a college can come a long way, baby. Crooked eyebrows may happen, but the people who raise them wouldn’t exactly be the brightest stars in the evening sky, would they? So would you really let that stand between you and the right college? I don’t think the G.I.'s who went to FSU and Vassar worried about raised eyebrows. You need to go for what you want and not worry about where people’s eyebrows are headed. I’m not saying Vassar is for you. I’d have no idea about that. But then again, neither do those eyebrows that shouldn’t influence your decision.</p>

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<p>Agree with those who have said you will probably benefit from more current information than those of use who graduated years ago can provide. That said, I’ll second those who said the education is phenomenal, opportunities unsurpassed, classes small and stimulating, faculty available and supportive, etc. I was a science major and found the faculty and departments excellent. If I had it to do over again, I would choose Vassar again, no questions asked. The name recognition has certainly been helpful, even here in the south. The friendships I developed endure, even 35 years later. The CS department benefited from an alliance with a large nearby branch of IBM, though I am not sure this is still the case. </p>

<p>Not sure if this is helpful, but I would strongly encourage you to consider Vassar. Info from a recent alum email I received reported 10 Fulbright fellowships and 8 National Science Foundation Grants. One of my classmates is the Chief Scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund. Hope this helps. Good luck!!</p>