Whether 30% Greek life = a big campus presence is in the eye of the beholder. My son went to SMU, which has a similar percentage of greek participation, and that school is routinely described as having a big Greek presence.
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The vibe at W&M is closer to Brown than to SMU though (UVA is closer to SMU in that respect, and W&M to UT perhaps, without the “Texas football” part).
While W&M is not as artsy/activist as Vassar, it’s quite intellectual, with a sense of tradition and history, like Vassar.
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One more question though: does anyone have an idea of the alcohol and drug use at these two schools? and smoking?
Don’t know of any objective data. I think the best you can go with is the Unigo survey results. These are self-reported by whoever reviews the school at the Unigo website. The Unigo surveys suggest there is more alcohol/drug use at Vassar.
Vassar has “wellness corridors”, these are floors/wings in dorms in which students pledge not to consume alcohol/drugs. You can ask for a room in a wellness corridor. Not sure if W&M offers the same.
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You might have seen this already:
https://www.reddit.com/r/vassar/comments/c4hlb2/wellness_housing/
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William & Mary and Vassar are both smoke free campuses.
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Bill, I also appreciate that you reached out to help this student. I wasn’t reacting to you personally—just defending W&M. Greek life is definitely present, but the feel is very different from colleges where stereotypical Greek life dominates.
OP, I sent you a PM in case you want to communicate with my daughter and get a student’s perspective. Best wishes!
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Yes and I appreciate how you put things in perspective.
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What was your decision @eyxl23 ?
I ended up committing to Vassar :)!
Both schools are pretty much equally strong in my areas of interest and the resources they provide, so I focused more on other aspects of the school (campus life, location, etc.). I chose Vassar over W&M mainly for its proximity to NYC (easier to transport as an international student), beautiful campus and dry weather (I come from a place where it is hot and rains a lot), and most importantly, my gut feeling! Again, thanks a lot for the help!
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And also for ppl who will read this thread later and are deciding between the two: both are great schools! If you can’t visit the campus personally, I highly recommend you to talk with current students at the schools when making your decision. You will learn a lot about the schools and their general vibe, which makes the decision to some extent easier:)
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Congrats! Yes, it really does help to talk to current students, no matter how much one reads online or in guidebooks!
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Congratulations! My D ended up choosing Vassar four years ago without being able to visit and it has been a great decision. I hope you have a wonderful experience there!
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Congratulations! 
Do return if you find the time, to let international juniors and seniors in HS know what it’s like.
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Can you update us? Have you been happy with your decision?
The OP has not been back to CC in almost a year. Please do not reopen such old posts. Closing.