<p>Hi. I am the mother of a teenaged daughter, now a sophomore. Smart, intellectually curious, unpretentious, funny, sweet, not so politically plugged in but progressive by breeding. In short, an awesome kid. She loves to read--but loves to watch TV, too. She currently has an unweighted GPA of 3.7--and takes as full load of honors classes--but she is really disinclined to take every AP class that's offered (she'd rather take something that interests HER than something that would impress an admission committee). She hasn't taken ACT, but PLAN test results predict 31 score on ACT. She sings in a choir--beautifully--but more because she loves music than because she loves to be in the spotlight. I'm working on a list of great colleges where she will feel at home AND feel challenged. What can people tell me about Vassar to make me feel this is the place for her?</p>
<p>I’m a current freshman, but I think I know enough to still answer your question.Three things make Vassar great.First, we’re very open minded here. It sounds as though your daughter would like to make up her own curriculum. Although Vassar has some very limited (and easy) requirements, you can basically do just that. I know people who are taking a lot of classes in seemingly unrelated areas like studio art and biology because those are their interests. You can even create your own major if the ones on offer bore you. Beyond this, the teaching is incredible. I took an introductory Art History course that was team taught by the department. When one of the professors gave his final lecture for the year, the other students were so impressed that he received a five minute standing ovation. While that might not be the case with every professor, most of the ones I’ve encountered have been just that good too. Finally, Vassar is a great, friendly community. No matter who you are or what your interests are, people will be genuinely accepting of you and treat you with great kindness. Kindness, great teaching, and freedom are thus the best aspects of Vassar that I’d mention to your daughter.</p>
<p>Dear Tsakashvili,</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your quick answer. “Kindness, great teaching, and freedom”–sounds great! I wish you well and really appreciate the helpful information you’ve provided.</p>
<p>Marie</p>
<p>You might show your some of the videos on the Vassar channel on YouTube. I seem to remember some choral performances. Check the music department website. If you are close enough take her to some music performances.</p>
<p>My D is a Junior and Vassar has been a great experience. We joke that the only thing wrong with Vassar is that they didn’t accept her brother when he applied ED/RD. Then again she might have not applied if he was there.</p>
<p>One point to mention is that the campus is very beautiful especially the library.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>It sounds like Vassar would be a good fit for your daughter! the open curriculum would let her choose the classes best for her, making her time there much more enjoyable… I just applied, and, looking at everyone’s credentials, your daughter will need to take AP classes in her junior/senior years! Vassar will notice that she hasn’t taken any, and it will most likely affect her decision. Remind her that, to get into a place she will want to go to, she will need to do some things that might not be her favorite. I, along with all other applicants, i sure, have done things that we might not have enjoyed as much as we would have liked to, but it pads our resumes, and makes our applications stronger. life isnt perfect.</p>
<p>@absweetmarie: The truth is that your original description says little about whether your daughter will fit into Vassar. If your D is looking for a place where she can feel at home while being challenged, rest assured that she’ll find that at any highly selective college. What matters more when you’re deciding if Vassar should be on that list is the idea of ‘fit’, which a parent cannot evaluate alone. To that end, I would encourage you and your daughter to visit, or minimally to spend enough time doing research, focusing on ‘facts’ over ‘opinions’, especially at the beginning. I say this because having spoken to enough students/graduates of various schools through interviews or in other contexts, I find that many of them deem their college experience somewhat magical citing its ‘unique’ factors while (most of the time) repeating what someone from another school mentioned about his/her own ‘unique experience’. </p>
<p>That said, Vassar has a strong music department, and its flexibility (as jacob92 mentioned) would allow your daughter to continue choosing academic areas that she likes. Also, Vassar’s faculty have a reputation for maintaining a higher level of interaction with students than at other peer institutions. The question of challenging academics is not a very important one when considering highly selective colleges because the level of academic difficulty your D wishes to be subjected to will be available at whichever school she eventually enrolls in.</p>