I have been accepted at both Vassar and Holyoke. I would like a comparison between the two, as i need to decide where to go. Some relevant information about me (along which i would like to compare the two) is:-
I am a girl from New Delhi, India. Diversity in any college would probably be important for international students to feel more comfortable. Are there any Indians at both colleges? It's not essential for me, but i guess it does add to the overall level of comfort and inclusion. Moreover which college is a better environment for international students in general? Which is more hospitable and better at making foreigners feel at home? I have been to the US before, but living alone in a new place would be a completely new experience for me.
Some of my interests are vocal music (particularly acapella), dance (various forms of jazz), and poetry and literary activities (i was the editor of a magazine in school). Keeping these in mind, which college would be ideal to pursue these activities? i do not want to pursue them academically (meaning that i don't want to major in dance or music as such) but i am interested in actively participating for community or competitive events.
I haven't decided on a major yet. I am open to exploring the areas of study which i like before deciding a major. Some of the subjects i like are Psychology, Economics and English. My preferences between the three keep on changing. As far as psychology is concerned, i may like to study clinical,social,behavioral or abnormal psychoogy, and even carry out research in these fields. With english, i would probably focus on journalism, or maybe literature.I might even consider majoring in one of the three, and pursuing another as a minor. In light of these choices, is any of the two colleges preferable over the other, in terms of the tuition and opportunities offered?
I studied at a co-ed high school. I didn't however make friends with a lot of boys. Then again, up till 11th grade a lot of the guys were immature and irritating, and after that there weren't many guys in my class, so it's not completely my fault. I basically made friends with whoever came my way and was a bit mature and similar to me, you could say. I am a shy person, maybe even an introvert, but once i get to know someone, whether male or female, i am a very friendly person. Hence you could say i am an ambivert. I feel a co-ed college might be better for me as it would provide more exposure, and in a women's college i might develop a bubble or a comfort zone of only interacting and being friends with other women. I could of course be wrong, as a women's college could also be very empowering and liberating (i am a feminist, and im pretty strong and vocal in my opinions). Holyoke being a women's college, and Vassar being co-ed, which is better for a person like me?
I have visited the US multiple times,and NYC almost feels like home. I even have a few relatives in NYC, New Jersey and Boston. i live in a big city, and you could call me a big city person. i do enjoy the hustle and bustle of NYC, and i feel rather bored, and even depressed in small towns. I know this from the fact that i visited Skaneatles (in the finger lakes region) last summer. It's a small and empty town, and i did feel like running back to NYC. I have never visited Poughkeepsie (in upstate New York, where Vassar is) or South Hadley (in Massachusetts, where Mount Holyoke is). I know that Vassar is closer to NYC (about 1.5 hours by train), not that I would be able to travel regularly to NYC. Keeping both locations in mind, which one is more interesting and better for me? Which of the two places would make me less depressed? :P
I noticed that in liberal arts colleges, Vassar is ranked 12, and Holyoke is way behind at 35. Normally i wouldn't give much thought to rankings. For example, i would almost ignore the rankings between Barnard (29) and Holyoke (35). However 12 and 35 is a huge difference. What is the reason behind this difference? Is the quality of education, facilities, and student life substantially different at the two colleges?
I would appreciate any responses and suggestions on the above, and be eternally grateful for some advice. I have to make some very big decisions in just a few weeks!!!
Well, it’s not helpful to say this now, but based on your post I’m surprised you didn’t choose more city based schools!
As for the rankings difference, remember what rankings measure: one of the biggest factors is how selective they are, which in turn is simply the number of people who apply versus the number of people who get in. Only half the population can even apply to an all-female college, and many women are not interested in an all-women’s colleges. So the number of people who apply is smaller to start with. Mount Holyoke’s academics are top-notch and it will offer you many wonderful opportunities.
Be careful about overreading your experience of Skaneatles (pop 7000) to all non-urban experiences! Both MHC and Vassar are campus-centric colleges: that is, most people spend most of their time in term on campus. From Vassar, it is easy enough to take the train into NYC- but they don’t seem to go in more than once or twice a term- there is just too much happening on campus. Mount Holyoke is a bit more work to get to a city (an hour and half drive to Boston, and the train is much longer), and there isn’t much in South Hadley itself, but remember that it is part of a 5 college consortium, and there are free buses between all the colleges (about 30 minutes from MHC to UMass Amherst.
Academically, both colleges will give you plenty of room to find your way to your major and have lots of music and dance options (I don’t know the specifics on the dance options at either very well, so you should research that). B/c of the 5-college consortium the total number of courses open to you is obviously greater at MHC, but you will find more than enough options at Vassar as well.
As far as fellow international students, 24% of students at Mount Holyoke are international students and 15% at Vassar.
Also, this isn’t one of your decision variables,but be aware that at both colleges there is a strong expectation that everybody is accepted for who they are, so relationships- including same-sex relationships- are open and visible. Coming from India- even with having visited NY a lot- this may be different for you.
Thanks for that @CrewDad. Then that difference in rankings would suggest that MHC is a good bit less academic than Vassar, which I wouldn’t have guessed- does that fit with what you know?
I’m intimately familiar with both colleges. You were correct when you stated in your excellent post that “Mount Holyoke’s academics are top-notch and it will offer you many wonderful opportunities.” There are silly components of the ranking that have little or no relation to the academics of the respective college. In my opinion, Vassar and MHC are academic equals.
CrewDad points out that while rankings place one high above the other, academically they are more like peer institutions.
As for location, Vassar is in its own neighborhood and does not “feel” like a city. NYC is accessible by train, but you probably won’t be going there as often as you would imagine since campus life has a gravitational pull all its own. And the 5 Colleges are not really in the middle of nowhere, they are a system of 5 schools, one of them with 30,000 students, linked by free shuttle buses. So yes Poughkeepsie is urban but you will be in the Vassar bubble, going to NYC for daytrips a few times a semester. And no, Mt Holyoke does not feel rural.
I think it really comes down to whether or not you want to have the experience of a women’s college.
From what you said, and based on my experience just yesterday visiting Vassar for admitted students day with my son, I think Vassar sounds like a better fit for you. Lots of theater and dance options, 9 acapella groups, absolutely beautiful campus, coed, really diverse student population-and while ranking/selectivity/reputation should not be the only consideration, it does impact the quality of the intellectual discourse on campus, and also may impact the range of post-graduate options. We were extremely impressed-my son is ready to commit.
It sounds like Vassar and Holyoke are equally awesome!