Econ/Music major.. Wesleyan and Vassar

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vassar College
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<p>Hello everybody,</p>

<p>I know that there are millions of posts concerning this dilemma but I started this thread because I couldn't find the info I needed in those posts.</p>

<p>For a while now I was pretty sure about applying ED to Vassar. Many aspects of Vassar, such as its artsy student body, strong academics etc. seemed pretty fitting for me. More I researched more it felt "right" for some reason compared to other LACs.</p>

<p>However, as my research continued, Wesleyan started to seem like an option too. In fact more I read about it, more I got the feeling that Wes has better academics and overall is a better school than Vassar (for example in Fiske guide Wes academics have 5 stars while Vassar's has 4 and a half). However I am aware that looking at academics as a whole is not the appropriate way to look at this since different departments can their weaknesses and strengths in each school.</p>

<p>So, as a person who is planning to double major in econ and music I want ask how these two departments compare. </p>

<p>Music-wise, composition is my main concern. However electronic music and electric bass instruction are also important factors while deciding. If people who are attending or knows these schools can give me general knowledge about these aspects I will be grateful. Also any information about the music scene general will be appreciated (especially info about independent student-bands).</p>

<p>About econ, I know that both these schools are strong at economics but I still use some information about both econ programs. I am planning to attend to grad school after college instead of going professional instantly so you can consider this while answering.</p>

<p>Finally, I may minor or at least take classes about philosophy, political science, art history , sociology, cognitive science etc. (not all of them of course :D) So any insights about these these departments will also help me a lot.</p>

<p>Unfortunately I am unable to visit the schools since I am an international student so I don't have to option to visit and see which feels "right".</p>

<p>I know there is a lot of questions here and believe me your answers to any of these questions is appreciated. Thank you in advance.</p>

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<p>Also Im not sure if this is the right place to start this thread since wesleyan side of the question might get overlooked in the Vassar forum… If there is a more appropriate place please tell me so I can move this.</p>

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<p>re electronic music, Alvin Lucier pioneered the teaching of it at the undergraduate level while at Wesleyan. He may be set to retire soon, but, I’m sure the reputation of the department will permit a highly qualified replacement.</p>

<p>Also, a significant number of successful indie rock bands (successful in the sense of being able to support themselves) have graduated from Wesleyan over the years, including MGMT, Das Racist, and Santigold. I can’t think of anything bad about the music scene at Wesleyan.</p>

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<p>they are basically the same school. go with your gut and you wont be wrong. too bad about being unable to visit. also, dont base your decisions of fiske guide ratings :)</p>

<p>both are great schools with great programs for your interests. whatever feels right!!</p>

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<p>Vassar is very good for composition - not so much for electronic music. I would call the departments and talk to someone at both schools to see exactly what each school has to offer in composition and electronic music because they both have very strong music programs - with just a slightly different focus. It is important to understand these subtle differences so you choose the best fit for your goals. Also - see who the electric bass teachers are at each school. The private teacher is a very important consideration in your decision also. Now is the time to determine which schools really have what you need for the next four years</p>

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<p>Thanks everyone for your answers. The way I see it Wesleyan’s focus is a little bit more on the world music and avant gard side of music while Vassar is more on the classical side. Is this a true statement? Also I heard that in Vassar independent bands were experiencing difficulties while trying to find a place for practice but it was just one person who said this so Im not sure if it is true.</p>

<p>Econ-wise both schools have great econ departments I suppose so I think I will be happy with either of them. I looked at the professors and researched the works of them and both schools seem very powerful.</p>

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<p>Pay attention to the student cultures of each. They are not similar. You may vastly prefer to spend 4 years in one environment than the other.</p>

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<p>I thought that they had similar student cultures… How do they differ?</p>

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<p>Wesleyan has a much more “hippie” culture. I’d say Vassar does have a bit of a more classical feel to its music dept, but having looked into Wesleyan’s econ dept I can definitely say Vassar offers greater depth and breadth in terms of its economics courses. Wesleyan is more science-y than Vassar, whereas Vassar is more focused on humanities and social sciences (econ being the 2nd most popular major, after English). The concerts and performing arts shows are HUGE at Vassar, so if you want to see performances it’s an amazing place for that, too.</p>

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<p>Maybe, but I think it may come at the expense of research and publishing. Wesleyan professors only have to teach four courses a year; Vassar faculty have to teach five.</p>

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<p>Resulting in more courses offered and smaller class sizes. I’m not sure of the exact number currently, but in the recent past there were ~ 118 courses that had fewer than 5 students in them.</p>

<p>While I can certainly understand there are advantages going to a 2.2 program, doing so could negatively impact multidisciplinary programs.</p>

<p>JW, fwiw, my father and many friends are Wes alumni. I have great admiration for the college.</p>

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<p>^^No contradiction, here. Obviously, it will come down to what the OP is looking for in terms of the teaching/research continuum. FWIW, according to one study, Wesleyan professors publish about at four times the rate of Vassar economics faculty:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/110449-best-economics-department-2.html#post1360543[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/110449-best-economics-department-2.html#post1360543&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>The study was for a period of 20 to 10 years ago. Still valid? Probably not.
Nevertheless, the comments as to the validly of the
study are illuminating. :)</p>

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<p>Well, the comments – both of them – had to do mainly with whether the volume of published research was a valid way of judging a faculty’s quality; I don’t think anyone disputed the methodology. And, that’s fair enough. I certainly wouldn’t want to compare little Wesleyan to the University of Michigan. :wink: As to whether the figures would hold true today, I suppose, that’s anyone’ guess. But, I don’t think it’s beyond the realm of speculation to say, that Wesleyan has more of a university feel to it than Vassar.</p>

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<p>That was my point. We’re in agreement there. As to whether Wes has more of a university feel, well, I’ll leave it to the applicants who are considering majoring in econ to ascertain if it’s more important to attend a LAC that has a university feel… or one that offers a greater depth and breadth of econ courses. Tough choice! ;)</p>

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<p>Or, one that offers virtually the same breadth and depth, but, with <em>arguably</em> greater opportunities for research:</p>

<p>Econ Courses Offered for 2011-2012 academic year</p>

<p>Wesleyan - 42
<a href=“WesMaps - Wesleyan University”>WesMaps - Wesleyan University;
Vassar - 37
[Courses</a> - Economics Department - Vassar College](<a href=“http://economics.vassar.edu/courses/index.html]Courses”>http://economics.vassar.edu/courses/index.html)</p>

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<p>And speaking of another way that the popular press (and some university public relations departments) will gauge academic quality, one could also compare how many Nobel Prize winners in economics that the university has. Wesleyan, I know has at least one–Gary Yohe. Not sure about how many Vassar may have.</p>

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<p>Wesleyan’s economics 101 has three sections, and they’re listed separately on the website. Vassar’s economics 101 and 102 have sections (a) and (b), however, there is no separate listing on the web catalog. Ditto for many other course descriptions. If Vassar formatted the economics web catalog as Wesleyan does, there would be ~ 45 courses.
Additionally, comparing the number of courses without taking into consideration academic credit (e.g. 1,2 or… credit/per course) is also of little value. </p>

<p>At a certain point, quibbling over which college has more courses is silly. Class size, curriculum, faculty credentials, grad school placement, etc, are, in my opinion, more valuable parameters when comparing economics departments…or for that matter any deptartment.</p>

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<p>I’m assuming you’re referring to post 15.</p>

<p>I’ve been living in the Happy Valley, which is littered with new age touch-feely types, far too long; consequently, I found your comment that Wesleyan had a university * feel* humorous. No personal affront intended. My response was tongue-in-cheek. Unfortunately, you construed my remarks far more seriously than intended. I’ll refrain from any future attempts at subtle humor. </p>

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<p>No argument. As far as I’m aware, there aren’t any recent publications/rankings with valid metrics to determine which college has more research opportunities.</p>

<p>It is noteworthy, however, there isn’t a current ranking using your cited Piette and Laband (equivalent page methodology) data, which suggests the aforementioned methodology wasn’t well supported or produced useful and credible results.</p>

<p>Vassar proclaims research is an important aspect of the economics department. I have no reason to believe otherwise. More than Wesleyan? I’ll leave it to others far more knowledgeable than I to decide.</p>

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<p>[Students</a> - Economics Department - Vassar College](<a href=“http://economics.vassar.edu/students/index.html]Students”>http://economics.vassar.edu/students/index.html)</p>

<p>And it has to be of some benefit to Vassar’s economics department that the college president, Catherine Hill (Yale PhD economics and distinguished economist) also serves as a professor in the economics department. </p>

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<p>Gary Yohe, as a senior member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the Third and Fourth Assessment Reports, was co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.<br>
Gary shared the prize with Al Gore. Yipeeeee!</p>

<p>That year (2007) the Nobel Laureates in Economics were Leonid Hurwicz, Eric S. Maskin and Roger B. Myerson.
The fact remains that a Wesleyan professor is a Noble Laureate, but Vassar can’t make that claim. My hope is the discrepancy will be rectified in the near future. :)</p>

<p>JW, I trust you understand I fully recognize Wesleyan is an incredible college with a distinguished economics department.
Besides, when I’m next at the Wesleyan boathouse, I don’t need the grief if I stated otherwise ;)</p>

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<p>Wow you two aren’t even pretending to be addressing the OP anymore, huh? Nothing like a CC ****ing match… :-)</p>

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<p>everything’s important so long as you can find satisfactory surrogate markers to prove your point. That’s part of the challenge presented whenever anyone says:</p>

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