Hi CC,
I just got deferred from my ED (Vassar College, which is still my #1 choice) but am looking for similar colleges and universities in terms of intellectual curiosity and a place to put me in the running for a competitive grad school, assuming I can’t get into Vassar RD…
My composite SAT is 2090 (CR: 710, M: 670, W: 710), and I’m primarily interested in philosophy.
Any help is greatly appreciated concerning this or what to do for the best chance of getting into Vassar in March.
Colleges like Vassar may be Reed, Macalester, Bard, Wesleyan, Tufts.
Colleges with strong philosophy programs are many of the Jesuit schools and some of the Ivies, Yale in particular
For different reasons, Kenyon, Oberlin, Reed and Bard (feel, and to varying degrees, academics) and Hamilton (academics, and to some degree, feel). Wesleyan, Skidmore and Connecticut College too.
Thanks for the recommendations! I’ve toured Kenyon, Oberlin and Bard, but could you elaborate a bit on how some of the other options differ from Vassar? @merc81
Vassar is my first choice too and the above posters just rattled off almost every other school on my list! Bates, Haverford, Brandeis, and Sarah Lawrence might also be of interest. If you have any interest in women’s colleges, there are some really great Vassar-like options: Smith, Bryn Mawr, Barnard, Scripps, and Mount Holyoke in particular.
Kenyon and Reed would be generally academically competitive with Vassar, though their curricula vary with respect to fields (that Vassar has) in which you may or may not have current interest, such as geosciences and, in the case of Reed, astronomy. However, even when majors or minors are not available, electives might be. In any event, this may be trivial to you.
Hamilton would have an excellent philosophy department and a notably broad curriculum, though their sports programs (e.g., football, hockey) and woodsy, small village setting would differentiate this choice from Vassar.
Some mentioned colleges (not Wesleyan or Oberlin) may not quite be on Vassar’s basic level in terms of selectivity, though their classroom experiences could still be excellent.
Colgate though Colgate is much more of a party school. Lafayette, Drew Boston college Fordham, New paltz is a NY state school near vassar,
Grinnell has a more open curriculum, like Vassar. Grinnell students overlap Vassar students in terms of being (in our experience, visiting both schools), more collaborative, less competitive, interesting, smart but not “in your face” with a generally liberal – as in, tolerant – student body.
Moving down the scale, in terms of selectivity, Kalamazoo also has an open curriculum (though operates on trimester rather than semester system), with tolerant student body and smart, but not stuck up students. Small city, vibrant arts scene.
Somewhere in between Grinnell and Kalamazoo, in terms of selectivity would be Kenyon.
Bard, Grinnell, Oberlin, Wesleyan, Hampshire, Earlham, Reed, Macalester are probably closer in terms of “vibe”. Vassar has far more academic peers. Fully agree that the women’s colleges may have the intellectual freedom Vassar is known for, and of those, Bryn Mawr might be closest.
I personally don’t see Drew, Fordham or New Paltz being similar to Vassar
In terms of colleges with flexible curricula, this article discusses several:
http://www.hercampus.com/life/9-most-flexible-colleges-country
Grinnell appears to have been notably omitted, however.
You could of course flip the question, @1point618. You could think about which colleges may be just enough unlike Vassar in one or more ways that could be desirable to you, and which therefore might make them particularly appealing choices beyond your early predilection for the excellent Vassar.
1point, it will be helpful if you elaborate the reasons you like Vassar. Also a bit about yourself–interests, preppy, hipster, gender, etc.
What type of location would be optimal?
If you’re a female, I second the recommendation that you look at Smith (which has an outstanding philosophy dept) MHC and BMC
If my daughter had not been accepted ED at Vassar, Skidmore was one of her top second choices. I’d give Skidmore a serious look.
Delete, double post
@CrewDad I’m male and (admittedly) rather hipster. In terms of interests: I’m a big reader, I follow politics pretty religiously, and I do freelance/nonprofit videography work in my free time. What I really like about Vassar is its open curriculum, culture of learning for learning’s sake, political engagement, and general vibe of intellectuality. I’m from the South, but am looking to make my way elsewhere location-wise (access to a city is preferable, but not a deal-breaker).
I can see why Vassar would be a great fit for you, @1point618. Based on your most recent post, I’d suggest Reed (excepting their structured curriculum) and Oberlin. Hoping you gain acceptance to Vassar in the spring as well.
NYU Gallatin would also be worth a look.
I would suggest Carleton College in Minnesota! Both schools have similar student bodies with similar profiles, although carleton will skew significantly more midwest. Both schools have enrollments in the low 2000’s.
@merc81 Thank you very much for the suggestions/insight. Do you know how competitive Gallatin admissions is compared to Vassar or NYU’s CAS?
As opinion, since I’m not aware of any specific stats for Gallatin, I’d say your chances there would be better than that for Vassar and equivalent to that for NYU generally. Though the introduction of too many schools can be a distraction, Eugene Lang at the New School would offer similar programs to Gallatin and would be an admit you could probably count on.