My daughter has an acceptance from [Hamilton, Vassar with a wait list from Boston University. We live in Singapore and she has always been with IB school. We moved to Singapore from Mumbai, India. She’s looking to major in Psychology and Literature. We loved the open curriculum of Hamilton. But the concern is the small ton far from major cities. She has been a City girl all her life. She prefers smaller student size which works for Vassar and Hamilton. She prefers Boston as a city but she’s waitlisted for now. So i think as parent of international student, I am also interested in the diversity factor in these places. Any advice or inputs will help,
BU didn’t accept her so sadly you need to move on… Vassar sounds like a much better match with great access to NYC. Hamilton is small and remote somewhat fratty/jocky and although it is an also great school, Vassar seems a much better fit based on your description. Vassar is also much more diverse and progressive student body.
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Agreed with @relaxmon
Note that WL is a rejection. But a hedge for the school in case they fall short.
Last year BU offered almost as many WL (9643) as they admitted (11607). Imagine only 3634 enrolled- and they offered WL to almost 3x that many.
How many got an offer from WL? 3
So it’s a rejection and move on.
Did you get in anywhere else - there are other urban schools, and some will be on the NACAC list and still taking applications.
You will be able to find small and urban or urbanish.
But Vassar is wonderful.
Best of luck to you.
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Thanks.
She has confirmation from UCSD, UC Davis, Fordham and Syracuse. Those were safer choices as we call them here. But we prefer smaller student:teacher ratio. Hence we were not keen for those.
Thanks for your inputs.
I would not characterize Hamilton as fratty/jockey as a very low percentage of students are involved in greek life and there are no physical fraternity houses. Hamilton is known to have a nice range of students—athletes, artsy, and all in between. yes, it’s def more remote than Vassar but in a gorgeous Adirondack setting with a very close knit and happy community.
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I think Fordham might be worth another look for being in the city and very solid academics. Otherwise Vassar.
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Vassar is quite diverse and has an open curriculum (with just a couple of requirements). My D had a great experience there as an English major. She had previously taken some IB courses in high school. Good luck!
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Can tell you about Vassar from a “desi” (i.e., South Asian) perspective. There is a sizeable contingent of Asian students (both American born and from overseas) and I am using the term “Asian” in the broad sense to include South Asians and Southeast Asians, in addition to students of East Asian origin. The campus is diverse and accepting. There was a “mock shaadi” this past weekend and Holi is being celebrated next weekend (delayed so there is good, warm weather to celebrate it).
My son also grew up in big cities in the U.S. and India and adjusted to living in Poughkeepsie with little trouble. There is a nice assortment of eateries and shops right next to campus. One can use Google Maps’ Streetview to take a virtual tour of the surrounding neighborhood.
He and friends get down to NYC once or twice a semester–it’s an easy train ride. Lots of kids from NYC at Vassar so he always has someplace to stay. He is looking forward to interning this summer in NYC and hanging out with other Vassar students who will be in NYC for one reason or another.
After a slowish start (less than a semester), my son has made a very diverse set of friends and Vassar has afforded him a host of opportunities that he likely would not have gotten at a large university. Professors are very accessible, the student body is hard-working, very collaborative, but also wants to have fun. Vassar is not a pressure cooker, which is a good thing in our books.
Happy to answer other questions.
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Lots of diversity at Vassar! https://global.discourse-cdn.com/collegeconfidentialstaging/uploads/default/original/3X/9/e/9ebc9f4b3f89383e3dbbddbe8a1cfebae11fecca.jpegIts youtube for this year’s admissions- will try to find a better link
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Here it is Welcome Class of 2027 - YouTube
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Could you be more specific about “the diversity factor”? Do you mean racially or ethnically diverse? Geographically or internationally diverse? LGBTQ+ students? A range of SES backgrounds? “Diversity” is a bit general.
My D20 is at Hamilton and I wholeheartedly disagree with @relaxmon comment. As @njmomster mentioned, it is not “fratty” or “jockish.” In fact, my D selected it because it is neither of those things and has a great mix of student types. The number of students that are in the greek system is in the teens and there are no greek residences. My D has a mix of friends from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, SES, sexual identities, majors, etc. (She is a double major in Econ and Theater, but also considered the creative writing major.) There is plenty to do on campus and she has an active social life even though she is not greek or an athlete. I think this is noteworthy because she is an African American female and is thriving there.
That said, if your D is interested in being in or near a big city, I don’t think Hamilton is a good fit. The campus is gorgeous and there is no shortage of things to do, but nearby Utica feels more like a suburb even though it’s technically a city.
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Hamilton and Vassar likely are better fits academically. Given your desire to be in a city, Vassar is better suited to you. Poughkeepsie isn’t a big city, but it has city attributes, and it isn’t too far from NYC.
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And the psych and lit departments are excellent.
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Opinion
Vassar. English major and performing arts veneer laid over a generally intellectual liberal arts and sciences college. Appealing chapel and library. Connects, by atmosphere, to the Hudson River School, as well as, by train, to all of what New York City has to offer. Gender imbalance seems to be increasing in recent years. Students less likely to encounter errant aerial athletic equipment than at Hamilton. As stated above, excellent for the study of both psychology and literature. Established world’s first undergraduate cognitive science major. New science building supports continuing academic ambitions. More yin than Hamilton.
Hamilton. Legacy of having been two colleges of complementary characteristics and emphases manifests in enhanced academic, social, spatial and architectural dimensions and balance. Access to suburban amenities, proximity to Adirondacks. Academically strong across humanities and fine arts, sciences and math and social sciences. Superb for classroom experience (see link, below). Maverick American psychologist and preeminent behaviorist B. F. Skinner graduated from here. Winter snow suitable for the adventurous — find your inner Buck. Surrounding area among the safest locations anywhere, with zero violent crime reported in a recent year. Graduates earn 21% more in early careers than those from Vassar based on salary information in U.S. News. A writers’ college, for those who wish to enhance this skill. More yang than Vassar.
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Vassar and Hamilton are both excellent schools but for your D, Vassar will probably be the better fit. Easier access to a big city.
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Thanks Elena. I am told Hamilton has the most true open syllabus among all Liberal Art Colleges in US. I am glad your D has had a great time at Vassar.
If i take out the big city factor, what would be your guidance ? Thanks.
Thanks for the elaborate response. This has been very helpful for us.
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Thanks. I agree. But if I take out the city factor, what would be your guidance ?