<p>Discuss amongst yourselves.</p>
<p>There are a ton of threads with the same title. Wesleyan is “the science LAC”, Vassar is that place with the pianos in every dorm, but, otherwise, the two colleges are so similar that, honestly, no one is going to look at you cross-eyed if you pick one over the other.</p>
<p>It really helps if you can visit both schools, though, since they do feel different when on campus. My S liked and was set to apply to both, but Wesleyan was his clear choice (which is why he EDed there)–not just because of the sciences (although that was a big part) but also because he never fully warmed up to Vassar. He never could fully articulate why (for the record, I absolutely loved Vassar…might have something to do with ties as a child to the Poukeepsie and early impressions of Vassar…but I’m not the one going to college). When pressed, he thought Vassar was lower on his list for a variety of subjective reasons-- for instance, it does not offer pre-application interviews, so no personal connection was made for him unlike the other LACs he visited. Although the campus was lovely, he felt more at home on the Wesleyan campus. He felt he “clicked” at Wesleyan, and, I think he felt that Vassar overall was a bit more–um, I’m not sure, snooty? He never could put his hesitation fully into words.</p>
<p>If S had not been accepted to Wesleyan ED, however,he nevertheless would have finished applications to Vassar, Bates, Hamilton etc…in other words, it was still in the running.</p>
<p>I totally agree with what GreatKidsMom has said about her son. Vassar was actually my top choice before I started touring, but when I stepped on Vassar’s campus, I just didn’t feel the thing I did on Wesleyan’s campus. It’s really hard to articulate specific reasons, and on paper, Vassar might actually edge out as the better fit for me, but nonetheless, I knew Wesleyan is where I wanted to go, and I ended up EDing there.</p>
<p>I agree to with GreatKidsMom, Vassar has a certain atmosphere that makes it a bit more closed, or pretentious, or formal. I can’t even explain it, but at Wes you are just “you”, and your class’s journey shapes the school - maybe at Vassar you are formed by the school? But in the end, it’s all personal preference.</p>