Well, your daughter, by consensus, represents the “Vassar type,” and Vassar types choose Vassar.
Regarding Vassar’s general appeal (i.e., regarding those of its aspects that might appeal to a wide range of students), I believe that has been well covered in this topic.
You attended the same student day my wife and daughter attended. They had been on a red eye from the west coast and they were constantly falling asleep and prodding each other to stay awake in the soporific heat! And it never really got better.
So…I imagine your experience of this thread is like mine: deeply and wonderfully reassuring. Plus, I agree that the Vassar campus is likely safer than the UChicago campus. OTOH—and you were there for this—my wife was shaken by the question about Vassar’s response to sexual violations on campus and the President’s focus in her answer on how female students had access to training in response to attacks. How about expelling and prosecuting the perpetrators?!
Still, I feel so much better about Vassar after the gracious responses in this thread. But can I ask you what your daughter’s other school choice is? We have toured so many, plus I am a college teacher, so I have some larger views that could possible be relevant. Just an offer.
Meanwhile, having twins in this process. OMG. You will sleep well after this weekend!
Yes, I totally get the general appeal; it’s the specific appeal that I wish I understood more. But I definitely hear the logic of my daughter being the “Vassar type” and thus being ineluctably driven to choose Vassar. BTW: there is no question that, after our first tour of eastern colleges, we saw Vassar as the most lovely. (Smith was also a small jewel.) And having NYC as a realistic weekend destination is also cool.
I commented in a way intended so as not to suggest that Vassar’s attributes appeal to only one type of student.
For a very brief opinion on Vassar’s specific attributes in the context of (also brief) comments on other top liberal arts colleges, see post #7: Struggling with D21's List. ED & ED2: Amherst, Hamilton, Wellesley, Vassar. I could expand on this, obviously, but in ways already mostly covered in your topic. For example, I might mention Vassar’s atmospheric connection to the Hudson River School. In any case, be assured that Vassar has national (especially bicoastal) appeal as well as a notably strong student body when compared to those at colleges of any type when considered on academic merits.
@merc81, your précis of the various schools in the thread you linked was brilliant. I think Fiske or Princeton should hire you. Everyone would benefit.
My D is a recent graduate of Vassar and very much enjoyed her time there despite the significant impact from Covid. The campus is stunning - such a beautiful place to be for four years. There are so many things going on all the time (concerts, plays, speakers etc.) but I’m sure not unlike at similar colleges. My D really loved her time participating on the Quidditch team even though she is not very athletic - such a diverse and accepting group of students. She didn’t go into NYC very much but partly due to Covid. However, while in her playwriting class, her professor arranged to take the class (about 10 students) into the city to see Hadestown during the year it won the Tony for best musical and she raved about the experience.
I can’t say enough good things about President Bradley and the way she handled Covid decisions (helpful to have her impressive public health background). She also was very kind and helpful to my D when she had an upsetting problem related to her financial aid. President Bradley received my D’s e-mail and encouraged her to come to her house that night, at 9pm on Easter Sunday to discuss the problem and provide support. I also really like that Vassar is more socioeconomically diverse than some similar LACs.
D loved her classes and her professors and had very challenging but manageable work. She was an English major and I was worried about job prospects, especially since most internships were canceled due to covid during the summer of her junior year. However, an alumni connection led to an interview with a great publishing company and she was able to move to a northeastern city and is supporting herself right after graduation.
Relax and enjoy your D’s wonderful opportunity and amazing upcoming educational experience. Before you know it you’ll be overlooking Sunset lake watching her graduate with some of the best friends she’ll ever have.
Thank you very much. I’m sorry that I just happened to write so briefly on Vassar in that post. Here’s something a little longer (cut and pasted) from another topic:
This is a great idea, but it won’t work. The Vassar Parents group is only for parents of students who have already enrolled.
Thank you Juno16 and Annekotar. I appreciate your insights and suggestions.
To the party girl, I would just note Merc81’s comment about gender imbalance. Vassar is about 61.6% female, which is not far off the national average of 59.6%. So regardless of the national average, the gender imbalance is real. It all depends on what you’re looking for and what kind of parties you’re looking for. There certainly are not going to be tailgating or post football game parties.
It also means that a disproportionately higher number of the male students are athletes, about 1/4 vs 14% of the female students.
Yes, the f/m ratio is unfortunate in our opinion, but ratio is similar at 3 out of 4 schools from which she has received offers: UNC-CH, UVM, and Vassar. D has more or less ruled out UNC (too close to home) and UVM (too cold), and is now trying to decide between Vassar and Wake Forest U (apples and oranges). Parent 1 went to UVA, parent 2 went to Middlebury, and she is waitlisted at both of those schools along with 4 others.
We visited Vassar last weekend and absolutely loved the campus and location.
Excepting the f/m ratio in comparison to WF, Vassar seems like your daughter’s natural match.
Go for Vassar.
If parties are important to her and she’s straight, a campus like Wake that is 46% male is a lot better environment than one that is 38% male.
@Bill_Marsh, DD is not into the party scene. That is a creepy article, though, and one to keep in mind.
note the cited source. that kind of nonsense is an ‘ok boomer’ quip made manifest.
if you went to college, you should prob understand that most of the kids are doing the same stuff today that most of the kids did back in your day.
no need to clutch any pearls.
My daughter is finishing her first year at Vassar. She picked it over several “higher ranked” schools and has absolutely thrived! Classes are challenging but the professors are so helpful and encouraging, as are the other students. It’s a very intellectual atmosphere, but collaborative and authentic rather than competitive and obsessively pre-professional. Students are genuinely curious and confident enough to know that things will work out in the end…Vassar’s placement record in law, med, and grad schools certainly proves that.
Vassar is not for everyone, but it is so amazing for those for whom it is the right fit.
S22 and I were at that one, too. There were too many speeches on quality-of-life factors (which are of course important) and too many presentations by deans who riffed on the same topics. I would have loved to see more balance, particularly more emphasis on research and academics; a short powerpoint or video showcasing these would have mixed things up nicely. To not include a single student in either of the main panels was another miscalculation, imho. It was also odd that the two post-lunch tour options were athletics and arts. We wanted to visit with some STEM & humanities departments, but the pickings were very slim and the start time wasn’t until later in the day, so we could not attend because of the long drive ahead.
Now, S22 knew from a summer tour and from researching the school that the academics are stellar. So he ED’d. We had toured a bunch of schools, mainly LACs, and found most of them to be fantastic – but Vassar stood out. (I’m a tenured prof at a mid-sized private university so I eyed each place with extra scrutiny!)
OP, trust your daughter’s wisdom. The UChicagos of the world will always be there for grad school and academic appointments.
Yes, agreed. That is where our heads are today.
Hi All,
I hope everyone is doing well today. I thought I’d share a couple of positive things.
First, my wife emailed President Bradley regarding the issue I mentioned above and President Bradley emailed back on Saturday night and again this morning. That’s impressive.
Oh, @GnarWhail, thanks about the source. No pearl clutching, I promise.
And now, @backbeat1, when we were looking at UC Berkeley (where my wife and I went), we ran into an employee who said something very similar to your last observation: Berkeley is a better place to be a grad student than an undergrad. That may not have been so true in 1980, but he was very convincing regarding the situation now. I’m sure that’s true of UChicago, as well. Honestly, I don’t know if I really would have liked getting a BA there, but, gosh what a place for a PhD!
I hope all is well with everyone and we will all remember this as an auspicious day.
