@elena13, My D was raised in Seattle and has friends from a broad spectrum of beliefs, races and cultures. Although some of the nutty Northeast ‘pcness’ caused a few eye-rolls, she had a phenomenal four years at Vassar. The vast majority of Vassar students’ experiences are similar to collegemom’s and my D.
Vassar also served my D well post graduation. She’s employed at her dream job at a well-known California tech company.
I’m actually in agreement with @97college. I think it’s important to take into account that you are all parents speaking on behalf of your children, while we are actually students at Vassar. I really fell in love with Vassar after my first visit, but it didn’t turn out to be like I had hoped. But Vassar has taught me to think differently and overall be more socially aware. But I really don’t like how overly aggressive people are when it comes to their beliefs. We have to learn to understand and listen to one another, especially during this time of political uncertainty. I’m jealous of the poster above who mentioned their child will be living in a TA with “floormates who are strongly conservative, breathtakingly liberal, very religious, avowedly atheistic” because I have yet to find such a group who would be willing to live together. My experience thus far has been similar to @97college, and I doubt it will change as I am a rising senior. I don’t mean to deter anyone from attending Vassar. Many do have a great experience. But, I do think prospective and incoming students should be aware of the social climate.
Thanks @collegemom3717 and @CrewDad. It’s good to know about the experiences your kids had at Vassar and beyond. We also know a student who just graduated from Vassar this past weekend and she loved her time there. It’s also helpful to hear other perspectives even if they cause me worry. I guess that will just help me a little in preparing my D for kinds of attitudes and aggressiveness she may encounter and we can talk about ways to deal with it. I imagine she would have to think about those issues at other similar colleges anyway. Thanks for all the responses! I’m hoping for the best.