Tell me about the environment at Vassar

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vassar College
1

<p>As a nearly second semester junior, I'm looking at my choices much more carefully. I am seriously considering Vassar and think it would probably be a good fit for me. I'd like to hear from past or current students about the feel of the college. </p>

<p>Here's the basics on me: I enjoy learning. I really do. I'm politically involved, started my school's debate team, probably do about 25-30 hours of ECs every week, have a passion for language and writing, and thrive in discussion settings.
The catch? I don't do well with busy work. And my GPA reflects it. Two years of refusing to do stupid assignments caught up with me and I'm sure I'll be paying for it when college applications come around.</p>

<p>So, in the spirit of not wanting college to be High School Part Two, I'm wondering-- What do you love about Vassar? Do the classes make you want to be there, or just get through it? What about the dreaded busy work?</p>

<p>Any information is greatly appreciated.</p>

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<p>I, too, would like to know about Vassar-- is it HS part II and are the classes really stimulating? These questions are what made me hesitant about applying to Vassar ED II instead of SLC ED II, but I did anyway.</p>

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<p>Classes are amazing. I've never been so engaged, had better discussions, or had more passionate, interesting teachers. Keep in mind that I was taking a lot of human geography/political science classes. My English class was fantastic as well, though.
The students at Vassar are incredibly bright, too. It's nice to be surrounded by people who are invested in their education.
I didn't find one BIT of busy work at Vassar. There's a hell of a lot of reading, but that's what you get from a liberal arts college. The reading was relevant to what we discussed in class. Basically: academically, Vassar was one of the best experiences I've had.
If you're talking about the atmosphere outside class, though, I'm afraid I can't be that positive. It REALLY depends on what you're looking for in a school. I've been a city girl all my life, so I really love walking around the city and going to cafes and bookstores. In Poughkeepsie, there is basically nothing to do, so you're stuck on campus every day. For some people, this small atmosphere is idealic - for me, it was really stifling. I couldn't find anything to do/get passionate about. There are activities going on around campus, but I didn't find anything that really excited me. A lot of the organizations were gay-rights organizations, etc. It's awesome that there was that outlet, but it wasn't really something I Was interested in. There is a lot of drama/artsy theatre stuff - again, not my thing. I am much more into political activism and journalism stuff, and I can honestly say that Vassar is a pretty apathetic campus. Students see themselves as incredibly open-minded and liberal, so they don't feel the need to campaign or be actively engaged in anything. There are exceptions of course, but in general I didn't find any hard-core activism movements on campus.
I also missed walking around a big university campus and seeing people tabling/campaigning/getting involved. At Vassar, people generally walk to class, do their thing, then go party in the dorms at night. There are many poetry readings and discussions with faculty, but students definitely seem more into the partying. There are a lot of "alternative" clubs/activities, but nothing too mainstream. It's seems a lot about nonconformity.
Sorry for this long post, but I basically advise you to spend a weekend as a prospective student at Vassar before you make your decision. For some people, Vassar is a perfect school. For others, it gets frustrating. It's all about the fit...I'm just giving you my perspective.</p>

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<p>Hello there... like farseer0514 I am also a current freshman and would be happy to give you my take on the atmosphere here :D.</p>

<p>From an academic standpoint, Vassar is definitely superb. When I was looking at colleges, one of the aspects that I wanted was students that were actually excited about learning, and I've definitely found that here. . Furthermore, the professors seem to genuinely love teaching and working with students... they're supportive and, generally speaking, quite good at generating discussions and making lectures interesting. I've taken classes in a variety of different departments (Biology, History, Mathematics, Russian, Anthropology, and Psychology), and have enjoyed just about all of them. </p>

<p>As for your question about busy work... there's not really much of that, but it varies a bit by the subjects your taking. Discussion-based, or lecture-discussion mixed, classes like History, Literature, and Anthropology have mostly readings and essays for homework. In Biology and Psychology (or at least, Intro to Psychology) you'll get a mix of manuscripts, readings, and shorter assignments, while in the most quantitative classes, like Mathematics, there are predominately shorter assignments. Just about all of the work that I've done for my classes has definitely helped me learn... I haven't really had any mindless and pointless assignments thus far in my time here. So no, I'd say there's little "busy work" to be found at Vassar.</p>

<p>Non-academic activities at Vassar are also solidly good. The fitness center offers a variety of classes in everything from ballroom dancing to aikido each semester (prices range from free to $30, depending on the activity) while there are a variety of club teams and intramural sports offerings run by students and the fitness center. If you're serious into dancing there are two dominant groups on-campus: VRDT and Flypeople. For theatre buffs, there are a variety of performances put on by different groups as well as improv and comedy troupes. Meanwhile, musicians and singers have the option of getting involved in the school choirs, the a capella groups, or the various instrumental ensembles. There are also a variety of activist-focused clubs, political groups, and novelty clubs (juggling, for example); however, I'm not as informed on those at this point in time. There's also the Miscellany News, the school newspaper, as well as several smaller niche-publications (Contrast, a fashion magazine, for example). Lastly, there are a variety of cultural organizations on campus (Asian Students Alliance, Poder Latino/a, etc.) as well as religious groups (Hallel, Christian Coallition, etc.).</p>

<p>The social atmosphere at Vassar has something for just about everyone, at least in my opinion. There are, of course, a variety of private parties held in the TAs/THs (senior housing) and dorms which revolve more around drinking. At the same time, however, there are also a variety of campus-sponsered parties each weekend, oftentimes with themes (Roaring 20's Swing, Seven Sins, etc.) or featured DJs. There's also the Mug: an on-campus "club" which has theme and club-sponsered nights. For those who aren't into parties as much, there are other events too... movie showings and dinners sponsered by different on-campus clubs, performances by the different musical groups on campus, and of course lectures given by either current professors or guests on campus. Regardless of whether or not you're a drinker, there's definitely plenty to do on campus.</p>

<p>I definitely agree with farseer0514 in saying that Poughkeepsie isn't the greatest place to be in the world... but there is a lot going on on-campus, so that's not REALLY necessary for entertainment purposes. There's shopping and movie theatres available via shuttle, so getting off-campus is possible if you want it to be. There are also several small restaurant on the streets just around campus, which aren't bad at all. If city access is absolutely necessary, it is definitely plausible: taking the train into NYC is done by a good percentage of students, on occasion.</p>