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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The reputation is that it's for very artsy and dare I say, somewhat nerdy, girls and gay boys.  It seems absolutely lovely for the right studens, but that isn't the vibe for everyone. [/quote]

It's a fantastic school.  If your, dare I say, unartsy, somewhat unlearned, girls and boys are looking for a less sophisticated vibe, that's fine.[/quote]

My kid, a current Vassar student, initially didn't have it very high on his list because of the stereotypes mentioned above.  He is a sporty, video-game playing, un-artsy, straight kid, who likes a weekend party.  Not the right fit for Vassar it seemed, but conversations with students there revealed that there really is a wide range of kids on campus (2600 is a big number!). So he applied and is now a happy Brewer. No shortage of kids like him there. There is a very woke contingent, perhaps more so than at some other SLACs.  He is delighted that he has made friends with kids from varied socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.

It has traditionally been known for arts and humanities, but the most popular majors these days include STEM subjects. The three most popular majors are Econ, Poli Sci, and Psychology (based on data from 2018). It has strong offerings pretty much across the board.

The place is well run from what I can tell. And though Poughkeepsie is past its prime, the neighborhood immediately adjacent to campus (Arlington) is nice enough, with a range of eateries, including an all-night diner, a bar or two, and a variety of shops. The campus truly is gorgeous and the surrounding area (the Hudson Valley) is very scenic. It's an easy train ride to NYC or DC for that matter.

There are currently 97 students from the DMV at Vassar.  I only know this because the DC Vassar alumni association organized an event recently to prepare holiday cookie parcels to be delivered to each of the 97 students--a very nice touch!

[/quote]

Hi, fellow Vassar parent. I'm the one who posted on the first page of the thread.

OP, this parent above nails it. Great post.

My kid is one of the arts contingent but has friends in all sorts of majors including STEM. DD seems to know a lot of kids who are neuroscience or biology majors and she says both seem to be popular majors. One thing about Vassar that's interesting is that a lot of students have minors (called "correlates" there) and many do double majors. DD knows, ffor instance, a neuroscience and drama double major and a bio major with a music minor. Lots of others. The curriculum is flexible enough that getting correlates is doable--not easy, but doable. It's attractive to kids who have varied interests.

One thing I would add is that almost all students live on campus. There just isn't a culture of off-campus living. There seems to be no real off-campus housing stock that I've seen, and there is enough space in the dorms, apartments and townhouses that are all Vassar-owned and on campus. Quite a few professors and their families live on campus or very close to it, and each of the dorms has a "house fellow" who is a faculty member who lives in the dorm full-time (and several have young kids who live in their dorm apartments, so it's common to see kids' toys outside the dorms etc.). I think it creates a good atmosphere and the students feel connected to the campus and each other, at least, DD and her friends do.

Regarding the location, the Arlington area immediately next to one end of campus is fine though small, as PP notes. Poughkeepsie itself is frankly pretty run down. There are the usual strip malls with chains (Barnes and Noble, etc.) and a large mall with a multiplex movie theater; they're not close to campus but the campus runs a shuttle to them (or did pre-Covid, not sure if that's back). Few students seem to have cars on campus. A student who craves a bustling  party-ready "college town" with plenty of bars, clubs, restaurants and friends living off-campus won't find that in Poughkeepsie but I think the students tend to make their own life on campus. As for proximity to NYC, my DD says nobody even pre-Covid dashed down to NYC like people assume Vassar students do. She knew a lot of seniors and juniors when she was a freshman and said those upperclassmen just didn't go into NYC because they were too busy on campus on weekends.

The professors really do know their students. The classes are small all four years. Professors end up asking students to do special projects etc. DD got the opportunity as a sophomore to do a semester-long project with a professor, organizing an event with him, and she got academic credit for it though it was not part of a class. I think smaller colleges can allow for those kinds of individualized opportunities.

Anyway, OP, I recommend your kid visit. I strongly recommend that your student contact departments of interest and ask to visit them and talk to someone. Before we visited, DD contacted two departments and both invited her to come see them when she was on campus, and set up times. One department head invited her to take two classes that day! She took one class and the dept. head, who was teaching, ended it a little early just to take her around the department and talk to her, which blew her away. The other meeting, with an administrator, was supposed to be a 20-minute chat and turned into a 90-minute tour of the building. DD did not have Vassar on the radar at all and was just a random HS junior with no connection or commitment to apply but they were so responsive and welcoming. Definitely visit and do more than the tour and info session if you can. [/quote]

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