<p>While there are many doubts about the relevance of college ratings, they are a reality and the perceptions they create cannot be dismissed. What are your opinions on Vassar being #13 while Bowdoin is at #4? For schools at that level, is that much of a difference? I'm sure the education is virtually the same, but what do those ratings portend for future employment?
Thanks</p>
<p>There is no difference. If anything, Vassar is more prestigious because of its history as a women’s college. No employer will say, “Oh, look, this person is from Bowdoin, and it’s a few steps up in this made-up, highly subjective ranking system. He or she is definitely better than this other person from Vassar.” But they could say, “Vassar! Wow!” “Bowdoin, what is that?” Depends on the circles you run into, really.</p>
<p>^^^^^^ There are plenty of “interesting” views on CC, but this has to be one of most misplaced. Do do you realize Bowdoin is almost 100 years older than Vassar and became co-educational around the same time Vassar did? So, how exactly does Vasser’s history as an all Woman’s College-- about 100 years shorter than Bowdoin’s history as an all-male college-- make Vassar more “prestigious” (whatever that means)?</p>
<p>Everybody I met in NYC, from research analysts to college applicants, had heard of Vassar. While visiting the US, it also seemed to me that around the general northeast, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley were also extremely respected – as much as Amherst, Williams, really (which was a surprise to me, because at that time, I was brainwashed by US News rankings.) ##### As I said, how well either school is known depends on the circles you run into. #### It just seems to be the case that because of the progressivism at these women’s schools, particularly distinguished in their history as champions of women’s education, really seems to give them more “fame” than to other schools like Middlebury and Bowdoin. It is nothing special to have a history of a men’s college – many, many schools share this history (a history shaped by patriarchy – not very flattering in today’s age), from Williams to Dartmouth to Hamilton.</p>
<p>Ummm, OK. For what its worth, before Vassar was even founded, Bowdoin had already graduated:</p>
<ul>
<li>Hawthorne</li>
<li>Longfellow</li>
<li>U.S. President </li>
<li>U.S. Speaker of the House </li>
<li>Secretary of the Treasury</li>
<li>a Supreme Court Justice</li>
<li>Numerous Senators and Congressmen</li>
<li>the founder of the Mayo Clinic</li>
<li>Joshua Chamberlin</li>
</ul>
<p>and many others.</p>
<p>If you look at the selectivity of each of the schools you mention, only Dartmouth has a lower acceptance rate than Bowdoin, and Amherst and Bowdoin’s are about the same. Not sure of the “sampling” of people whom you met when you visited NYC, but these are the facts.</p>
<p>The answer will depend entirely on who you ask. Looking at the publishing scene? It’s Vassar hands down. Looking at Wall Street? I’m sure Bowdoin has the edge - if only because it has all those years of men generating alumni goodwill. (Don’t let anyone tell you that gender doesn’t matter.) Among my extended family - unabashedly feminist, left of center, and very involved with artsy non-profits - Vassar has much better name recognition but that shouldn’t have ANYTHING to do with your choice.</p>
<p>Visit both if you can and pick the institution that speaks to you. They’re both great colleges.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That’s all well and good. Nonetheless, even if Vassar had been in existence during the time period being discussed, a Vassar alumna would have had an insurmountable obstacle to being elected to public office—women couldn’t vote.
The game could not have been more rigged for the advantage of the good ol’ boys.</p>
<p>Thanks to women such as Inez Milholland, Vassar '09, who, in addition to numerous contributions which furthered the rights of women and the disenfranchised, helped organize and led the famous 1913 Woman Suffrage Parade in Washington, the boyz from Bowdoin have some competition.</p>
<p>It also amuses me when people throw acceptance rates to back-up their claims of which school is more prestigious. Really, to whom do acceptance rates really matter except for college applicants? How is prestige a function of acceptance rate? Just until a few years ago, the College at the University of Chicago had an acceptance rate of 38%. Does that mean that the University of Chicago was not as or more prestigious than Brown, for instance?</p>
<p>I would say they are the same in terms of academics, but Vassar sends more students into “creative” fields while Bowdoin is known for producing many future lawyers. Naturally, Vassar is better known in NYC, while Bowdoin could potentially be better known in the Boston area.</p>
<p>The comment that Vassar is more prestigious/known than Bowdoin due to its history as a womens college is fair. Bowdoin being a mens college before does nothing to help it stand out. While Vassar was #1/#2 in the category of womens colleges throughout its history, Bowdoin was just one of many excellent mens college that didn’t necessarily stand out. Middlebury is the same way.</p>
<p>As for acceptance rates, Middlebury and Bowdoin have higher numbers of applicants due to their test-optional policies, while Vassar has fewer applicants than if it had been a mens college before (there really isn’t a stigma to being a Vassar man nowadays, but nonetheless the vast majority of applicants are women. Vassar still consistently has many more women applicants than either Wellesley or Smith, but few men apply relative to schools like Amherst or Bowdoin).</p>
<p>
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<p>Middlebury became coeducational in 1883–nearly a century before most of its peers.</p>
<p>“Middlebury became coeducational in 1883–nearly a century before most of its peers.”</p>
<p>Pardon me, I wasn’t aware! I know Cornell also went co-ed around then. Nonetheless, the point about being one of many great schools, but not #1/#2, still stands.</p>
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</p>
<p>Sorta 
Fun read.</p>
<p>
<a href=“Middlebury College: Myth of Coeducation | News | The Harvard Crimson”>http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1954/5/21/middlebury-college-myth-of-coeducation-pup/</a></p>
<p>Of course, there is no right answer here. I know both schools very well. I see them as peers academically and I think most people who know the schools well would view them likewise. Vassar is better known nationally, but Bowdoin has a very strong reputation in New England. I think the key difference between the schools is the size of the student body and campuses, the culture and curricular differences. Even though Vassar only has a few hundred more students than Bowdoin, it feels like a bigger school with a bigger campus and more robust extracurricular offerings. Bowdoin is a classic New England LAC in a nice town that espouses positive values (“Common Good”) and produces a lot of professionals and PhDs. It’s on a direct train line to Boston now and is one of the best situated schools in the NESCAC – less isolated than Williams and Middlebury for sure. It has a stronger athletic culture and vibe than Vassar. From my point of view, Vassar actually has a more beautiful campus and facilities, but is in a more run down city. It is on a direct train line to New York and benefits from this proximity in many ways. It is a bit more quirky and racially/economically diverse than Bowdoin and has stronger programs in the arts, but it would be a mistake to discount the school’s strength in other areas such as the sciences. The school is building on programs that are already very strong with a new multi-million dollar science center that will be finished next year. If I were making the choice between the two, I would choose Vassar because it’s a bit bigger and has a great campus culture, but that would be an individual decision driven by what I find most attractive about the school vs. Bowdoin and rating them about equal on academic terms. Bowdoin would also be an excellent choice, particularly for someone who feels that the culture is a better fit and doesn’t mind the smaller student body and campus. To me, the difference between the history of the two schools is interesting but largely irrelevant when it comes to tipping the balance in favor of one over the other. </p>
<p>Considering prestige alone I would say Vassar is more prestigious simply because it was part of the seven sisters. Although the school is not ivy league, many people think it is due to its association with Yale. I work at a resort where people visit from all around the world and even people from far places like New Mexico were impressed When I said I went to Vassar, where as Bowdoin is probably only well known in New England.</p>
<p>Vassar is quite famous in my international student circles too, which includes many people who focus exclusively on big universities (think Harvard, Yale. for them, safety=USC, NYU etc). These people don’t even know what Swarthmore or Williams is (strangely, though, they know about Amherst), but are familiar with Vassar. I have no idea what contributes to this awareness except for Vassar’s history.</p>
<p>I would have to agree with @international95’s opinion that Vassar is for some reason better well-known abroad. I’ve been shocked how many people abroad have heard of it, many of them thinking it’s an Ivy League school.</p>