<p>Recently, I've been searching for colleges. And since I am not a native American, could you guys give me some opinions about Vassar and Reed? Which is better in academy and more comfortable for an international students to live in?</p>
<p>Well, if you're not a Native American I just don't know...</p>
<p>Reed is better. The city is very open to new comers and probably has the least racism in America (or so my mom says) . Portland is hot as is Reed.</p>
<p>just so you know reed is a very intense school academically, from what I've heard it's very stressful and not for everyone. but for certain people it's an amazing experience, so you should look more into that!</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I just notice that no one even mentioned Vassar, is it a signal that Reed is much better in your eyes?</p>
<p>I'll just address the questions that you explicitly stated.</p>
<p>Which has better academia? Or should I say, which has a greater intellectual focus? - Reed. </p>
<p>Here's the caveat: Reed's academics are very intense. They have a lot of distribution requirements and core courses to fulfill, and consequently, a Reed student would be doing a lot (really, A LOT) of reading. Probably only St.John's College could be compared to Reed in terms of the workload in this aspect. Find out about the Senior Thesis - which is something every student has to write, and you'll get an idea on how serious Reed is on study and enquiry.</p>
<p>Vassar - stronger in the fine arts, music, and theatre disciplines. </p>
<p>No, I'm not saying Vassar is not intellectual or does not have good academia. My judgements are relative, and strictly between Reed and Vassar.</p>
<p>No. 2 Which is more comfortable for international students to live in?</p>
<p>This is a tough call. Both colleges are considerably liberal and more "hippie" than the average uni/college, though I would think Reed is more hippie than Vassar. What you should be asking yourself is: Would you be comfortable in this sort of environment? Both colleges are equally accepting of internationals and the students are quite friendly, so I can't give a firm opinion on this. Take note though of Reed's location - Portland - sunnier, more suburban feel vs Vassar - Poughkeepsie, NY - Proximity to NY via train, much colder.</p>
<p>The academics at both are really good—they are both top LACs, and very strong. There academics are very different, though. As people have said, Reed is uber-intellectual (in the UChicago or Swarthmore vein): lots of distribution requirements, TONS of reading. Vassar is more laid back, with a more (though not entirely) open curriculum (more in the Brown vein). </p>
<p>At Reed, as far as I can tell from visiting and talking to friends there, people wear the toughness of their academic program as a badge, and are proud of how stressed they are because of all the work. This actually turned me off a bit, since it seemed like a atmosphere of stress was fostered, so that it would be hard not to be stressed even if it was unnecessary (not sure how true that is, but it's the impression I get, and it's something to keep in mind).</p>
<p>There locations are very different: west coast, right outside a fabulous city vs. in a small town, father away (though not too far) from a different fabulous city. Vassar will be colder, but my friends at Reed do say it rains a lot there. Reed is a bit more hippy/alternative than Vassar, as far as I can tell, though they are both to that side of the spectrum. I think both will have student bodies very open to internationals though.</p>
<p>PS. If you are considering Reed and Vassar, have you thought about Wesleyan? It's right in the same vein—academics more laid back, like Vassar, student body very liker Reed in terms of alternativeness, a bit bigger than both, and good to internationals. Also, Oberlin is another that fits right in along Vassar and Reed.</p>
<p>when I mentioned the intense workload at reed, I wasn't trying to say that vassar is inferior, as of now it's actually my first choice...</p>
<p>Thank you guys for all the help again.
Now I think I 'd apply to both of them. And is it now the right time to start to apply? I've been told that those essays require a lot of time.</p>
<p>Vassar has a large welcoming population of international students. One dorm remains open during all breaks for the purpose of accommodating internationals who are unable to return home. The academic offerings are excellent.</p>
<p>I don't remember the Vassar application being particularly intense. It was the first one I finished... but I think I used the "college essay" I wrote for English class that had already been graded by my teacher, so that could have been part of it. </p>
<p>Anyway, I'm Vassar '11, so I can't exactly tell you what the school is like yet (I leave tomorrow! eee!!), but I can tell you that I picked it for both its reputation for strong but less intense academics and its opportunities to continue studying theatre and dance. I turned down Georgetown SFS because it seemed too intense academically and because Georgetown is kind of lacking in the arts, especially if you compare it to Vassar... </p>
<p>And yeah, it seems like there are about a million people from other countries coming. In our Facebook group, I've noticed people from China, Ghana, Mozambique, Italy, Bulgaria, all over the place.</p>
<p>dc89: You will love the school! Are you international? Best of luck!</p>
<p>alter ego,</p>
<p>I started writing my essays in October. Typically, I give 2-3 months for essays.</p>
<p>Vassar's application is pretty ok - the first is simply the standard Common App essay, the other is a graded writing sample from your 11th or 12th grade, there's also a "MySpace" section where you can get pretty creative.</p>
<p>Reed's application comprises of the standard Common App essay, "Why Reed"?, and a graded writing sample as well.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>