<p>In all honesty, I'm not sure that Vassar is really deserving of a reputation as a "drug school." I say that because a lot of prospectives and freshmen come in hearing that and assume that everyone is stoned all of the time. The best answer I can give is that I didn't find it to be as prevalent as I had assumed. There are certain groups of people who are very into pot, others who engage in harder drugs, and many who prefer alcohol. The TH parties and dorm parties generally have alcohol out in the open (although security is supposedly getting tougher on underage drinking). If drugs are around, you have to seek them out. And of course, there are plenty of people who never take any sort of mind-altering substances -- there are actually way more of these people than you'd think. I will say that you'll have very easy access to softer drugs (in other words, you'll know you to ask to get them), but no one is going to pressure you. The atmosphere is pretty much, if you want to partake, you can, but you don't have to in order to have a good time. I really can't stress enough that you can easily be drug-free and have plenty of friends and go out to parties and do whatever you want to do without drugs. </p>
<p>One suggestion is to request a wellness hall, which may help you meet like-minded freshmen.</p>
<p>happysenior is right on- in my time at Vassar I had several friends who were very in to pot, but I never felt out of place hanging out with them. I never felt any pressure to do anything I didn't want to do. I also personally never had contact with any hard drugs, I know there was some there but you really had to dig around to find it. I didn't find the Vassar "drug scene" sinister or threatening in any way. Most of my friends and acquaintances were moderate social drinkers, and that's all- and no one ever gave me a hard time if I didn't feel like drinking with them.</p>
<p>Even on Founder's Day, there are kids who start the day off with pot brownies and end with full-blown acid trips... but there are many many more who don't, and it's completely cool.</p>
<p>If there was anything exceptional about Vassar in terms of drug use, it was the lax campus security... in my day, there was a security guard who actually wore a marijuana leaf charm and was rumored to go to student parties. but that was several years ago, they've probably made an effort to clean up their act.</p>
<p>How is literature at Vassar? Would you say there are a fair amount of preppy kids? (I know you already said the drama/music etc kids dominate the campus). How does housing work?Thanks</p>
<p>Busybee, you say that the people there are very much into the arts. While I find them entertaining, they don't dominate my interests and I've never exactly been 'artsy'. To echo Libs06, how would a Vassar-hopeful interested in Political Science and Classics, History, and Literature fit in at Vassar? Also, how is the financial aid at Vassar? I come from a middle class family in California--or maybe upper middle class (I don't know what counts as what) with a total annual income of about $100,000. We recently just sold our house and bought one in West Sacramento. My mother therefore wants me to go to UC Davis, which is a great school, but it's her personal preference, not mine. It removes the need to pay for room and board, which severely lowers my annual total cost, but at the same time, I don't want to live at home. I've been really sheltered my entire life, so I see college as an oportunity to break off and sort establish my own identity outside of family and immediate friends. When I told my mom my desire to attend an east-coast college she, well, flipped out. She's worried about the out-of-state tuition which at about 40g, is admittedly NOT cheap, and there's still graduate school to worry about. I don't know how much I would qualify for financial aid at Vassar, or if I even do. </p>
<p>Furthermore, how are the general costs once you're there? I hear Williams is very generous to their students--they don't have to pay for much once they get in--while Cornellians get nickel-and-dimed for all they're worth (that and the completely impersonal academic experience is what turned me off of the school). How is it at Vassar? And how IS the general demographic there? Because I would rather avoid pretentious and preppy schools where minorities and those not sporting J.Crew are pushed to the sidelines (that and the drinking problem is what turned me off of Colgate).</p>
<p>Lol, I know this has been long-winded, but if I'm fortunate enough to go to Vassar, I probably won't have a chance to go visit it, living on the other side of the country and all. =]</p>
<p>Great question about the money, Jolena....it hadn't occurred to me to ask, but that's a really important issue. When I visited, I felt that there was a lot of money in the school and that they'd be very supportive of different projects and things that you might want to do, but sometimes a perception from outside can be off the mark. I'm into similar academics (although I <em>would</em> consider myself artsy in general) and I strongly second the J Crew concern. I didn't have a chance to visit Vassar during the school year and while I think I got a good feel of what the school is like, I'm a bit nervous that the student body is too preppy for me--which I get way too much of in my hometown already. The artsy descriptions are slightly reassuring, but I would love to hear a bit about this from some students!</p>
<p>Vassar is definitely not one of the most preppy schools...some ppl say it's more hippy but I see all sorts of people on campus, so it's really hard to generalize the student body. |</p>
<p>busybee- would you mind looking at my “Vassar vs. Bowdoin social life thread”? It’s the second most recent post in the Vassar forum. I don’t imagine you would know much about Bowdoin, but maybe you can tell me if my impression of Vassar social life is accurate, particularly regarding athletics. Thanks.</p>