Mid vs. Vassar

<p>My daughter is interested in studio arts. She visited Middlebury and loved the environment and all the academics, etc. but wondered if the studio art program was very strong.
She also really liked Vassar where the studio arts seems a bit stronger.
Can anyone address this?
And, between the two schools, what are the main differences?</p>

<p>Why are there no posts here? Are the profs better at Midd? Vassar?</p>

<p>My mom went to Vassar and I applied to Midd and Vassar. (Going to Bowdoin) I think they are both great schools where students can get what they need from profs and programs. I have been warned that the problem with fine arts at a LAC is that sometimes the approach is too intellectualized and not hands on or experiencial enough. BUt I think thats a universal problem if you don't go to an art school per se. Midd is somewhat more competitive admissions wise, but they are close. I would say that Vassar is probably a bit more "artsy" . For ex. they have a back page on their appy where you can create anything you want--using words, visual images, etc. Just a place to express yourself uniquely. Midd does not do this explicitly. So if your D. loves art she may find a bit more kindred spirits there--types that live closer to the margins of conventionality.(my mom's friends are like this, BTW, and really cool) That said, I found lots of creative types to talk to when I was at Midd. (I am a musician) I think it comes down to where your D. "feels" more at home--its an ineffable thing. Finally I felt most at home at Bowdoin, where the students seemed really authentic and connected to each other. Midd and Vassar are certainly among two of the most beautiful looking campuses on earth, but one is considerably more rural and isolated than the other, which is close enough to NYC. While MIdd is surrounded by the beautiful green mts. and charming Burlington, VC is in..uh..Poughkeepsie. (need i say more?) Visit and feel it out together. That's what helped me. You can't go wrong either way. Good Luck.</p>

<p>I would council my children to choose Vassar over Midd for art without hesitation. The connection to NYC is invaluable for museums and galleries.</p>

<p>My D attends Barnard and the museums are central to the art curriculum. Her best friend, at Bard, came to NYC several times a semester for her art classes, and Bard is further than Vassar (a bus to the Poughkeepsie train station.)</p>

<p>Midd is a wonderful school, so if the NYC connection is not important to your D, then gut instinct is the best guide. You might read the bios of the profs to see their areas of interest so your D can match them with her own and see where she will be better mentored.</p>

<p>Thank you for your insights. She was accepted at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago but decided she wanted to go to a LAC first and then an art school for grad work. She has enrolled at Vassar. I think the art program is a bit stronger at Vassar although the studios were not quite what I had expected. (And, I hope the creative writing will be good too because she is also interested in that.)<br>
She gets along with all types of people - artsy or not.</p>