<p>After getting rejected from my top 3 (Harvard Brown Amherst) and waitlisted from number 4 (Dartmouth), I am choosing between three I didnt think I would end up looking at, I havent even visited Chicago or Vassar. I really need some feedback as to choosing between these three, I know they are completely different in every way so I dont want to make the wrong decision.</p>
<p>Also, I am coming all the way from alaska for honors day! Is anyone else going to that? and is it overnight?</p>
<p>Well, you should definitely visit all three, as you said they are all very different. It also really depends on what you’re majoring on, what kind of environment you want, and other specific stuff.</p>
<p>UChicago is definitely the most rigorous of the three. Vassar is smaller and rural, and is very liberal. It also has a significant gender imbalance and of the few guys that are there, a large number of them are gay. BC is a little bigger than both UChicago and Vassar, and it’s the only school with the traditional sports scene. Vassar and BC are similar in the liberal arts emphasis.</p>
<p>Dear Alaska2013 : Vassar is best described as an eclectic collection of individuals. The campus, in Poughkeepsie, NY, is about 35-40 minutes off the main interstate and is accessible via a road with many stores, malls, and shopping lights. Heading into the Vassar campus, you will pass through some unpleasant areas of Poughkeepsie which after a several hour ride will bother you more than normal. Drama, arts, and other similar creative outlets seemed to dominate the pleasant looking campus. Sports cultures and sporty people are much less in attendance than you would see at Boston College. The campus is about one-quarter the size of Boston College. Honestly, as much as our family tried to like/love Vassar, we walked away thinking it was walking to the beat of a different drum for sure.</p>
<p>Chicago is a city campus - somewhat similar to Harvard or Penn. That is really the difference for many. In terms of the cohort schools, questions here on college confidential are comparing Chicago with Vanderbilt, Binghamton, Michigan, Columbia, and Dartmouth. I saw you posted this same thread on the Chicago board - and look forward to seeing those responses.</p>
<p>I really need to emphasize that yes, there is a 60:40 ratio at Vassar, but most of the guys are not gay. They are more visible and probably a higher proportion than the general population, but most of the guys are straight. I promise.</p>