Hi all!
Since decisions & financial aid should be out by now, I’m submitting myself to help answer any questions the community might have about Vassar. I’m from the west coast originally & likely a history major, but can touch on a number of subjects to the best of my abilities.
What is the house community like? Yes, there are house events, “mandatory fun” type things, etc, but do people genuinely participate in and enjoy that stuff? Does everyone hate the freshmen? Are students generally happy?
Feel free to be brutally honest. Thanks!
Hi. I’d also like to know about dorm life. Which house did you live in? What did you like and not like about it? Are you changing houses next year? Are the quiet floors really quiet? How often are the bathrooms cleaned? Any issues with having coed bathrooms? What is the thing that you are so glad you brought to Vassar? What do you wish you hadn’t? Thanks.
House community in general: yes, people definitely go to house events and enjoy them! There is always a lot of great food, house teams have pretty big budgets so there’s some great events. I’ve truly never felt like people hated me because I’m a freshman, and certainly not people who go to the events. It might sound cheesy but there is a real close-knit community in the houses (except maybe Main, just because it’s so big). The house events are usually attended by freshman, as well as a decent amount of sophomores and juniors. One of the cool things about Vassar’s housing is that you live in the same house for a few years (it might seem scary to be trapped there but they’re all nice dorms with their own quirks), and that really grows community. So sophomores, juniors come to events to connect with the people they went through their freshman year with and live with now. I find that the house system is possibly my favorite part of Vassar –– my five best friends are all in my house, and it’s just so nice to have that sense of community.
I live in Lathrop house, which has two major reputations –– being the smallest dorm and being the “party” dorm. The first point is true, Lathrop has the smallest amount of rooms (280ish?) of any of the main dorms on campus. The second rep is not true anymore, probably true decades ago but also probably comes from the fact that it’s the only dorm without a quiet/wellness floor, which is more due to its size than anything else. I absolutely adore Lathrop –– its bathrooms are super clean and recently renovated, it is literally across from the dining hall, its parlor is definitely the best parlor on campus, and the small size means that everyone knows everyone. Rooms are maybe a little smaller than the average Vassar dorm, but they’ve all got big windows, wood floors, and are in good shape. Next year I am staying in Lathrop as a student fellow (Vassar’s version of an RA, basically an emotional/academic support person and not a disciplinarian), so I wouldn’t stay if I didn’t love it!
To my knowledge quiet floors are very quiet. Bathrooms are cleaned once a week or more, by very nice and friendly staff. As a woman I think the co-ed bathrooms are really smart and have the positive impact of humanizing the female students to the male students who see girls doing their normal routine. Friends that brush their teeth together stay together!
Definitely would reccomend bringing cold/flue supplies, it’s impossible to avoid getting sick that first semester of college. Other than that, good winter clothes & boots, umbrella saved my life many times. I wish I’d brought a fan with me. Lathrop is great, but there is no air conditioning, and many of the dorms are the same. This isn’t an issue for most of year but that first month is pretty brutal without any fan in your room –– it gets humid!
Thanks jankubl18, that was an insightful response. Any other current Vassar students out there willing to let us know what you love about your house?
Sorry not current student but a parent of a recent grad.
Her house was Cushing. Like @jankubl18 said, she got very close with her hall mates who shared the bathrooms.
There were tons of activities within the house to bring the house students close. (especially the beginning of a school year.) Some she participated and had fun, some she refused to participate (some activity/competition with garbage!). She became very close friends with fellow students who also refused to participate!
I was a little concerned because my daughter is not the type to make extra effort to make friends, but it seems like it was impossible not to develop great friendship within the house.
Was there another school or two that you were choosing between and if so, what put Vassar over the top for you?
I live in Strong! We were known for being the only female dorm on campus, but that has changed and we are now gender-inclusive(they them theirs, etc. ) 
. I really like my dorm because of how quiet it is and everyone is pretty nice! I don’t go to events that often (cause I’m lazy) but when I do they’re really fun. Vassar was my top choice due to financial aid. (p.s. also a stem major).
Thanks SaphaelEterna. Just to clarify, when you say that Strong is now gender inclusive, that means that they are coed as of 2019? Do you think it is quieter than other dorms and is that because the housing department put students who requested quieter housing together? Or is it something about Strong itself? Also, what is the process for roommate assignments? What kind of form/questionnaire did you fill out? Do you remember when they sent it to you? Thanks!
@jankubl18 – I’m glad someone broke the ice with the basics above so I’ll ask what was on my mind:
How does laundry work? As in, do you swipe a card, need change–? Are people pretty respectful of each others’ stuff, and are machines maintained well?
Do you have a roommate? I figure yes, since you’re a freshman, but we were told that sometimes a few freshmen get singles…If you have a roommate: Did you let the college match you and how well has that worked out? Did you feel that the questionnaire where you listed preferences asked the right things and helped make a good match?
What is the campus medical office like? I know there is an EMT service on campus that doesn’t transport but does do first-line checks and determines if people need ambulances etc…What is the campus clinic’s reputation? Do students also tend to use doctors in Poughkeepsie if needed?
Where do students tend to go off-campus? The area right around the campus doesn’t seem to have much going on (a couple of better restaurants, Vassar bookstore, several pretty divey restaurants, not a lot else bordering campus that I could see, but maybe we missed something). Do students go into Poughkeepsie much and what do they do there?
Thank you so much…
@eyeontheprize not coed per say, from my understanding it’s any one who doesn’t identify as male? I’m not very good at explaining things like this but basically Strong got rid of the “all-female” part because the people who live in Strong don’t ONLY identify as female. We have people who live in the dorms who go by pronouns other than she her hers and things like that so gender inclusive would be more accurate. Sorry if I’m not making sense. Also I think it’s just Strong itself. The walls in Strong are VERY thin, so if you make too much noise ppl will come to your room to politefully as you to keep it down. I can’t really remember what I put on my application but I don’t think there was an option asking if you preferred a quieter dorm? (could be completely wrong though) You get to choose three dorms you would prefer to live in and then from there depending on how you answer the questions they give you a dorm lol. Last year Vassar was thinking of making room assignments random for first years but due to the “backlash” they did not go through with it. I’m not sure how they’re doing it this year though. I belive we got the applications at the end of May, and got our assignments at the end of July.
@washugrad By the end of the college process, I was choosing between Vassar and Hamilton. Both gave me the same amount of financial aid. I nearly went to Hamilton because they are very intense about their writing focus –– I wanted to come out of college knowing how to articulate myself well in writing and speaking, and that’s something Hamilton promises. But my heart was at Vassar for sure, and gradually other pros presented themselves. The campus is simply gorgeous and while that sounds superficial, it impacts my mood in a positive way every day. I knew I’d learn how to write at Vassar, since their English program is pretty legendary. I did a deep dive into the course catalogs of each school and Vassar had more classes I was interested in. Hamilton is very isolated and the more I realized what that meant logistically for coming home or exploring the area the more I leaned into Vassar. As a woman I love the history Vassar has as well. Hamilton also has a more distinct “preppy” feel –– Vassar doesn’t have any football or frats, and that appealed to me. And even though the aid package was the same at both, as a low income student I felt as though I would still fit in at Vassar, which I wasn’t sure would be the case at Hamilton. Vassar just fit my personality better and I am so grateful I chose being here.
Thanks to all of the current students who responded to this!
I was also wondering: generally, does Vassar have a happy student body? And is everyone as serious as they seem? For context, I went to one of the open houses last week and every current student seemed so, so serious. That’s not a bad thing, I just want to know if I will be both learning AND having a good time.
Also, what was your freshmen writing seminar like?
Thanks!
@janedope omg yes lol! Right now is a very stressful time of the year and people have all sorts of midterms and papers due. That’s probably why they seemed so serious, it’s not a very fun time right now lol. But, people still have fun!! We had a Princess Nokia concert last weekend and we still have events coming up I’m sure. Any other time of the year Vassar students and faculty will be a lot happier lol. My freshman writing seminar was great. I had an education class with an amazing professor and it was good. Although I based which classes I wanted to take with Rate My Professor. But I personally feel like the freshman writing seminars have a lot more interesting topics than the regular classes and I’m kinda jealous at the classes being offered for first year seminar. Anyway, how well your first year seminar goes really depends on your professor so take a look at Rate My Professor when you start looking at classes lol.
Thanks for the quick response!
I have a couple of other questions for anyone.
When I was looking for info about Vassar (aka online stalking the school lol) I found a lot of negative articles written by former/current students and faculty members about issues with administration. Two in particular that I found most upsetting were regarding rape and racism. Many of these articles/pieces talked about how the administration did not intervene or help the authors of the posts. I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about admin’s involvement with students, VSA, etc. Do they listen to the students? Do problems actually get solved?
Going off of that, other online posts about the school seemed to all say that students don’t like to listen to other students’ opinions. What is political/ideological discourse like, and are students willing to have productive conversations rather than arguments?
Thanks again!
Wonderful thread!
Just a bit of reassurance. You can make lifelong friends in Main, too, even though it’s the largest dorm. Spouse is 50 years old and still gets together with four friends at least once a year and is in regular communication with two other friends who live even farther away. He met all of them in Main. He loved being in Main and has visited his old rooms first with me and then with our son. And oh yeah- three of his four closest friends met their spouses at Vassar, so there are three more Vassar people we have been seeing forever!
A more recently graduated relative lived in Cushing and loved it.
I think the three year dorm stay is great. It supports really getting to know the people with whom you live.
Agreed, great thread! Thank you to all who are taking the time to respond. Now that decisions are being made, practical information is appreciated. I posted a similar question on Reddit and the response was also a fantastic and detailed response to Noyes House. Like @conrad2, I am also interested in your @jankubl18 @SaphaelEterna experiences with the health services. And of course, laundry.
@conrad2 Hello! So, you use your Vassar Card, also known as a V-card(heh) and the laundry costs 1.40 for both washer and dryer. You will need to load money onto your card to use the machines through this website: https://vcard-sp.blackboard.com/eAccounts/AnonymousHome.aspx. I can only speak from my experiences in my own dorm but I would say yes, people are respectful of other people’s belongings for the most part and the machines are well maintained.
You can use your V-card to do a lot of things like buying snacks from the vending machines, eating out at the restaurants around campus, etc. Vassar students are given $100 a semester to spend at the local restaurants (seems like a lot but you would be surprised). I do have a roommate! Although I can’t give much information on room match because I choose to live with a friend from high school who also got accepted to Vassar. But, I have yet to hear any roommate horror stories.
The health services on campus have an…“ok” reputation. I have only used it once and the staff was nice enough. The doctor I had seen had even emailed me a couple of days later asking me if I had felt better. However, there are times when the campus clinic isn’t enough and people will go to the nearest hospital (Vassar Brothers Medical Center I think) and you can use your Vassar insurance I believe. Because I live in Poughkeepsie, I still use my primary doctor for things that I don’t think Vassar’s clinic will be able to give me (like my medications and stuff). I’m not too confident about my answer for this but maybe @jankubl18 will have some insights?
Vassar students don’t usually venture that much out into the Poughkeepsie area (unfortunately). Other than the area immediately outside Vassar and areas near the mall and the train station, finding a Vassar student in Poughkeepsie is very rare. Mostly because there is so much going on and a ton of events on campus, most students don’t feel the need to leave campus except to buy groceries and stuff. There is a bowling alley near the college that students frequent but that’s pretty much it if you don’t have a car. The only cases I know where people go into the City of Poughkeepsie is to volunteer at the local middle and high school (which are only 3-4 minutes away from campus by drive) or perhaps for work/internships and other volunteering opportunities. This is just what I’ve seen and heard though, other Vassar students may be going into Poughkeepsie to do fun things but the term “Vassar bubble” exists for a reason lol. Hope this helps!
@conrad2 : People are generally respectful with laundry in Lathrop, but if you leave your things in for too long someone might move them on top of the machines. (No one has ever moved my stuff on the floor, even when it’s busy and I forget.) I’ve never had an issue with any machines.
I have a roommate and got paired through the Vassar pairing system. It’s pretty rare for a freshman to get a single, but it all depends on dorm size/space and class makeup…I just left it up to fate and my roommate and I get along super well. The questionnaire asks the really important things – mostly when you go to bed/wake up, how tidy you like your space, allergies etc – and that makes the process successful. Almost everyone I know who is a freshman went through the random selection process, and the few people I know who picked roommates themselves are actually having more trouble. It’s one thing to get along with someone and think they’ll make a great roommate, but the logisitcal stuff actually matters. There was a lot of buzz about trying to “find the perfect roommate” after getting admitted, but most people leave it up to the system and it works out pretty great.
@janethedoe : Vassar’s student body is very very happy. I find it the perfect balance of people who want to learn and care about doing well, but know how to relax/take a break and enjoy life. I think coming from the west coast I was expecting people to be really intense but students here are good-natured and have a sense of humor for sure.
My freshman writing seminar was about writing about music, which was super cool. It’s a lot of writing but the quality of the class, like all college classes, truly depends on the professor. I would echo the advice to look on Rate My Prof and go from there. There are so many cool writing seminars being offered next year that I’m also jealous!!
Abt Vassar admin, ideology, issues: this is a hard topic to breach b/c I never feel like I have enough info. Vassar does have a small but active part of the student body who are vocal in their opposition of the administration. I think it’s easy for students to get upset at admin and not realize the nuanced aspects of decision-making that go into everything. I would say most students are like me in having that view. I have never heard of admin blatantly ignoring a serious issue, and there always seems to be an administrator who has their door open to talk to students. They are humans and have made mistakes, & I’m thinking the events you’re referring to happened before I was on campus, but I feel like there is an effort made to encourage transparency.
In terms of conversations, I would say this –– Vassar gets a reputation as being super liberal and radical, but I think talking to other friends that is just the nature of colleges in the U.S. right now. The majority of students want to talk about politics and issues politely, and I talk politics almost day with my friends and it never gets vitriolic. There is a small subsection of the Vassar population that is very combative in conversation, and they happen to be the loudest subsection, so it can seem more widespread than it actually is. It’s easy to find people who are open to other beliefs, although it is definitely easier to find outside of the classroom –– I think becasue of Vassar’s reputation and that small population, some students get scared of vocalizing opinions in class. Again, I think that experience of walking on eggshells is true at nearly every college right now. (And I say all this as a pretty liberal young person.)