Brooke
ultimate frisbee habitat and amnesty, habitat!!, unlocked, not really, great, very good, difficult for straight women, class and extracurriculars, homework, founders day, depends, we don't have any, i had to work, theater performances upcdc events, not much.
Liz
Vassar offers a lot of weekend activities for students. The college or some of the larger organizations will often sponsor campus-wide parties, sometimes with free beer, that usually revolve around a theme: The Seven Deadly Sins, Moulin Rouge, etc. There are tons of student organizations and it's very easy to start one if you feel there's a need. Some of the more unique groups are the Barefoot Monkeys, a circus/acrobats performing group and Air-Capella, a whisting a-capella group. Athletics are NOT a big part of social life at Vassar; most students have never been to a sports game. During the week there are lectures, coffee houses, smaller parties, and concerts. Matthew's Mug is the on-campus dance club and bar that has different themed nights - Wednesday is 80s night, Thursday is Jazz Night, etc. Once a year there is Founder's Day, which is essentially a carnival held on one the athletic fields celebrating the founding of the college. Most students spend the entire day in some form of intoxication, and it usually ends with fireworks and an outdoor movie. There are no fraternities or sororities at Vassar; the larger parties take place on the lawns of the Senior Housing complexes. There's a mall nearby (The Poughkeepsie Galleria) with movies and shopping; there are also a few nearby bars (within walking distance) and plenty of restaurants (sushi, Indian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, etc.).
Rebecca
There are a ton of clubs and organizations on campus, pretty much anything anyone could want. There are political groups, discussion groups, hip hop appreciation groups, horse-back riding groups, writing groups, singing groups, groups that distribute condoms, really and truly anything. I'd say student theater, a capella, and improv are the biggest extra curricular activities on campus. There are so many productions each semester, and a shockingly large amount of people are involved with these productions. Going to see one of the many singing or improv groups perform is a fairly typical beginning to a Saturday night. That being said, there are still a sizable number of athletes and some of our sports teams aren't half bad. However, sporting events are not very popular in terms of social activities.
The Vassar social scene is unique. A typical Friday or Saturday night might start with dinner with friends at a restaurant within walking distance. Dinner out, however, is one of the only things people do off campus. There is little-to-no bar or clubbing scene. After dinner, people might go see a play or concert or go to one of the weekly movie screenings. After that there is a bit of a lull in the evening until one of the parties starts. There is almost always a party- they usually start at ten, but people don't show up until 11:30 or midnight. Lots of these parties are sponsored by college organizations or dorms. Some of the big ones that happen every year are “Seven Deadly Sins,” “Shiva Rave,” “Harvest Ball” and, of course, Halloween. It's nice that there are no fraternities or sororities because that means that parties are usually campus-wide and completely free. On nights when there aren't huge parties, usually someone is throwing a small get-together in her dorm room or there is something going on at Senior housing. Many people engage in what we call the “traveling party,” which means you travel around to different places through out the night and can end up anywhere.
The majority of party-goers pregame these parties. Not everyone drinks and, if you like to dance, you don't have to feel weird going to the party sober. It's also entirely possible to find a group of substance-free friends, but it might not be a very large group. I find that there isn't any pressure to drink- no one will think less of you if you choose to stay sober. However, if you're uncomfortable being around other people who drink, you might have difficulty finding things to do on the weekends, and this can be frustrating.
The non-weekend social scene consists of having meals with friends and visiting people in their rooms. No one locks their door and often times people leave their doors wide opened, inviting neighbors to come in and chat. A social-staple is the “fellow group,” or the group of freshmen you live with during your first year who have the same student fellow (the Vassar equivalent to an R.A.). Those friendships usually last your entire time at college.