<p>I have been accepted to Vassar and Haverford and I feel very torn between them. I'm nervous about Haverford not having the amount of arts emphasis that Vassar has. I play the clarinet and I'd love to be in an environment geared towards drama, music, and film, unlike my high school, which is mostly sports. But Haverford has excellent science programs, and since I'm interested in Neuroscience in addition to English and French, I feel like Haverford might be a better fit that way. I'm also just looking for a well-rounded, intellectual place with a lot of different types of people...any thoughts?</p>
<p>Hi,
Not sure if this helps, but I am going to be a freshman at Haverford next year, and the arts are also very important to me. I think you're probably right in your assumption that Vassar may have more "artsy" kids, but I don't think you'd be hard-pressed to find friends with common interests at either place, and I know that Haverford is putting a lot of emphasis/funding into working up their arts program. </p>
<p>My advice would be to visit on week day/during the academic year. This will give you a taste of the student body.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Mango710....one of the things that you are over looking, is that HC, Swat, and Bryn M classes are all available to you, with a provided bus that runs between them. My d goes to HC and will major in Theater....most of her classes are at Swat, she loves it. Look at the total picture.</p>
<p>this probably won't help you that much, but whatever.</p>
<p>I visited Vassar last year, on my college visiting escapade over spring break. I was expecting to like Vassar, I didn't. Why? The reason is going to make me sound really superficial, but I suppose that's the advantage of an anonymous online forum:</p>
<p>Everyone looked the same. It seemed like most people were wearing leggings and long t-shirts form american apparel. </p>
<p>It turned me off, and I spent the afternoon reading in the beautiful library.</p>
<p>I also felt that at Vassar people were competing to see who could be the most artsy, unique.</p>
<p>For me at least, Haverford seemed much more diverse and open. Everyone was welcoming, the social scene is right up my alley. I'm SO excited for next year.</p>
<p>Why all the hate for artsy folk?</p>
<p>It seems to be an unfair stereotype that they have dreadful taste in clothing, and they try to upstage one another in terms of "uniqueness..."</p>
<p>"an environment geared towards drama, music, and film"</p>
<p>Vassar.</p>
<p>"a well-rounded, intellectual place with a lot of different types of people"</p>
<p>Haverford.</p>
<p>Well, I have to be honest and say that I think Haverford is a more "sporty" place than an "artsy" place. We definitely place a lot of emphasis on sports and sports teams and almost everyone seems to play one. It is also more science-orientated than humanities-orientated (BMC seems better on the humanities side).</p>
<p>To be fair, we do have some good fine arts programs, we have metalworking, sculpture, photography, etc., as well as a student art center - James Art House. There are many a cappella groups on campus, as well as Chamber Music, a bi-co orchestra, and a music library. I don't think we have much film or drama, though you can certainly get them at Swat. I do know 2 people majoring in Art, so it does happen.</p>
<p>I would say visit if you can, because it sounds like you want a certain "feel" to the campus and people also. :)</p>