<p>Alright, so I got in to my three top choice choices. Vassar College, Wesleyan University, and Brown University.</p>
<p>I’m not sure at this point where I want to go. Brown is my top choice at this point, but I’m not sure if its too big (student body and class sizes). I’m also concerned that the gay community isn’t very strong.</p>
<p>I want to major in Psychology and pursue Medical school.</p>
<p>Given that Vassar is relatively small and has a wicked male/female ratio, there will probably not be a very large gay community there. Not as large as Wesleyan or Brown, at any rate. Compared to other LACs, it's probably pretty vibrant. Brown will probably have more "typical" students than Wesleyan. One of my friends goes to Wesleyan and loves it so much that he wouldn't even consider studying abroad. PM or IM me if you want his email address, because he could tell you much more about it than I could.</p>
<p>Just Pete, what ever you decide, tell Brown as soon as you know and help out us wait listers who know that Brown is our first choice. I'm sure you know this, but think about going where you believe you will be happiest. Good luck.</p>
<p>Well, whether he tells them now or on may 1, it won't make a difference since waitlisters don't find out until after may anyway. But yeah, go where you believe you'll be happiest.</p>
<p>uhhhh, Vassar is KNOWN for the large % of gay men there.</p>
<p>Just a point of note Pete, the gay community here has the best parties of the year, Sex Power God and Star*****!</p>
<p>I know Vassar has a large %, but the size of the male population is so small that I don't think the actual number is very large. It doesn't have any more than Wesleyan, at any rate.</p>
<p>JPH - I honestly don't think the anti-gay incident you cite should be a determining factor in where you choose to attend. Isolated criminal acts can occur anywhere. What I would suggest, short of visiting all three campuses, would be to spend some time on their message boards and see how you feel. You've already created something of a stir on the BDJ. There's a very active Wesleyan livejournal community. Why not compare the two?
<a href="http://www.livejournal.com/community/wesleyan/%5B/url%5D">http://www.livejournal.com/community/wesleyan/</a></p>
<p>there's definitely a large gay/queer population at Brown. not only is it large, but it's extremely active, well-funded, and well-coordinated</p>
<p><a href="http://queer.brown.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://queer.brown.edu/</a></p>
<p>(pride month this year culminates with a talk by the director of Y Tu Mama Tambien, one of the most popular parties on campus, and what is always a packed Brown-RISD drag show)
<a href="http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Office_of_Student_Life/lgbtq/pride/pride_calendar_2005.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Office_of_Student_Life/lgbtq/pride/pride_calendar_2005.html</a></p>
<p>in addition to student groups (of which there are many), the administration operates an LBGTQ resource center
<a href="http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Office_of_Student_Life/lgbtq/mission.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Office_of_Student_Life/lgbtq/mission.html</a></p>
<p>If you decided one of the other schools (Vassar, Wesleyan) are best for you, I'm sure there are many good reasons to do so. But I don't think the gay community should be one of them.</p>
<p>Largely taken from a Vassar post by me:</p>
<p>... Those are MY top three choices! I am happy but overwhelmed that I got in. </p>
<p>Weren't you, like, dying to get into Brown or something? </p>
<p>Anyway, good luck.... for gay community, Wesleyan and Vassar would both be really good, probably better than Brown, although Brown would be good as well. From what I hear, Wesleyan's and Vassar's are different, though, with Wesleyan's being more political. I just did an overnight at Vassar (I had a very good time), and probably more than half of the guys I met were gay (although my host and one of his roommates were gay, so that could have affected the people I was introduced to). I'm not gay but a high gay % doesn't bother me at all.</p>
<p>One of the things I dislike about Brown is that the psych is pretty weak. Vassar and Wesleyan, however, have very strong psych programs.</p>
<p>About the incident at Brown: if I were you, I'd try to ignore it. Almost every school has had something like that happen; yes, even Wesleyan had a few incidences with epiphets and violence. (I don't know any details, though, and I think they might have come from outside the Wesleyan community.) The actions of one or two people shouldn't represent the school as a whole. </p>
<p>If having a particularly large gay % is important to you, then it's Vassar. If having a large gay % that is highly political and highly involved (not everyone wants that), then it's Wesleyan. If you will be happy with a strong and large but less vocal gay community (and a very liberal but still more conservative school), then Brown would be fine.</p>
<p>I'm going to Brown. Sending out all my decisions with the Saturday post.</p>
<p>I'm glad to hear it Pete. I'm 98% there. I am bringing all the paperwork etc with me to ADOCH so that as soon as it's done (when I'll know for sure), I can hand in the forms...</p>
<p>Yayyyy Pete and modestmelody! Brown 09 rocks!</p>
<p>"Given that Vassar is relatively small and has a wicked male/female ratio, there will probably not be a very large gay community there."</p>
<p>LOL! There is a huge gay population at Vasser. My sister's friend (who is gay) went there, and there was a saying among the gay population: "We put the ass in Vasser," lol!</p>
<p>It's not like the male/female ratio at Vassar is terrible, its still something like 40/60 so you will have plenty of guys to choose from. Of those three, I think Vassar and Wesleyan are going to have the most dominant gay communities. Just going from the general feel of Wesleyan, I bet their gay community is more politically oriented (meaning that being gay means you are taking a stand and making a statement against the conservative forces that rule America) then Vassar's (where being gay simply means you are gay). I am sure Brown's isn't that terrible, it's not the gayest Ivy (that would be Yale), but I am sure that it is open to alternative lifestyles (although Providence might not be).</p>
<p>I would say the same about all three schools' Psych departments. Although I would probably give the leg up to Brown if I had to choose. On the issue of student body and class size, you are going to have smaller classes and more personal attention at Vassar than you would at Brown (Wesleyan falls in between the two), but I think Brown will still be fine.</p>