Vassar College Top Questions

There is a pretty wide range of groups with a strong grouping of athletes and theater kids.

Vassar gets incredibly interesting speakers. These range from the Attorney General to world-famous authors. We have INCREDIBLE concerts with really well-known artists. The social life is what you make it -- join one of the nearly 150 student organizations, and you'll quickly find a brilliant group of friends. Each organization receives a large budget to plan activities and host huge events.

I am the Editor in Chief of the Miscellany News, Vassar's newspaper since 1866 (miscellanynews.com). Since the first week of my freshman year, I have soaked myself in the Miscellany and have devoted ridiculous amounts of time to the paper. This year, we launched a new Web site with lots of continuously updated multimedia content. Check it out to get the inside scoop on Vassar! I should say that I don't actually have an interest in pursuing journalism professionally; I'm Pre-Law. Law schools look favorably on applicants who work on college newspapers, because editors must learn to manage their time, express themselves clearly, and research topics thoroughly. So although I love the Miscellany News and have learned so much from being its editor, I do not actually intent to pursue a career in journalism. (For those who are interested in journalism, though, the Miscellany is a wonderful place to start!)

Most weekends, multiple events are going on- acapella shows, Barefoot monkeys (circus club), dance shows, plays, lecturers, sporting events, musicians, etc. But if that isn't really your scene- not a big deal. A lot of people just listen to music or watch movies / TV shows with friends. We do party on the weekends, but it's not a big deal. Again, we are a very liberal campus- if you don't drink, you can still hang out with your friends. Security is fairly easy going with the campus' biggest concern being students' safety and not getting you into trouble.

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.

Anything you could ever want--a capella, ski team, outing club, rugby, habitat for humanity, buddhist sangha, movie screenings, plays, a lake, trees. Going to events aren't popular unless you are going to support a friend. No Greek life at all. People often rely on drinking and drugs to have a good time.

In dorms, a lot of people leave their doors open. You can always hear music or laughter--it's generally a nice place to live. I met my closest friends in my fellow group. Every freshman gets a fellow group that they eat with for the first couple weeks, which I think is a great idea! We also have some fun traditions at Vassar. There is Serenading for the freshman, where freshman from each dorm serenade the seniors while having chocolate and other gross stuff poured on them. It sounds disgusting, but it's a good bonding experience and all in good fun. Founders Day is another awesome tradition--it's a carnival day that has concerts and food and ends in fireworks. One thing that I love about Vassar is the fact that we don't have sororities or fraternities.

Social life is stunted and weird on its bad days, close-knit and lukewarm on its good days. Here is the cycle: workworkwork, drinkdrinkdrink, have a semblance of normal interactions while drunk, wake up the next morning, feel awkward about it, and then back to workworkwork. As far as the romantic front goes, everyone here is either married or in dysfunctional dating situations--the male/female ratio puts a weird spin on things, regardless of sexual orientation. Be a straight man here---you won't do anything for four years except get interesting, brilliant, attractive ass, round the clock.

There really isn't much to do outside of campus. Students usually go to The Mug, the on campus "nightclub/bar", or senior housing to party. The school also hosts big parties occasionally. We often attend those.

Security is getting more strict, although compared to other schools they are fairly tolerant. Lots of people (but definitely not everyone) smokes pot. Big parties are at senior apartments or nearby off campus houses. People never charge each other for alcohol, booze is always free (never 5 bucks at the door like most schools). The mug and school-sponsored dances are also popular on weekends, mostly with people who have already been drinking and want to dance and/or hook up. In general, there are usually big parties on thursdays, fridays, and saturdays. otherwise, its dead. a lot of freshmen leave their doors open. otherwise, "open door" policy varies dorm by dorm, even floor by floor. Athletic events aren't popular AT ALL. Finance is getting more popular with students. The finance club was just started, and the CDO is now putting more focus into the financial fields.

All groups and clubs are popular on Vassar campus because in this area students are very diverse. Music and theater organizations tend to be popular, but it is not difficult to find friends to attend a sports event with (even though sports are not very well-known at Vassar). See what I wrote in "the Big Picture" for more social information.

There is plenty to do here if you pay any attention whatsoever. Student theater is huge, and it is really a great opportunity to see shows for free. There are several all-campus parties, which mostly involve music and dancing in line with some kind of theme, and most people drink during or before. There are some keg parties in senior housing, mostly just people standing around outside drinking and talking and playing drinking games, and there are personal parties of every shape and size, most of which also involve drinking. Alcohol is a definite factor on campus, though I know people who don't drink (I think?). And there all kinds of events that are not alcohol-centric. Though again, someone who is vehemently opposed to all drugs and alcohol would likely feel a little isolated. The social atmosphere in the dorms is great - so much so that I do most of my homework in the library where I won't get involved in conversations and will actually be able to accomplish something. There are always people hanging around to talk to in my dorm, though it is rarely raucous on weeknights.

Vassar social life is almost completely campus based. We do a LOT of dancing on the weekends, and senior housing is always a good place to go for parties. We don't have greek life on campus, but that doesn't stop us from having fun even a little bit. The dorm communities are really close. Usually everyone on a hall gets really close. Our student theater is really popular. There's a huge community that participates and nearly everyone goes to shows every weekend. The library is a really social place. It's always packed, and you always see someone there you know to study with.

During my experience, almost everyone leaves their doors open in the dorms. There are no sororities or fraternities contributing to an overall unification of the student body in terms of social life. Students do not normally leave the campus at night to party, there is an on campus dance club, in addition to frequent senior housing parties.

Athletics are not prominent on campus unless you want them to be. There is no end to the activities and events on campus... there is always something fun/interesting/educational to do. The number of people who go out on the weekends (and sometimes week days) far outnumber those who don't. There is a healthy mix of big parties and small get-togethers, though.

Drama, Rugby, Frisbee, International Students, outdoor kids, geeks, brooders.

There are tons of activities at Vassar. There are always guest speakers, dinners, sports games, performances, the list can go on and on. People are every friendly, they always leave their doors open and people even hang out in the hallway at night - chitchatting about their day. Vassar does not have frats or sororities so the party life is not as crazy. Seniors do hold parties at their senior housing; it's a great way to meet people since that's where everyone usually goes on the weekend. If you're not a party, you're drinking smoothies at UPCDC, dancing at the MUG (on-campus club), taking walks, watching movies, watching performances, going to the Mall, playing pool in your dorm....

There is always something to do, no matter what your interests are. Even a night in the dorm can be full of adventures. However, some people do find that it is hard to participate in many events (private and campus wide) without drinking. This is my one complaint.

In terms of activities, students are very (often over-) involved. A cappella, sports, theater, and political organizations are among the most popular. Students often support their friends involved in such activities by attending shows or games. Guest speakers are always well-attended. Dorm pride makes a fair showing, and students can generally feel comfortable leaving their doors unlocked (though there has been a recent surge in dorm theft). Generally, your closest friends are made in your dorm and extra-curricular activities. Students enjoy time with their friends in the dorm, in ACDC, and at social events. All-campus parties are held with some frequency, and these always provide a fun Friday or Saturday night. Drinking is prevalent on campus, but is mostly controlled. Those who don't choose to drink will not have a problem finding things to do, however. The drinking culture at Vassar is one of choice, not pressure (mostly), and there are always performances and other events that non-drinking students can enjoy.

Well, I took 6-8 dance classes a week while I was there, as well as being on the polo team, and sometimes being in student plays. That should tell you something about the availability of activities, though I certainly didn't get much sleep!