Child wants to transfer to Vassar-advice?

[Anonymous]

Does he realize a huge % of Vassar males are gay? Maybe majority? To go from a frat bro school to Vassar is like a complete 180

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford, apply and try your luck. What he doesn't like about his current school?

Very large, very very bro/frat culture. Has found a solid friend group and is involved in lots of activities. Not miserable at all but just feels that Vassar or similar would be a better fit.

What school? We are trying to avoid that vibe also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does he realize a huge % of Vassar males are gay? Maybe majority? To go from a frat bro school to Vassar is like a complete 180

You always say this, and it is totally unsubstantiated (the majority?)

If he is straight,think of how much he will be in demand!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does he realize a huge % of Vassar males are gay? Maybe majority? To go from a frat bro school to Vassar is like a complete 180

You always say this, and it is totally unsubstantiated (the majority?)

If he is straight,think of how much he will be in demand!

I once interviewed a Vassar grad and asked about this. He said: the odds are good, but the goods are odd!

[Anonymous]

In all seriousness, there are a lot of gay/bi men there. It’s a former woman’s college. I would investigate with actual students. Nothing wrong with this but it’s going to be different. I get avoiding frat bro scene but this is maximum other direction. Hard pressed to imagine a gayer college (other than perhaps an art school)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In all seriousness, there are a lot of gay/bi men there. It’s a former woman’s college. I would investigate with actual students. Nothing wrong with this but it’s going to be different. I get avoiding frat bro scene but this is maximum other direction. Hard pressed to imagine a gayer college (other than perhaps an art school)

If OP's kid has already visited Vassar several times and has some friends there, then they likely know about the prevalence of LGBTQ students and are fine with it (no matter what their personal identification is).

+ that Wesleyan, Skidmore, Connecticut College, Bard, Sarah Lawrence might be other LACs in the region with a similar smart/accepting/non-bro vibe. Bard & SL may be a little easier to transfer into. Good luck to your kid, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford, apply and try your luck. What he doesn't like about his current school?

Very large, very very bro/frat culture. Has found a solid friend group and is involved in lots of activities. Not miserable at all but just feels that Vassar or similar would be a better fit.

I'd encourage him to also investigate more mid-sized schools. Might be a better balance between what he's seeing at Vassar and the bigger school he thought he wanted. How about William & Mary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all seriousness, there are a lot of gay/bi men there. It’s a former woman’s college. I would investigate with actual students. Nothing wrong with this but it’s going to be different. I get avoiding frat bro scene but this is maximum other direction. Hard pressed to imagine a gayer college (other than perhaps an art school)

If OP's kid has already visited Vassar several times and has some friends there, then they likely know about the prevalence of LGBTQ students and are fine with it (no matter what their personal identification is).

+ that Wesleyan, Skidmore, Connecticut College, Bard, Sarah Lawrence might be other LACs in the region with a similar smart/accepting/non-bro vibe. Bard & SL may be a little easier to transfer into. Good luck to your kid, OP.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does he realize a huge % of Vassar males are gay? Maybe majority? To go from a frat bro school to Vassar is like a complete 180

You always say this, and it is totally unsubstantiated (the majority?)

If he is straight,think of how much he will be in demand!

Yep. My husband went to Vassar in the 90s and he says there were 3 women for every 1 man. Apparently some of the men acted real a**holes because of it.

[Anonymous]

The ratio and relative lower number of heterosexual men was a negative for my daughter but otherwise thought it was a beautiful campus, a nice distance to NYC. But, seems the DC is familiar with the school and many love, obviously!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In all seriousness, there are a lot of gay/bi men there. It’s a former woman’s college. I would investigate with actual students. Nothing wrong with this but it’s going to be different. I get avoiding frat bro scene but this is maximum other direction. Hard pressed to imagine a gayer college (other than perhaps an art school)

It hasn't been a women's college for over 50 years at this point, time to get past that. And we don't think that way about most former men's colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is a freshman at a large public university and has been doing well. They have friends at Vassar and have visited several times and feel that the vibe and academics at Vassar is a better fit. They were rejected as a freshman but I'm wondering if they have a chance as a transfer. Any advice?
Or advice on slightly less selective liberal arts schools that would be a better fit than a large public?

Wesleyan University is an LAC of approximately 3,000. Like Vassar, Wesleyan is very liberal.

Wheaton College in Massachusetts is very gay friendly in a protective environment if that is what your student is seeking. Skidmore is another.

[Anonymous]

Vassar is awesome. Wonder if you could do it mid year next year. In addition to schools people have mentioned,
Macalester, bates, oberlin, Lafayette (?), middlebury takes some for feb term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all seriousness, there are a lot of gay/bi men there. It’s a former woman’s college. I would investigate with actual students. Nothing wrong with this but it’s going to be different. I get avoiding frat bro scene but this is maximum other direction. Hard pressed to imagine a gayer college (other than perhaps an art school)

It hasn't been a women's college for over 50 years at this point, time to get past that. And we don't think that way about most former men's colleges.

A former woman’s college is always going to have a dominantly feminine culture. Schools like Vassar and Sarah Lawrence remain predominantly female, more so than peers. Former men’s colleges embody masculine values and virtues. One of the reasons Vassar is so progressive, in the sense of free speech and robust dialogue being restricted, is that women are often more concerned about inclusivity than the rugged pursuit of truth. This isn’t me acting like Archie Bunker but rather the result of survey work: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-antisocial-psychologist/202104/the-gender-gap-in-censorship-support?amp

If my child wanted to apply to Vassar, I would refuse to pay for it. Plenty of better choices out there. The drug culture also bothers me- I was peripherally aware of the alternative/LGBT drug scene back in the 90s. Lots of synthetics which is scary in the context of fentanyl contamination. We aren’t talking about dead heads smoking joints here. A friend of a friend who was part of that scene at another NY state school ended up dying in the streets of Manhattan. If it makes Vassar folks feel any better I also know a Wes grad who died of a few years ago of drug related issues in his 50s

So caveat emptor with that Vassar transfer app.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all seriousness, there are a lot of gay/bi men there. It’s a former woman’s college. I would investigate with actual students. Nothing wrong with this but it’s going to be different. I get avoiding frat bro scene but this is maximum other direction. Hard pressed to imagine a gayer college (other than perhaps an art school)

It hasn't been a women's college for over 50 years at this point, time to get past that. And we don't think that way about most former men's colleges.

A former woman’s college is always going to have a dominantly feminine culture. Schools like Vassar and Sarah Lawrence remain predominantly female, more so than peers. Former men’s colleges embody masculine values and virtues. One of the reasons Vassar is so progressive, in the sense of free speech and robust dialogue being restricted, is that women are often more concerned about inclusivity than the rugged pursuit of truth. This isn’t me acting like Archie Bunker but rather the result of survey work: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-antisocial-psychologist/202104/the-gender-gap-in-censorship-support?amp

If my child wanted to apply to Vassar, I would refuse to pay for it. Plenty of better choices out there. The drug culture also bothers me- I was peripherally aware of the alternative/LGBT drug scene back in the 90s. Lots of synthetics which is scary in the context of fentanyl contamination. We aren’t talking about dead heads smoking joints here. A friend of a friend who was part of that scene at another NY state school ended up dying in the streets of Manhattan. If it makes Vassar folks feel any better I also know a Wes grad who died of a few years ago of drug related issues in his 50s

So caveat emptor with that Vassar transfer app.

How true is that though vs rumor? I’m trying to get my shy, heterosexual rather mainstream DS, who is not in any way a partier, to look at Vassar. I liked that it sounds kind of low key and nerdy in terms if they social scene and it’s strong in the academic areas of interest. I’ve known people that went there, but years ago, and they were more quiet and nerdy and not into drugs or even drinking.