UNIGO SUMMARY
Vassar College is one of the more prestigious liberal arts schools on the East Coast. Students are anything but conformist, and although the rigorous academic environment is geared to learning for its own sake, the close-knit alumni network is definitely an advantage post-graduation.
Vassar undergrads are obsessed with their school. Rightfully so, since they walk through beautiful Gothic architecture to small
classes where everyone participates in discussions led by renowned professors.
At first glance, the atmosphere at this selective college in upstate New York
is very relaxed. But contrary to the “liberal hippie” stereotype, most students
hail from upper-middle class families and take their academic pursuits very
seriously. In an effort to increase economic diversity, Vassar has replaced loans with grants for students whose families make less than $60,000 a year.
Economics and English are the most popular majors, and the English
department is known to be picky when admitting students to select senior-level
classes. Everyone knows each other on this small campus and there's never a dry weekend here. The dating
culture is casual for the most part, fueled by the fact that there are
significantly more women than men. While sports teams don’t
dominate the college scene, women’s rugby and men’s baseball are quite popular. On a Sunday, a favorite
pastime is enjoying brunch in one of the quaint Poughkeepsie eateries before a day of cramming in the
library or writing that 20-page paper.
UNIGO REVIEW
Vassar College isn’t your cookie-cutter, pricey liberal arts school. Sure, it has amazing Gothic architecture, small classes, and an impressive alumni network, but it’s the students who are responsible for Vassar’s recognition. “ I come from an Ivy League college town, where the students there are overwhelmingly smart, but who all sort of look and seem the same. At Vassar, we're academically smart, but we do other things - I know people who study physics and also DJ, or who study psychology and also direct plays, or who study Chinese but are amazing jugglers,” says a senior. This is evident just from from scanning the list of Vassar’s student clubs– with everything from an insanely popular juggling circus troupe to a Quidditch team, everyone is involved in at least a few organizations. Academics are a top priority at Vassar, and although overt competition is unheard of and there is no core curriculum, students juggle a busy workload with their extracurriculars. Vassar was founded as an all-women’s college, and the male to female ratio is still uneven at 2:3. There is a very strong LGBTQ presence on campus, and most students are politically active or aware.
“By and large, Vassar students and faculty are very liberal, and someone who was conservative would feel uncomfortable at Vassar. There are also many rich students from influential families, yet despite the students' wealth, this is not a snobby place,” says an alum. In order to proliferate racial and economic diversity, Vassar has reinstated its need-blind admission policy and offers a generous financial aid package to over half its students (Poughkeepsie High School graduates are eligible for a full scholarship starting in fall 2008).
Vassar is known for its acclaimed English and science programs, unusual course options, and exceptional professors. It’s not uncommon for students to meet professors for dinner to discuss class work, and small class sizes foster these relationships.
“Academics here are incredible. Classes are small, usually around 15 kids, unless you take an intro course and they can get up to 30. The smallest class I’ve ever had was 5,” says a junior. Vassar students are incredibly active in the classroom and are far from wet blankets. “We have amazing professors, but even if you got a less amazing prof. (which, let's face it, is bound to happen eventually), our class sizes are so small that the sheer force of the ideas coming from the other students always makes it worthwhile,” says a sophomore. Students have ample flexibility when it comes to academic requirements. They must complete a freshman writing course, a quantitative course (which does not have to be math), and a semester of intermediate language or a year in an intro class. “However, there is a flip side. Because there are few distribution requirements, requirements for the individual majors tend to be pretty heavy,” says a sophomore. This makes it difficult for students to double-major, although many do anyway. Since NYC internships are only a two-hour ride away on the Metro North Railroad, Vassar’s Field Work Office provides undergrads with a range of work experience options both on campus and at Poughkeepsie.
Most students at Vassar are from upper-middle class backgrounds, but few flaunt their wealth. “There are a lot of trustafarians, but I've found it hard to tell the Upper East siders from those that are stylish and chick on a budget,” says a sophomore. Students describe their fellow undergraduates as intellectual hipsters and hippies mixed with a more “regular” crowd. “Compared to other schools, there are a LOT of hipsters. On the other hand, there are lots of 'mainstream' kids, who mostly get along well with the more artsy kids. If you hate people who listen to indie music, Vassar is not your school,” says a junior. 75 percent are from out-of-state, mostly from the East Coast. Most of the students are very politically aware, and the majority are politically liberal. According to a conservative Christian junior, “It can be hard sometimes to express your beliefs, but that has not tainted my time here at all. I am a strong member of the BSU here and love it so I make sure to keep in touch with people of color on campus.” The Black Student Union (BSU) is one of the many organizations on campus representing minority students – two-thirds of the campus is Caucasian, with a large number of international students. Compared to other small liberal arts colleges, Vassar could be considered fairly diverse racially, and the administration has been adamant about attracting students from all socioeconomic levels and backgrounds in recent years. “ There's a good deal of diversity on campus, despite continual lamentation that there's not enough,” says a senior. Another students disagrees: “ One complaint I do have about Vassar is that the racial and socio-economic diversity is not as high as many believe.”
With females making up 60 percent of the student body, Vassar men seldom complain about having few options. “Ladies, men will be in high demand since there are so few of them that are straight. Within those, so few will be attractive, and even within those, even fewer will be single. Guys, girls will be all over you,” says an alum. This results in two dating-culture extremes – random weekend hookups or monogamous, lengthy relationships that continue even after graduation. Vassar’s tight-knit, friendly atmosphere is evident in the dorms, which are central to social life on campus. “ A lot of people leave their doors open. You can always hear music or laughter--it's generally a nice place to live,” says a sophomore. Although the town of Poughkeepsie doesn’t have much to offer aside from quaint eateries, there’s always something to do on campus every weekend. “Due to the lack of Greek life and an extremely liberal policy towards drinking on the part of the school administration, one can expect to find at least one party in and around almost every dorm on campus three or four days out of the week. The school and various student associations put on one or two dances almost every weekend, and the major student activities organization here are well-funded enough to pull in several big-name DJs and bands a year,” says a freshman. Indeed, on any given Saturday night, there is a huge party on the lawn of one of the senior apartment complexes. There’s even a pub on campus frequented mostly by underclassmen, which is appropriately named The Mug after brewer Matthew Vassar, the school’s founder.