Vassar College Top Questions

The classes are great. The small classes really help you to get to know the professor well. The professors are really interested in what you have to say. They are always there to help and are really dedicated so take advantage!! The students for the most part are focused on their academics. It really is a very intellectually stimulating environment.

It really depends on your major... some classes are big, most are medium/smallish, some are very small. you can really decide how you want to structure your academic life. there aren't a lot of requirements, both in general and for majors, so you can for the most part choose your own path.

Classes at Vassar are pretty small, usually between 10 and 30 students. Professors are easy to contact and meet with and usually know your name. Class participation is a huge part of class here because professors truly care what you have to say, and tend to base a part of your grade on it. Students are not, in my opinion, competitive, but they still enjoy intellectual conversations and learning. At the same time, they know how to have fun!

Most of my classes have been really great. The academic atmosphere is serious but not humorless, and definitely not competitive. Students study and participate at various rates, but in my experience most classes are pretty lively and interesting, though of course there are always some lame discussions where people haven't done the readings and otheres where people make pretentious comments. I can't speak for other students, but my homework generally ends up happening from after dinner to 12 - 2ish on Monday through Wednesday or Thursday, and all day and most of the night Sunday. Finals, midterms and big projects are of course a different story. And sometimes I slack off... I've had mostly really great professors, I've had some less great professors, but they all seemed to take a genuine interest in me and my understanding of the material. I have felt very well supported by my professors, even the ones I wasn't that crazy about in other ways. I have good relationships with the professors in both the department where I work and in my major.

Classes at Vassar are always engaging. 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. Your professor will almost always know your name, and we have an unusually close relationship between the deans of the college and students. Most of the student body has had at least one conversation with Cappy (President Cathy Hill). The Drama department in particular is a really close knit place. Every senior drama major does a significant senior project in some aspect of drama, and everyone (faculty, majors, the whole student body really) gets excited for the shows that we put on. Our facilities are fantastic. The Martel Theater is as well equipped as just about any stage on broadway, and we put all that potential to some really good use.

I loved the academics at Vassar. I thought the classes were the perfect size and for the most part, the professors were more than qualified and personable. It is wonderful to be in a classroom setting where the professor knows every student's name.

Students here are definitely more cooperative than competitive. Most of the professors are good, some are fantastic, and some are a waste of time. Almost all of them are approachable, though, and most of them want to know your name. Students absolutely have intellectual conversations outside of class, with and without professors. In fact, one of the best poli-sci professors was at my house last semester at a semi-social, semi-intellectual get-together. Some people complain that the Vassar education is too geared towards learning for its own sake, and not enough towards getting a job.

Fantastic if you thouroughly look through the course catalog and find the professors and classes that actually interest you instead of taking the easy route and following generic routes through the education process. There seems to be a breakdown between students where studying is concerned: a) not at all b) study a lot and upset because they can't study more because of all their awesome extracurriculars. I highly recommend the Earth Science and Geography department, for potential majors and not. It is the one truly unique department at Vassar where the teachers are actually your extended family, and so are their dogs, and kids. There are fantastic classes, hard but worth it, great teachers, good people who work together and lots of field trips. Best ever. There certainly are intellectual conversations outside of class, but honestly many of them can become pretty pretentious and meaningless bandying back and forth of terms that have lost all meaning. I would definitely focus of taking classes with teachers you like, over looking for class that distinctly grab you (though i guess that's how you find teachers you like...)

I honestly can say I like Vassar. It's a great place. Because classes are small professors give you the time of day and they even know your name! :) Some professors even gave office hours on a weekend. Classes aren't really competitive. Sure you'll have the one or two students who always strive for the perfect grade, but from my experience, everyone is so enthusiastic about learning that the grade isn't the only thing people worry about. The most unique class I've take at Vassar is the Political Landscapes of 21st Century Chile. The class was geared toward different aspects of Chilean Society via primary sources (we went to Chile!) and secondary sources. Going to Chile and meeting the people that I had read about was an incredible experience. It showed that the books read in class are not the only thing I should base my knowledge on.

The classes are small and the professors always know your name, where you're from and what you're interested in. They love to talk to students outside of class and are readily available. Many of them spend time with their students outside of classes, throwing dinner parties or just meeting at one of the dining halls. The academic requirements are few and fair - you can really take anything you want to fulfill them. Students can be competitive, but if you don't want to compete you don't have to and no one will look down on you for it. Everyone here is an intellectual. Everyone wants to talk, both in and out of class. It's fantastic.