<p>I'm a recent vassar grad. Currently in med school. I'm home sick, and I'm bored (I'm not used to having nothing to do all day!).</p>
<p>I have tons of answers to all of your burning questions...</p>
<p>I’m considering the pre-med track… How difficult was it to fit in the required pre-med courses? What did you major in? And is there any advice you have for choosing courses? Thanks in advance! :)</p>
<p>not difficult at all to fit in pre-med courses. I wasn’t a science major and had no problems (not saying in what. It will identify me pretty easily). Still had LOTS of free slots for classes to take just because I was interested. The joys of no core curriculum.</p>
<p>For choosing courses… just sit down with the catalogue, go through every single section, and check off courses you might be interested in. Don’t skip a department - you never know what you will find listed in it! then make sure you take a nice balance in different departments your first semester. You may be 100% sure you are interested in one subject, but your first year is for exploration, and take advantage of it! No two classes in the same department your first semester!</p>
<p>not difficult at all to fit in pre-med courses. I wasn’t a science major and had no problems (not saying in what. It will identify me pretty easily). Still had LOTS of free slots for classes to take just because I was interested. The joys of no core curriculum.</p>
<p>For choosing courses… just sit down with the catalogue, go through every single section, and check off courses you might be interested in. Don’t skip a department - you never know what you will find listed in it! then make sure you take a nice balance in different departments your first semester. You may be 100% sure you are interested in one subject, but your first year is for exploration, and take advantage of it! No two classes in the same department your first semester!</p>
<p>are the students very artsy/ hipstery? because i’ve been told they were at wesleyan and well… they weren’t</p>
<p>There certainly are really artsy and/or hipster students, but they are by no means the majority of students on campus. And being into the arts does not assign you to a certain style/group/dress/clique. Vassar students represent the full spectrum of likes/dislikes, and styles. There are some schools where you walk on campus and feel like everyone walked out of a certain clothing store (different ones depending on the school). I didn’t feel that at all at Vassar.</p>
<p>I’m sorry but I’m a bit confused with all these stereotypes. What is a hipster? What would define a hipster? Are preppy kids horrible to talk to? (Not so much Vassar Qs but general Qs)</p>
<p>a hipster mostly has do with a certain look and taste in music - a lot of american apparel, urban outfitters, vintage, a lot of obscure indie bands. Probably artistic in some way. People don’t really like calling themselves hipsters, so I guess it’s hard to identify.</p>
<p>and my impression is that Vassar has more “hipsters” than most schools, but not in a bad way.</p>
<p>Vassargrad, do you feel like vassar has a strong alumni network - like are you still close with your college friends but also do you feel like you’ve made important connections to other students that will help you out in life?</p>
<p>I cannot express how strongly alumni feel connected to the school. Yeah, sure, everyone everywhere has stories about undergrad, and most make great friends for life. But there is something about Vassar (and it’s like this at a few other schools I can think of) that becomes a part of your identity. Vassar is a part of who you are, how you define yourself, and you automatically have a strong connection and bond with any other Vassar grad anywhere. I think a big part of that is that is being a former women’s college infuses the school with a lot of traditions and common experiences. And we all love the little old ladies who come around for alumni gatherings! I LOVE talking to them about their Vassar stories. I love that no matter what we can share tales about what dorm we were in (and what rooms!). A big shot older doctor at the hospital my med school is connected to went to Vassar, and at an event she was introducing herself to each of the students, and I said “I heard you went to Vassar. Me too.” and immediately we were chatting for many minutes, and I know I could always use that connection if I had questions, needed guidance, or for whatever else.</p>
<p>So, me personally: my best friends are all still my Vassar friends. I know they will be lifelong friends. They are still the only people I can ever see myself being roommates with, and although we are spread out, we get together a lot, and we will for the rest of our lives. In terms of alumni networking - I actually didn’t use it in a formalized way the way a lot of other students do (Say, to get a job), because I was going straight to grad school. But a lot of my friends used the formal directory of alums to make connections to employers, get internships, even just get mentoring in a field of interest. I do know that I will always feel comfortable just randomly contacting someone in a field of interest (for example, at a residency program I am interested in applying to) to ask questions simply because I see they went to Vassar. I am also involved in my local Vassar Club chapter - they love it when us young alums attend events! - and the young alums have events in the bigger cities periodically together (there is the traditional 100 days after graduation get togethers - which mirrors the 100 days before graduation party you also do, and then sometimes 200 days, 1000 days, whatever the class whats to organize).</p>
<p>So yeah, you do feel like you have this whole world of people out there you can connect with, either socially or professionally. It’s pretty cool.</p>
<p>Hi Vassar Grad:
Nice to have you answering questions. Daughter is a high school junior and visited Vassar recently. We have a few questions. How disparate does the male/female ratio feel for a straight female? Daughter is from a city and wonders about what Poughkeepsie is like. Do most kids stay on campus most of the time? What are the opportunities (if they exist) for pre-med kids to go abroad? Is it difficult to fit the classes into one’s schedule and still get to go abroad and manage to get MCATs done in a timely manner? Does one need a car? And, did you get to have any research opportunities (on or off campus in your major or in science areas)? How in the end of things did you decide that you wanted Vassar instead of the other schools that accepted you? Did you manage to visit all and check out classes at each school? Sorry for such a long laundry list.
Thanks.</p>
<p>Mother of a Vassar grad daughter - good place for med school aspirations, but not a great place for social life. Male/female ratio not favorable. Your daughter will find a much better social life at a school that has a better integrated student body, even though Vassar has been coed for more than 25 years.</p>
<p>How disparate does the male/female ratio feel for a straight female?
-You don’t typically notice it. Yeah, if you find yourself in a room with mostly women, someone cracks a joke, but in classes, clubs, dorms, it feels pretty even. I had just as many friends who were guys. My classes were usually pretty evenly split, both in my major (humanities) and the science classes… People do complain about it in terms of dating - but I think it’s just an easy way to complain about a dating scene (Which I have learned girls do everywhere!). More women go to college than men overall - they make up 55% of college students, and 57% of college grads. This ratio isn’t just at vassar, or at liberal arts colleges! Look closely at even some giant state schools - including many with engineering programs - and you will find many with 55-60% women. Maybe people pay more attention to this ratio at Vassar because it’s an historically women’s college, or because it’s so engrained into the stereotype of the school. But this is going to be something almost every student encounters in college until this country decides how to educate boys in a way to keep them engaged and in school.</p>
<p>Daughter is from a city and wonders about what Poughkeepsie is like. Do most kids stay on campus most of the time?
-I’m from a big city too. Poughkeepsie has had it’s share of hard times, but there has been a lot of growth over the past few years, and revitalization of the area directly around the college, at the waterfront and on main street. it’s big enough that there are a lot of social service/community organizations and businesses that students have lots of fieldwork opportunities. The college is very invested in poughkeepsie, and students are also involved in many activities to improve the city and the surrounding area. But in general, most of the time people stay on campus (there is so much happening all the time!) and if they stray off when not doing fieldwork, it’s to go across the street, to the movies, or out to eat. I wanted to go to a school where people stayed on campus most of the time. I wanted to be in a college bubble that I only had to break out of when I wanted to. I love big cities and always want to live in one, but I didn’t want to go to college in one. But that’s just me.</p>
<p>What are the opportunities (if they exist) for pre-med kids to go abroad? Is it difficult to fit the classes into one’s schedule and still get to go abroad and manage to get MCATs done in a timely manner?
-any student can go abroad, anywhere they want - as long as they meet the requirement all students have to have studied the language in the country they are going if the language is offered at vassar. i was pre-med and went, and know a number of other current med students from vassar who went abroad. there are a number of public health focused study abroad programs, and they are popular, but a lot of students also go to countries where they language they study is spoken, or where they can study something for their non-science major. it’s not difficult to fit the classes at all since there is no core curriculum. you do need to think a bit about how you are scheduling your classes if you want to go abroad since most of the required science classes are a full year long and it’s tough to try and replicate them out of the country. I took the mcats when they were only offered twice a year, and it wasn’t a problem either… now since they are on computer you can take them anytime you want, so i assume it’s even easier to figure out.</p>
<p>Does one need a car?
-no. i would recommend that one friend in your cohort does (which happens by default since many students do have cars). on the rare night you want to go off campus to see a movie, or crave the Eveready Diner at 2am, it’s nice to know someone who can drive.</p>
<p>And, did you get to have any research opportunities (on or off campus in your major or in science areas)?
-yep, did bench research in the sciences. also did a research project while abroad.</p>
<p>How in the end of things did you decide that you wanted Vassar instead of the other schools that accepted you? Did you manage to visit all and check out classes at each school?
-fell in love with vassar and applied ED, so didn’t have that issue</p>
<p>Dear Vassargrad:
Thank you for your prompt and informative response.
When did you decide you wanted to go to medical school? Did you know by the time you entered college?
It must be exhausting to be a first year med. student. Hope you find time to catch up on your sleep. At least you have some time to figure out what field you are interested in.
Best wishes.</p>
<p>Random question - how often do students go to NYC?</p>
<p>When did you decide you wanted to go to medical school? Did you know by the time you entered college?</p>
<p>-I am one of the rare med school attendees who did know before I got to college. It just so happened that i STILL wanted to by the time it came to decide If I wanted to apply. A large chunk of people in med school decided during college. Another huge group decides after graduation.</p>
<p>It must be exhausting to be a first year med. student. Hope you find time to catch up on your sleep. At least you have some time to figure out what field you are interested in.</p>
<p>-I am well beyond my first year - but thanks for your concern about my sleep!</p>
<p>how often do students go to NYC?</p>
<p>-It depends on how appealing the city is to them - if you grew up there, you might only want to go in to see your family or some friends every blue moon. If you are from the middle of nowhere at you want to explore, you may go more often (Especially at the beginning). Most students go way less frequently than they expect to before arriving at Vassar. There is too much happening on campus most of the time to get away! It is NOT a school where everyone flocks to the city on weekends and the campus empties out - which is GREAT for campus life - but if you think you want to spend tons of time in NYC it probably won’t happen as often as you want. I’d say most students end up in NYC once or twice a semester (besides the starts and ends of vacations where it’s used as a major travel hub). Obviously, if you really want to go all the time you can - and it’s close enough that I’ve had friends with internships in the city who go one day a week, and you may go for something class related - like an art history assignment that requires going to the met, or some sort of class trip. And, of course, if there is a big concert or event you want to see, it’s not a problem to go in. You just take MetroNorth - the commuter rail - and it takes you right into grand central. I was a student when the Gates were up in Central Park (the art installation by Christo and Jeanne-Claude) - there was one weekend where pretty much everyone I knew at Vassar was in NYC. The train was crazy full of vassar people… but almost every time I went on the train I saw another Vassar student.</p>
<p>Hi, I was wondering if I happen to get one C this semester would Vassar rescind my acceptance? The rest of my grades would be all A grades. I am really nervous about one of my classes.</p>
<p>Vassargrad- thanks for answering my question about the alum network! really nice of you to post all of this.</p>
<p>Yuppiebrooks- I don’t think one C is a big deal at all. Rescinding acceptances is pretty rare as far as I know and usually is because of a whole drop in GPA like all As to all Bs, rather than one class you mess up</p>
<p>Yeah, i really can’t imagine a school rescinding an application over one bad grade. They get such thorough information on you via the admissions process I’m sure they realize you’re a stronger student than that. </p>
<p>Also, I think it’s important to remember the college accepted you because they <em>want</em> you to go there. It’s not like they just accepted you because you were “good enough.” I’m sure even if they contacted you about it (I doubt that would happen) they would give you the benefit of the doubt.</p>
<p>Okay I have a question.
Now I’m pretty young to be even thinking about college, but I tend to think ahead in terms of my future. I searched through numerous liberal arts schools over the past few weeks in the northeast, and I fell in love with Vassar and everything around it. I live in Ohio and am about to start highschool. Yet I’m not sure if I should go ahead to my public school or go to a private one? (I live in the same town as Western Reserve Academy, where I was thinking of attending.)</p>
<pre><code> So my question is; how can I set myself apart from the other applicants, besides the impeccable GPA and test scores? Also, are their any other liberal colleges around that area with a good English department?
</code></pre>
<p>P.S. sorry for writing a novel, I’m just really nervous about college.</p>