Vassar College Top Questions

It is a pretty decent school, some nice people some mean people. Big on drinking and smoking, and judging others. Oh, there are the crowds that don't judge, but I don't think most people would want to hang out with them (think magic card freaks.) The size of the school is great when it comes to individual class sizes, but the downside is that gossip spreads fast. The surrounding town of Poughkeepsie is rather ghetto, and most students decide to remain inside "the bubble." That is probably the worst part about this school, people can tend to get locked up in this whole little world without realizing that there is life outside of Vassar.

Vassar's full of liberal, politically-active students who study very hard and play just as hard. We haven't got much of a college town (Po-town sucks so hard. Beware of robbers and sex offenders) but we're only 1.5 hrs away from the city. Many hook-ups occur on campus, and in a rather small school it gets a bit awkward. There are so many pros and some cons, including the rather extravagant tuition prices, but on the whole we quite enjoy the holistic experience.

i love the size, the location, the surroundings, everything. I wish there were more outgoing, fun, athletic people, but that won't happen because Vassar is not that kind of school. I love it here though and the education I am receiving is worth it all.

Not everyone knows about Vassar as it's quite small and very unique, but those who do fall in love right away! The gorgeous cathedral library, the Steinway pianos that are everywhere one looks, the flower gardens, the lakes... the campus is stunning! More importantly, the student body is small and very intellectually motivated. The small size of the school provides students with a great deal of individual attention and all the opportunities in the world! Most exciting however, are Vassar's very unique colors, Rose and Gray, originally symbolizing "the rose dawning of women's education against its gray and dismal past."

I love Vassar's close-knit community. It's not too big or too small - I recognize a lot of faces and always run into a few friends/acquaintances anywhere I go, but it's not stifling. Also, the campus is beeeeautiful and there is so much natural and architectural beauty. On that note, probably about half of campus likes to pretend it's Hogwarts on a semi-regular basis. When people hear I go to Vassar, they've either never heard of it, say "oh, great! I had a friend who went to an all-women's school, too...", or have great things to say - I'd say it's about an even split between those three reactions. Poughkeepsie isn't a great town for a college, as the area's kind of depressed and many locals dislike Vassar students for no particular reason. But, campus is lovely with a vibrant social life, and the Hudson Valley in general is great (especially if you like coffee shops and/or hiking), so the lack of a college town is livable. Administration is so-so accessible and most of them are quite nice - people complain about bureaucracy but it's not half as bad as most schools, in my opinion. If you just learn to go to the source instead of putting up with red tape, it's no problem - and it's a small enough place that you can figure out how to do that pretty easily.

The best thing about Vassar is... most stuff. The administration is mostly okay but can kind of be douchebags if you actually need something--it's definitely the worst part of the school. Vassar's really tiny, which is wonderful and promotes gossip, because you know everyone and, likely, knew who they slept with last night (and you may well have slept with that person yourself). Most of your time on campus will be spent studying, so you hope you have something attractive to look at in your room. Poughkeepsie is sort of a joke, but there's a mall and a 24-hour diner, which pretty much gets the job done. There's not much school pride, especially when it comes to sports.

I love Vassar and would go here again if I had to do it over. The size is perfect because there are still people you don't know but when you meet them you will have mutual acquaintances that you can connect with. Most dorm and house parties are open to everyone, so there are lots of possibilities to meet new people if you desire to. I spend most of my time either in my dorm or the library, neither of which is isolating because that's where most people are. The entire campus community and the town and city of Poughkeepsie complain about Vassar's lack of involvement in the community. This isolation is largely the result of students and faculty coming to the area for the sole purpose of attending Vassar and then staying less than five years. Although Vassar is stable as an institution, the population is transient. The College has started running a shuttle into downtown Poughkeepsie to make the City more accessible to students. This is an effort with much support from every College group and will probably continue and expand.

The best thing about Vassar is the academic quality. Most of the professors are great and students really are dedicated to their work. I remember being impressed when I first came to Vassar that everyone in my literature class had actually done the reading and was eager to participate and debate. If I could change Vassar, I'd keep the spirit and academic caliber but make it larger and closer to a city; Poughkeepsie is pretty much dead, and while admissions tours brag that "it's easy to go into New York City on the weekends," the reality is that students rarely go off-campus. I spend most of my time on-campus when I'm not in class hanging out in the dorms, which is pretty common. There doesn't seem to be too much school spirit or pride here, maybe because Vassar's not really a prestigious "sports school," but most students are generally excited about Vassar. When I tell people I go to Vassar, they're usually fairly impressed, which is definitely a testament to the school's academic reputation. I think the most frequent complaints from Vassar students are the fact that there's not much to do except hang out on campus, and the usual slew off dining-hall complaints. Academically, Vassar is outstanding. If big cities and lots of off-campus life are your thing, then Vassar is probably not the place for you, but if you're into smaller classes and don't mind a more contained, quieter campus, you can't do better.

I like Vassar, but I would like to see change with the food system. Also, the housing. More opportunities for off campus housing? All in all, it's quite good. There's a lot of opportunities. I'm in 5 choirs.

when i tell people i go to vassar they think its still a women's college. athletes here are less popular than they would be at most schools. there are many queer people there are always a million student run events on campus every weekend. there's no need to ever leave campus for entertainment. vassar has its own on campus dance club/bar called the mug. we have live jazz music in the mug every tuesday night. wednesday is 80s night in the mug. there is usually some indie rock concert every thursday and student musicians often open for them. friday and saturday night its standard dance club and gets packed. theres tons of interesting lectures and speakers during the week. there's usually several a capella concerts, drama productions, sketch or improv comedy shows, or school sponsored dances going on each weekend. i actually have to keep a calendar of just events to make sure that i can go to everything. vassar students really participate in campus life vassar is the first college in the country to have its own erotica magazine- Squirm. All content (photos, art, literature) is by students and is completely editted and published by vassar students. it is only available on the vassar campus and circulation is kept tight. vassar is very open to all sexual viewpoints. there are some transgendered kids that get along well in the environment. there are many support groups related to sexuality including QCVC (queer coalition of vassar colleg), Twat Chat (female sex talk), CARES (relationship abuse help), CHOICE (safe sex supplies) and probably others i'm leaving out. it is a very sex positive place.