Hi everyone!
I want to attend an overnight stay (for sports recruitment) at Vassar, but my dad won’t allow me to do so because Poughkeepsie is “far away,” and, supposedly, difficult to access.
However, I am adamant, and I hope to persuade him. So I ask: How do you get to Vassar? I live in Florida, so I will definitely be using a plane to get to New York. Any advice on traveling safely is also welcome.
Train to NYC. There’s a regional train from NYC to Poughkeepsie. from the train station in Poughkeepsie, it’s a short cab ride to campus. The hardest part of the trip is to not get lost switching trains in NYC. 
By Air:
Scheduled passenger service is available from Stewart International Airport (SWF) in Newburgh, New York, 35 minutes from Vassar.
https://info.vassar.edu/visit/
You can book tickets on the [NYC Airporter](http://www.nycairporter.com/) online from JFK or LaGuardia to either Penn Station or Grand Central (about $26 roundtrip from LGA). From Penn station you can book tickets on Amtrak to Poughkeepsie; from Grand Central you get tickets from the ticket kiosk on MetroNorth. MetroNorth is cheaper (about $13 each way reduced fare), but slower. Once you get to the train station in Poughkeepsie there are taxis right out front. If other people are going to Vassar they expect you to share, but everybody pays full price- it’s a racket, but it apparently a legal one!
The trip sounds harder than it is: it is well signposted, heavily used, quite safe and fairly straightforward. Both Grand Central and Penn Station can be a bit of a crush, but don’t worry about all the people rushing- it’s just what they do!
…but if I was your Dad & worried about you I would book you into Stewart and organize [Visconti Rides](http://www.viscontirides.com/) to take you to Vassar (there is an option to share and split the cost if there are other people going). I would probably complain about the cost (plane ticket and ground transportation a bit more expensive) but then I would do it anyway, b/c that’s what you do for your kid.
Vassar is such a ‘fit’ school, and you can’t know if it fits you without going. And, as the parent of soon to be Junior: it is the most amazing thing to have a 20 year old daughter who is truly happy in herself and thriving academically.
(then when you came home for vacation I would have you do the planes, trains & automobiles…)
@wherezwallace @CrewDad thank you for your responses! I will definitely bring those up with my dad. and
@collegemom3717: it’s great to hear that your daughter is enjoying her time at Vassar! i definitely agree with you about fit — i’ve read quite a few posts on here that say Vassar has a certain vibe that convinced many that it was The One.
Our D took 23 college visits from coast to coast. When we visited Vassar, it was the only school that she felt that special feeling, She knew this was the one. It has a supportive vibe. She’s been back for several admitted student overnight visits and has already made lots of friends. We drop her off on Monday and while we are sad to see her leave, we know she is going to a wonderful place with a student body and faculty that care about the health, happiness and intellectual growth of every student.
If you can, you should have your dad go with you. I was hoping our D would go to my alma mater but even I knew that Vassar was the best place for her once I visited and went on the tour.
Good luck!