<p>So, I'm international and got accepted to both Reed and Vassar (and Skidmore but I guess it is already out of my list). I couldn't visit either of the colleges so your help would be most valuable.</p>
<p>I plan to study sciences: math/physics and maybe economics and computer studies.
So, which of the above has the best science departments and research oportunities and which would prove more valuable for my future? </p>
<p>Also, which has the best campus, community and accomodations? Please share any information that could help me decide where to go.</p>
<p>Reed is very good for science, very eclectic student body (very crunchy if you want to put it that way). DD1 loved it and it was at the top of her list. Beautiful campus/location. Only school with a nuclear reactor run by the undergrads.</p>
<p>Can't comment on Reed, but Vassar has gorgeous 1000 acre campus and a welcoming, friendly, tight community. The best part of the housing, in my opinion, is the on-campus, school-owned townhouses and terrace apartments, which give upper-classmen/women the opportunity to experience apartment life (with living rooms, kitchens, private baths, etc.) while still being in the heart of everything (and paying room and board rates, not private rental rates). Sciences are good at Vassar, as is economics, but computer science is particularly good (tracing back to the fact that IBM historically had/has a major presence in the Hudson Valley, and gave strong support to the school). Reed has a great West Coast name, but is not as well known nationally/internationally as Vassar, so that could factor in to your decision. Retention at Reed is not as good as at Vassar (i.e., more drop-outs/transfers), and graduation rates are lower. You can't go wrong at either school, but I would lean toward Vassar.</p>
<p>math and physics. The school is reputed to be one of the most rigorous in the country so this may account for the lower graduation and retention rates. </p>
<p>Other factors you might want to consider are location (Reed is in a major city while Vassar is in a small but beautiful part of New York state), climate (rain vs. snow), and what you'd like to do after you graduate. If you want to get a ph.d, then Reed is definitely the way to go, but if a career immediately after graduation is your goal, then Vassar might be a better place for you especially if you want to settle down in the east coast. </p>
<p>They're both great schools-I would have a hard time choosing between the two if given the choice. Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>First of all, congratulations on being accepted to two wonderful schools. I'm the mother of a current Carleton freshman who also looked at Vassar. I tried to interest her in Reed, but for some reason, wasn't successful. (Her loss, I'm sure!) If you can go to CC's "college visits" site, you can see what I wrote about our trip to Vassar in 2007. I personally loved the school, thought the gothic beauty of the campus was breathtaking, and enjoyed the tour. Unfortunately, we visited during a short break, and without many students on campus, it really hurt my daughter's overall impression of the school. ... On the other hand, I know of a current Vassar sophomore who is blissfully happy there and couldn't imagine herself anywhere else. I also know of a successful Reed graduate, who is in his 30s and a college economics professor who moonlights as a standup comic. These two schools are both excellent; one seems quirkier than the other. It really depends on which one fits you the best.</p>
<p>I would disagree with the fact that Reed is universally academically stronger. I know that Vassar isn't really known for math or physics, but other sciences and humanities are top notch. Students in the sciences at Vassar are strongly encouraged to do research; we have URSI and independent research classes that are very accessible. I don't know too much about compter science, but I'm pretty sure the economics department is highly regarded. The students at Reed, from what I hear, are very intense about academics, probably more so than at Vassar, where people are generally pretty chill. We work really hard, but we definitey make having a good time a priority as well.
The beautiful campus at Vassar and the community here are really part of what makes the school so great, though you might have a problem if you want to go to college in a thriving city (I do need to clarify: I find Poughkeepse to be really not that bad considering its reputation, just not up to the standards of Portland). I agree that if you want to immediately get a Ph.D. or something, statistics say go to Reed, but I know a degree from Vassar would be valuable as well.</p>
<p>There are both great schools with very nice campuses. While Reed is in a small city Vassar is close enough for easy day trips to New York so I think your choice on location is really East Coast vs. Pacific Northwest.</p>
<p>One important consideration is that Reed has roughly 1,000 fewer students than Vassar. As both have roughly equal faculty/student ratios the extra size of Vassar means more resources available to you. You might want to examine the course offerings, not the catalog but the actual offerings each semester. These are likely available on their websites. Vassar's is at - <a href="https://secure.vassar.edu/cgi-bin/geninfo.cgi%5B/url%5D">https://secure.vassar.edu/cgi-bin/geninfo.cgi</a>.</p>
<p>Reed does have an great reputation (well as a parent I like this bit...), along with Swarthmore, as being a very rigorous, intense, and intellectual place. However, consider what Vassar's statistics would look like if the least qualified 1,000 students (who are all very well qualified) were removed from the mix. I expect the result would be statistics at least equal if not superior to the smaller schools I mentioned. Naturally this trick can be done at almost any school, including large state universities, but I do think it shows that the academic resources and environments are not as different at Vassar than at Reed as one might think.</p>
<p>For physics, Reed would be the choice. David Griffiths is at Reed -- he's a great lecturer and the author of the standard text on electrodynamics.</p>
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math/physics and maybe economics and computer studies
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<p>I don't know which school is stronger in math, physics or economics. If you are interested on Computer Science. Vassar is better. If you want to do CS in Reed, you have to obtain a BA from Reed and a BS in computer science from the University of Washington. It is a five years program. Vassar also offers more courses and internship opportunities for CS major.</p>
<p>Does it matter which coast you are on? As an international, are you coming from Europe or Asia? If transportation is an issue at all, you might want to consider whether you want to be on the west coast (Reed) or the east coast (Vassar). I personally think Vassar has better name recognition than Reed, and I too disagree with any statement that Reed is stronger academically. Vassar is top notch, the faculty are warm supportive and helpful, it is easy to get onto NYC and Boston (if you care) and the academics are very rigorous. You will be well trained to go on to grad school or to the work environment with a degree from Vassar.</p>
<p>I'm from Romania :) I know that the airplane ticket would be a bit more expensive at Reed, but I don't want to make this a priority in my decision.
However, I still don't know a lot about Math/physics at Vassar...How good is Vassar at these?</p>
<p>Why don't you email the chairmen/women of the math and physics departments at the schools with questions? I'll bet they will be very responsive.</p>
<p>"What school do you think is more rigorous academically?"</p>
<p>I think Reed is more academically rigorous than Vassar. Reed requires an undergraduate thesis of all students and it has one of the highest rates of students going for PhD.'s after graduation. However, the Reed students body is very off beat, much more so than the Vassar student body, so fit is crucial at Reed and the chief reason Reed has a higher transfer rate than Vassar.</p>
<p>I love Vassar, but I believe that the physics department at Vassar is in something of a building/rebuilding phase. There are three new faculty members in physics this year, so I would advise that you look at the school's website about the courses/program and then contact the department to find out what types of research opportunities might be available. The Reed department is much better know and currently has a better reputation.</p>
<p>However, as t1388 has pointed out, Reed does not offer a computer science major and Vassar has a very good program. In addition, as dntw8up has pointed out, Reed students are definitely a little quirkier than Vassar students (and Vassar students are not all totally conventional themselves), so you should really consider fit if you can.</p>
<p>Another thing to keep in mind is distribution requirments. Vassar, IIRC, has fairly loose requirments, which would make taking a number of classes in all of the subjects you've mentioned fairly easy. Reed, OTOH, has fairly strenous distribution requirments. You should check those out and consider if you would like them or if you would find them restrictive.</p>