<p>Can any current students answer about the atmosphere on campus? Is Vassar a really competitive environment or are the people more friendly? How accepting is the community of diversity/ideas/etc.? How do you feel on campus in general?</p>
<p>Just an aside, but can someone explain why I keep getting told to get a mac and not a PC if I attend Vassar? This point keeps coming up but it never gets explained.</p>
<p>Vassar is super Mac friendly, so that might be why, but I had a PC for all of last year and so do many of my friends. It was fine. If you like PCs, don’t get a Mac just because people tell you to. I just got a Mac, but it was more so because I needed a new computer and I was looking into a change of pace. I like it, but they’re not something magical and perfect.</p>
<p>As for campus atmosphere. That’s a really broad question. Diversity in terms of ethnicity and socioeconomic background is loved, but it can seem, as a POC, sometimes a little contrived. I don’t feel much competition between students, except for maybe pre-med kids. But since grades generally aren’t curved, people are’t crazy and cutthroat and out for blood. But, then again, I’m a language major. I have zero responsibility and even less work, even with a double major. Ummm…well, VC is in the Northeast, so if you’re not from here, the people probably don’t seem very friendly, especially if you’re from the west coast. </p>
<p>I like being on campus, but that’s mostly because I keep myself busy with lots of activities. I have a good group of friends and I love my house, so, yeah.</p>
<p>Thanks this really helps :)</p>
<p>Do you find the campus really rural?</p>
<p>The campus itself is scenic, full of trees and winding paths and is ridiculously gorgeous.</p>
<p>Poughkeepsie, on the other hand, is pretty gross and rundown in many ways. The northeast as a whole is beautiful, but Poughkeepsie is…ugh. I suppose people would call it suburban? I’ve lived in both huge cities and suburbs, and the suburb I lived in recently was bigger than this town. Some people call it ‘urban.’ I wouldn’t. The immediately surrounding area, Arlington, is nice, if not a little bland. There are a couple restaurants that I frequent on the strip.</p>