Vassar or Cooper Union???

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vassar College
1

Hi:

So I am an incoming freshman to one of the two schools above. I am extremely confused on which to go to and which will help me accomplish my long term goals. First off, I am a straight male. I visited Vassar at the admitted students day a couple weeks ago and thought it was great. The girls were literally beautiful, the athletics seemed alright, the campus was really cool looking, and the people all seemed really friendly. The few things that turned me off was the apparently (from what I’ve heard) disproportionately large gay population; don’t get me wrong, I have gay friends but I still want to be able to date girls at whatever school I go to. It also seemed that there really was nothing to do in Poughkeepsie. I am a really friendly and outgoing guy and I don’t particularly want to be confined. That being said, it seems like Vassar has a really strong sense of community which I really liked and it seemed like they also offer many opportunities to meet people. I would be going for the dual engineering degree program with Dartmouth. I was kind of confused about that though. I know that you get a BE from Dartmouth and a BA from Vassar after 5 years in total. (2 and 3, respectively) I also heard that you can get a masters of engineering management from Dartmouth after an additional fifteen months after your fifth year. My long term goal is to become a CEO of a tech company and I am very interested in electrical engineering. I got accepted into Cooper Union from the waitlist on May 2nd. (I have until the 9th to decide) I just saw the school today and I liked it quite a lot. I definitely was a fan of the location, (in that it is in the city and therefore presents more opportunities to the outgoing) I think it has a more well respected engineering program than Dartmouth-Vassar, and my tour guide seemed very laid back and knew what he was talking about. I am concerned however with the lack of community that Cooper Union seemed to have and the lack of groups and fun things to do. (It seemed very hard work-no play oriented) I didn’t get to see inside the library so I would like some insight on that as well if anyone has experience with the library. I am a more athletic type of person and when I asked about athletic facilities, the tour guide seemed to dodge the questions by saying that people in the school have memberships in local gyms. The classrooms seemed a bit more updated than those at Vassar, though that might just be the industrial look from the city. I live on Long Island so I have lots of experience with the city as well and am comfortable in it. The last thing about Cooper Union was that I literally saw 2 people today who were obviously students, both of whom were guys. The place was totally deserted there. Are the girls at Cooper Union pretty as well? Are there many more kinds of opportunities are presented in the city? Which school is more likely to help me accomplish my long term goals? The Vassar Dartmouth program is not certain but I am fairly confident of my ability to get in the program. I am a bit scared that if I don’t get in the program however, I’ll end up with a BA in some subject I could care less about and not know anything about engineering while if I go to CU, I’ll at least end up with an engineering degree of some kind. I think CU is slightly more prestigious as well but I am not sure. Both are drastically different but I really liked both of them. If anyone could help provide some more insight into either school, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much and best of luck to anyone going to college this year.

2

From what I have heard, no one actually ends up completing the 3-2 engineering program, so if you really want an engineering major, go to Cooper Union.

However, I think Vassar still has a lot to offer, and you can always study physics and math. Also I honestly wouldn’ worry about the large gay population. If you aren’t able to get into a relationship at Vassar, it won’t be because of the gay population. I think Vassar has a stronger sense of community which is important for a college experience. I don’t know about Cooper Union specifically, but there can be some fragmentation of the student body in urban schools.

3

Hi @VassarOrCU2017 , first of all congratulations, you have two great choices! (Just to let you know, I’m the parent of a current Cooper EE student.)

The first thing to consider is if you want to spend 5 years getting your degree. You’ll be out in 4 years at Cooper instead of 5 in the 2+3 program. You can get your masters in 5 years at Cooper and, as a Cooper graduate, you will get the ½ tuition scholarship for grad school also.

As far as the facilities at Cooper, I’m sure they told you that there are literally 3 buildings, the Foundation Building, The Engineering Building and the freshman dorm.

The library is in the Foundation Building, it’s quite large, bright and of course quiet. Obviously I don’t study there but have been inside a few times.

There is no gym but my son and his friends joined the gym across from Cooper Square.

The sports are club teams, not divisional but they are actually quite good.
https://cooper.edu/students/student-affairs/athletics

There are a lot of clubs, but because it’s a small school I guess they just don’t get any publicity but literally there is always something going on at the school.
Here’s a few links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ediew9GLz9U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzsSJ6CvXN8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKsmWyFa8RA

Also, check out the school newspaper for some info on the students’ perspective on things there:
http://pioneer.cooper.edu/

Finals started last Thursday for Engineering so the students are probably all studying today that’s why you didn’t see many students. There definitely more guys than girls but they seem to be enrolling more and more girls in engineering which I think is a trend in engineering overall. I can’t comment on their attractiveness, I’m a parent and that seems creepy to me, LOL.

As far as your long term goals, I would have to say you’d be better off at Cooper. You’ll be in an intense engineering environment from day one, you’ll most definitely feed off of the creativity of your fellow students and quite possibly meet up with a future business partner for your tech company!

4

Hi, @VassarOrCU2017 first of all congratulations, you have two great choices! (I’m the parent of a current Cooper EE student.)

The first thing to consider is if you want to spend 5 years getting your degree. You’ll be out in 4 years at Cooper instead of 5 in the 2+3 program. You can get your masters in 5 years at Cooper and, as a Cooper graduate, you will get the ½ tuition scholarship for grad school also.

As far as the facilities at Cooper, I’m sure they told you that there are literally 3 buildings, the Foundation Building, The Engineering Building and the freshman dorm. The library is in the Foundation Building, it’s quite large, bright and of course quiet. Obviously I don’t study there but have been inside a few times.

There is no gym but my son and his friends joined the gym across from Cooper Square.

The sports are club teams, not divisional but they are actually quite good.
https://cooper.edu/students/student-affairs/athletics

There are a lot of clubs, but because it’s a small school I guess they just don’t get any publicity but literally there is always something going on at the school.
Here are a few links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzsSJ6CvXN8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKsmWyFa8RA

Also, check out the school newspaper for some info on the students’ perspective on things there:
http://pioneer.cooper.edu/

Finals started last Thursday for Engineering so the students are probably all studying today that’s why you didn’t see many students. There definitely more guys than girls but they seem to be enrolling more and more girls in engineering which I think is a trend in engineering overall.

As far as your long term goals, I would have to say you’d be better off at Cooper. You’ll be in an intense engineering environment from day one and you’ll most definitely feed off of the creativity of your fellow students and quite possibly meet up with a future business partner for your tech company!

5

Thanks for all the thoughts so far! Tuition is not a problem for either school as I got 100% paid for each. I am curious though, does a full scholarship at CU transfer to graduate school? As I said I am very confused about which school I like more. I just feel that if I attend Vassar I might just kind of “get lost” by having TOO much fun and I will lose my goals, if that makes sense. Are there any good potential business/entrepreneur possibilities at either school? And I’d love more input from more people. Thanks again!!!

6

You don’t necessarily need to do the Dartmouth program at Vassar to get a masters in engineering. Vassar physics and math majors have gone to top grad grad schools in engineering. They usually had summers with internships in engineering. Vassar’s classes have provided a sold technical foundation. They had to ‘self study’ more than if they had the undergraduate degrees in engineering but were very successful. If you knew you wanted to do a double major, Vassar would be a great choice but if you know you want engineering, then Cooper may be better. However, if you want to be a CEO someday, a broader based undergraduate degree will give you more perspective than an engineering intensive undergraduate education. You can always do engineering in grad school - then an MBA. Vassar does have a great sense of community. S2 traveled 5 hours back to Vassar this weekend to celebrate Founders day (Founder Matthew Vassar’s birthday) to meet his old friends still on campus. He said his friends who have graduated were all traveling from around the country back to campus for this day - definitely a strong sense of community at Vassar!

7

Why would being more rounded–by going to a liberal arts school–give me a better chance or reaching my long term goals. And conversely, ehy do you think CU wouldn’t? More input from anyone is appreciated.

8

A liberal arts education may be helpful in the long term because it gives you a more well rounded education and teaches you to think differently. The core values of a liberal education based on writing, critical analysis, cultural perspective, public speaking, etc. prepares students differently than say a traditional business or engineering education. Basically it makes students more adaptable and gives them a different perspective, which employers might be attracted to when trying to diversify. More and more firms are starting to hiring liberal arts students because they are very adaptable.

On the other hand, an engineering degree is in low supply and in high demand, so you will have no trouble getting employed if you go to Cooper Union. The trend also has been that businesses are hiring more and more engineers because they also think differently than a traditional business major and are highly technical. So it is a matter of preference.

You will get a great education at both schools. If you really want to become an engineer, go to Cooper Union. If you value well roundedness than specialization, go to Vassar. You have to decide which is more beneficial for you in the end.

9

I agree with the above. in answer to your other question, S1 has a classmate who has started his own business and is living on the income from it. Also, take a look at the course catalogs at both schools if you have not already done that. See if you can take classes outside of the department of engineering at CU easily to get more exposure to other areas… Conversely, perhaps you could double major in physics and economics at Vassar to see how you would like both fields. Now is the time to look at the exact classes you would be taking and see which school has more of what you are interested in. You will know what is best for you. You have two great choices and congratulations!

10

I think Vassar is a better fit - based on your questions and wishes, it sounds like you want a traditional college experience. CU is not traditional - people live in the city, go to CU to study. There’s no campus, no gym, no sports teams to speak of, clubs aren’t a big deal, social/leadership skills aren’t emphasized. It’s really about studying in class/in labs and getting the degree. At Vassar, you’ll be part of a campus community with tons of things to do all the time (Poughkeepsie is not exciting but you’ll never go… There’s just too much to do on campus, and when you want to get out you take the train to NYC.)
Academically you have to decide whether you’d rather study strictly engineering and graduate in four years, or study math/physics then get a Masters in Engineering from any top program (Dartmouth or other.)
In terms of prestige and alumni network, as one of the original elite LACs Vassar has the upper hand in the whole northeast (Boston, Philadelphia) but CU is very strong in NYC.

11

I would absolutely choose Vassar. Vassar just constructed a $150M science building (http://bridging.vassar.edu/), which includes an enormous center for its Physics Department.

By contrast, Cooper Union is financially failing: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/business/how-cooper-unions-endowment-failed-in-its-mission.html Its had massive protests and budget shortfalls for years. Faculty are leaving and research budgets are being slashed. If Cooper Union were a stock, now would not be the time to buy…

12

I was under the impression that Vassar’s new science building was purely dedicated to Chemistry. When I visited, it seemed to me that the Physics department was much more lackluster. And in relation to what MYOS said, wouldn’t it be better to then (instead of going down a strictly engineering path) be more knowledgeable in math and physics and then move into engineering later? Also, how easy is it to get the Masters of Engineering Management post fifth year at Dartmouth?

13

bump

14

None of Vassar’s science departments are “lackluster”. I don’t know specifically about the new science building but based on their webpage, it’s absolutely not “dedicated to chemistry”.
https://science.vassar.edu/

15

If you want the traditional college experience – a real campus, some school spirit, a broad liberal arts-style education, and a healthy social scene – then Vassar is the only choice here.

I think to anyone outside of Engineering, Vassar has more prestige. And if you can make the 3-2 program work, graduating with a dual Vassar-Dartmouth degree will look pretty nice on your resume. Dartmouth isn’t known for Engineering particularly, but it isn’t going to offer a subpar program, and its name definitely will help.

If you want to be a CEO, you need to know how to analyze situations and make hard decisions; communicate very effectively in writing and verbally; and be persuasive. You will get much more practice honing those skills at Vassar (and Dartmouth) than you would at Cooper Union.

As well as you are able, I suggest taking a broad range of courses. The more subjects you know something about, the more well rounded you will be; and the more rounded you are, the more you will be able to understand the issues facing various departments in your company and come up with ways to solve problems and communicate solutions, strategies and direction.