Vassar

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vassar College
1

<p>Hi, I'm going to be a senior this september and I don't know a lot about colleges but I'm definitely looking around. So I looked at vassar and it's a good school, and its campus looked really nice. I'm not sure if I can get in, but i'd appreciate it if you can answer some questions for me. I live in NJ so I'm pretty used to hot weather and cold weather and all, but the most important thing is that i cannot stand cold weather. does it get freezing up at vassar in the winter? and because all colleges talk about their good things, i really don't think i'd be able to notice anything that might not work so nicely for me unless i live there for awhile.. is there anything i should really take into consideration before i apply? like i said, i hate cold weather so i'm going to avoid any cold places.. </p>

<p>I am an Asian American (female)</p>

<p>GPA: 3.83 (out of 4.5 in my school i think.)
SAT: 1990 total but i'm retaking it this october</p>

<p>Extra Curricular:</p>

<p>Pit Orchestra (2 years and may participate again this fall/spring)
Orchestra 4 years including next year
Orch concert poster design
Art 1 and 2 Freshman year
AP Art last year
Eli Tahari Art competition
Scholastics Art cometition (regional award)
NJ Congressional Art competition (3rd place in drawing category)
A Cappella Club 2 years (vice president next year)
"comets studio"- our own business org. poster/album cover designs
Key Club 2 years</p>

<p>outside school:</p>

<p>Martial arts instructor (work)</p>

<p>That's all i can remember for now. Would you say I have some chance? I'm a little skeptical about people saying numbers aren't everything. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>First, the weather. It can get a bit cold at Vassar in the winter at night: there's a rather large temperature drop at nightfall. During the day, however, the temperatures are probably similar to what you've experienced during New Jersey winters (I'm from the Connecticut-New York City area, and found Poughkeepsie to be just about the same, winter weather-wise, as to my hometown). I would say that if you can survive a New Jersey winter, you can probably survive a Poughkeepsie, New York winter. </p>

<p>I'm not 100%-sure, but I think your second question was about any negatives to Vassar. One would be it's immediate environs. Although Poughkeepsie is a city, it's not exactly the most happening place. There's a mall, a movie theatre, some nice restaurants, and a few neat shops in the area around Vassar, but little really worth writing home about. That being said, the on-campus life is very active and there are definitely plenty of people who go into NYC at least a few times a semester, so you won't run out of things to do... it's just if you're looking for a school where you'll be wanting to go off campus every day, Vassar probably isn't the best choice. </p>

<p>A second thing I'd say about Vassar is that it's not exactly an athletic powerhouse. There are plenty of different sports offered and plenty of student-athletes; however, athletics aren't usually the center of attention. </p>

<p>That being said... your chances. You look like you have some very interesting ECs what with the art and the music. Be sure to play those up on your application by submitting samples of your work. I would say that your GPA (if it is indeed out of 4.5) is a bit low for Vassar... the average incoming unweighted GPA is usually an A- (3.7 out of a 4.0 scale). Also, your SAT score is a bit lower than ideal in that it is below the average for the admitted Vassar student (around a 2100). I would most certainly recommend retaking them to see if you could bring up your score a bit. You could look into taking the ACT as well... my boyfriend is also at Vassar and he scored below a 1900 on his SATs but a 32 on his ACTs, so it could help. Lastly, keep in mind that if you don't take the ACT, you'll need to have a couple of SAT subject tests, so if you haven't taken those yet, you might want to consider doing so. </p>

<p>Basically, I feel that Vassar will be a reach for you; however, I would urge you to apply anyway. Your music and art sound like the sort of things that could make you an interesting candidate, even if your GPA and standardized tests are a bit lower than average. As always, I'll add as a final recommendation that if you think Vassar is THE place for you, apply Early Decision. Best of luck!</p>

3

<p>Honestly, I don't know how much your art will help you. Vassar is a pretty artsy school, and they get many qualified artist-candidates. That being said, there's no reason why you shouldn't play it up; it does make for an interesting hook. I agree with littleatheist: apply ED if you choose to apply to Vassar. Good luck!</p>