what is the type of culture at vassar? what type of activities dominates the social life?
are sports big?
greek life?
is vassar heavy on drinking and drug use?
is it more compettive or collaborative?
My spouse went to Vassar and another close relative of ours just graduated. There is no Greek life whatsoever at Vassar. Students are assigned to a dorm where they live for usually three years. The culture is friendly. There are fun events like afternoon tea. Many students may drink or smoke pot on occasion, but there are also many students that do neither. Theatre/ music/ arts are popular. So are protests and liberal causes. Vassar is not famous as a sports school-- it does not have a football team-- but I also know people who were involved in varsity sports, intramural sports, the newspaper, religious groups. In short, there is a range of interests on campus, and you can find people with whom you will share some. The academic culture is definitely more collaborative than competitive. Most classes are small and professors are great. Discussions spill over into the dorms and ACDC (the dining hall). Vassar’s campus is really beautiful. The library is stunning. The grounds are an arboretum.
@TheGreyKing this is so helpful thank you!!
Adding to @TheGreyKing’s very helpful post, it is definitely more collaborative than competitive. Social activities include a lot of performance arts (of every conceivable stripe) and lots of informal sports, along with a healthy dose of outdoors type things (hiking, running,etc). Lots of students who are genuinely interested in their academic work. There is some friendly inter-house (dorm) rivalry.