As an incoming freshman at Vassar, I found this thread about different dorm “personalities” really interesting and helpful
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/vassar-college/718387-vassar-dorm-characteristics.html
Unfortunately, it’s almost ten years old. I was wondering if current students or more recent graduates could help give an updated version of the different dorm characteristics at Vassar?
I just finished my freshman year at Vassar. Last summer, I also read that thread and a ton of other stuff about the dorms. Honestly, I don’t think they really have distinct personalities. But I will give you a summary of what I think of each dorm.
Main: It’s huge and smells a bit off, like melted crayons. It gets unbelievably hot. The people who live there love it, but the big rooms and beautiful windows are not worth the rats, in my opinion. Also, most of the people I know who lived there survived off of Express (the grab and go food option) and never went to the Deece! Express gets old fast.
Joss: I think Joss is the most beautiful dorm, but it can be dark and scary. Definitely a lot of parties happen there. Joss can be desirable because they have two-room doubles that a lot of sophomores want. I think the parlor is gorgeous, and the rooms are supposed to be decently sized, but it also has vermin.
Jewett: This is where I lived. It’s probably the 2nd or 3rd nicest dorm because it was completely redone about 10 years ago. There is 0 house spirit, but almost every flow has a nice common room, so you can get to know your hallmates well. I liked Jewett, but living up on the 9th floor is not worth the view. Slow elevator. Also some rooms are criminally small.
Cushing: No one I know who lived here liked it. People say it looks like Hogwarts, I think it looks like a mental institution. The bathrooms are getting redone soon, so it will be much nicer. It’s a very odd building. I would not want to live in the annex.
Noyes: God bless the poor kids who live here. The rooms are quite big, but everything smells and the halls and stairways are so narrow. If you’re tall, you’ll have to crouch on the way to doing your laundry. I think people in Noyes are fairly close because surviving this awful dorm brings them together.
Strong: The all-female dorm. I think Strong has the best sense of community. Most of my friends lived there. The house team did a lot of great events this year, too. Some of the rooms are small, but it is always clean, and the bathrooms are literally amazing. There are always girls trying to move to Strong. But you might not be eligible to live here.
Davi: Probably the nicest dorm. It was redone recently, and they just repainted the halls, haha. So everything is very clean, very nice, but the dorm definitely lacks personality. Plus, people who live in the not-as-nice dorms will always hold a bit of a grudge against you. The bathrooms are like the ones in Strong.
Lathrop: In my opinion, the most underrated dorm. It’s really nothing special, but it’s much nicer on the inside than some other dorms. It’s just a “typical” Vassar dorm. I don’t think people who live here have any sort of pride. The rooms are fairly big, from what I’ve seen.
Raymond: The opposite of Davi. The rest of us feel sorry for the people who live here. Because everyone wants to move out of Raymond, it’s easy to get a single as a sophomore. But the 5th floor looks straight out of a nightmare. I don’t think it’s as bad as some people say, but the bathrooms are really small and gross.
Hope this helps!
Well, it’s interesting that 70K/yr. pays for a room that has a good chance of having rats. Gives one pause, no matter how much other good stuff is going on there.
I’m just gonna throw out there that there are not rats in any dorms…there are however little mice once in a blue moon. Which are not fun but are much better than rats in my opinion lol.
And in terms of the dorms, I think it all depends on where you live and where your friends live. I have friends who adore Cushing with its homey vibe, and I actually spent a lot of time studying there even though I didn’t live there. And I spent a TON of time in Raymond since the majority of my friends live there, from movie nights to pregames to just hanging out. People who live in Noyes seem to love it too and do have a super tight community. IMO, it all depends on the people and how you approach the situation. Whatever dorm you’re in, just make friends there and enjoy what it has and you’ll have a great year.
Thanks for the clarification. Yes, mice, while bad enough, are nowhere near as bad as rats. I think the OP must have been talking about mice. Your dorm summary is a bit more optimistic, too. This helps when considering Vassar as a possible home for four years.
My D had great time at Cushing. Hall mates bonded quickly freshman year. She graduated two years ago but still gets together with former hall mates in different states from time to time. She didn’t see mice, but encountered with bats while she was there.
Highly unlikely to be rats. And yes, even if there were rats, Vassar would still be worth it, IMO — and I paid the bills for it.