So I don’t fit into BC’s stereotypes (I’m not white, preppy, or sporty) nor do I fit into Vassar’s stereotypes (I’m not very artsy or into theater/dance). I am quite liberal, but not a"bleeding heart" liberal like Vassar students are said to be. I’m not sure what I want to study (all I know is I want to minor in English/creative writing) but I know both schools have great academics. Vassar is higher ranked, but BC is cheaper and more well-known outside of the northeast. Any suggestions or insight you can give me?
I should also add that I’m a bit shy and I heard that Vassar classes are vey discussion-based, which I would hate. Is this true?
Apples to Oranges to try to compare an R1 Research University with 14,000 students to a LAC with 2,500.
If you don’t know what you want to major in, a university has a bit of an edge over a LAC because it will have more options from which to choose.
BC is the way to go if you want a school with name recognition and opportunities for research. Vassar is the way to go if you plan on going into a field where the name of the university you attend does not affect anything
BC only has name recognition if you follow college sports and often gets confused with Boston University otherwise. Vassar has better name recognition in academic circles. , Vassar has innumerable mentions in media and film as a stand in for prestige and frankly elitism. Do a search. In law and order alone it is mentioned in at least a dozen episodes. Vassar is one of the seven sisters one of the woman ivies. I am sure even though smaller Vassar gets 10, 50 times the mention in films and television then BC does. How often has BC been mentioned on the Simpsons, Vassar was at least thrice. The idea that BC carries more prestige then Vassar is ludicrous. My son was admitted to both and chose Vassar. The reasons to chose BC is if you are into division 1 sports and even then BC has been awful for years like a winless season in basketball.
http://vassarmedia.blogspot.com/2006/01/page-sixteen.html#futurama?m=1
They’re both well-known schools, and there are plenty of reasons to choose either one over the other.
Are you a senior and these are your choices, or are you a junior? Neither school sounds like great matches for you.
Apparently you buy stereotypes though. Consider that they are often far from true. It is true that decent colleges have rigorous classes that involve thinking and discussion. Those that don’t, like some large generic public schools, are really glorified high schools. After all, you can watch a lecture about just about anything free on the internet. Why even attend college if the goal is to avoid discussion?
To be fair, you do sound a bit biased since your son goes there…
Do you have any other choices that you are considering? I’m assuming you are a senior and you are down to the wire?
yes I route for Vassar but my son was admitted to Boston college and I had connections there, a great friend from high school is the dean of libraries. But my son didn’t like the visit. He really wanted to like it because he would have automatically gotten a job in the library and one of his very best friends form high school went there and was trying to get him to go. But he is sort of an iconoclast and his comment was everyone at BC looked the same, kind of like Colgate where he was also accepted and they all seemed like jocks. By the way his friend hated BC the first couple of years but she might have mellowed. I went with him to visit his friend his freshman year. I do agree that BC has great access to Boston and Boston is awesome. BC is a well respected school but the idea BC is more prestigious got me. There are numerous rankings USA today, forbes, niche, money, Washington monthly, and schools can really jump around between these rankings but I have never seen a college ranking anywhere that has BC higher then Vassar. My son’s friend was so excited to see us as to get off campus. As far as research my son has a paid internship this summer at Vassar doing research into cognitive science. They are both prestigious and wonderful colleges and though chestnut hill is boring right around campus Boston and most of it’s other suburbs are way better then Poughkeepsie. Also note that boston college is a Roman Catholic college and that is real and roman Catholicism permeates the school. Vassar is majorly non religious though there is a strong Jewish organization on campus. I am going up to vassar tomorrow to see my son in a play. I believe niche and some other sites have student reviews that you can read. Also be aware that BC doesn’t necessarily guarantee housing for four years unless thay give that guarantee ahead of time. They do not have enough housing. My daughter goes to Rice and loves it but I think the dorms at Vassar are the best with tons of public space. I have been to Boston College three times and it is pretty enough with a lot of school spirit. It could be worth going there just because Boston is such an fantastic town. Really I liked Bandies more then Boston college as far as Boston goes and i am not Jewish either but neither i am everyone.
I searched the Internet for mention on Boston College in popular culture and really couldn’t find anything and the link I posted speaks for itself about Vassar. It is mentioned in the Simpsons 4 times by the way. Also there are no fraternities at Vassar and fraternities are not horrible if that is something you are interested in. Nether myself in school or my son ever were interested but they have their merits. His friend really did hate Boston College but I am sure there were freshman that year who loved it just not the one I knew. She was accepted honors and it’s not like she transfered.
By the way creative writing at Vassar. They do not accept everyone and there are classes where you have to be a creative writing major to get accepted. to get accepted into the program I believe, from what my son has told me that you have to apply with examples of your writing. They are some of the hardest classed to get into (excuse my repetition). They take this program very seriously at Vassar. My son is a classics major so I am not sure but I would look into this if that is your interest.
robotrainbow - just a few points.
First, your ignorance about BC is painfully obvious – if you think that its best draw is its location and its D1 sports then you know nothing about the rigor of a Jesuit curriculum, nor do you know anything about the holistic educational approach it embodies, and the societal value - of being “men and women for others” - it tries to instill in its students.
Second, yes, Vassar has a history of high prestige and BC is relatively new on that front, however, over the last several decades BC has made great strides while Vassar has probably not. So, whatever gap that exists between the two is far narrower than it was. Gee, who knows, maybe BC will even get mentioned on The Simpsons - that would be the ultimate test of prestige - and to think Vassar was mentioned three times!!!
Third, you are comparing a LAC with a R1 research university. You will have to admit that the resources and opportunities for students at the latter have to be considerably greater than those at the former.
Fourth, “then” does not equal ‘than’ – despite how one hears it pronounced.
So, these are the schools you listed in other posts: Boston College
Villanova
Colgate
Binghamton
Vassar
You posted questions about dorms, bathrooms, LGBT, food, writing, etc. on other posts. I must ask what drew you to these schools in the first place, have you visited them instead of relying upon stereotypes, you posted that you wanted people to give you unflattering comments about Vassar since you can’t afford to go there, and lastly, what is your ideal school?
Please give a complete picture of what you are looking for when you post.
ECmotherx2 raises good points. Your selection of schools appears random. You hate discussion-based classes but this will be an issue no matter where you go for writing/English.
Rainbowtrout- I just wanna say for the record I visited both and I saw a lot of diverse students at BC, much more than at Colgate. Also, Vassar students seemed more homogenous to me- not race-wise, but personality-wise. So that arguments seem kind of unfair.
EC (extra creepy) mother- Stop stalking me and if you’re going to be rude don’t comment, simple.
^ ? You asked for feedback but find responses rude? And calling someone “extra creepy” isn’t rude?
Colgate and Vassar are very different schools in terms of vibe. So it is kind of surprising to see them on the same list. BC and Villanova not so different from each other. However, a university and an LAC are different from each other, and your final choice is between Vassar and BC. It is an unusual pair of schools to be deciding between on April 28th.
Good luck, whichever you decide.
Both great schools. No bad choices. My son applied to Boston college and Vassar just like you. With my son it was as much about financial add as anything. All of the colleges you listed have a high retention rates so people like them. My son really considered Boston college very seriously. Boston college is a great school just watch out for the housing.