Yay Vassar!

Introduction
Vassar College tends to cater to a certain type. You may be the smartest kid at your high school, but are you Vassar material? It's hard to say. Vassar's college application offers a tidbit called "My Space," which allows you the freedom to express yourself in the way you deem fit. Like the college application, Vassar is a little different than your run of the mill liberal arts college-the academics are challenging, the professors are accessible, and the resources available to students here make most other college libraries look like a used book sale.

I was in the top 10% of my high school graduating class, but I by no means had the highest GPA. But like the prototype, I was active in student organizations, a creative thinker, good writer, and, of course, a little dorky....

Need not apply? Students who enjoy the ruthless competition of typical Ivy League schools; those who shy away from theory; conservatives; and those who are opposed to spending their entire Sunday in a library.

Campus Life and Social Life
Weekends here are rarely reruns of the weekend before, although many students are very fond of drinking. My weekend activities usually range from gathering with friends and engaging in theoretical discussion to campus wide social events. Care to party on weekends rather than chill out and discuss Einstein's Theory of Relativity? College organization sponsored parties like Heaven and Hell and Cowboys and Catholic Schoolgirls offer a chance to dress up and get wild. Parties tend to feature live bands (whether campus based or otherwise) and free beer for those over 21, which is also a plus. Of course, if you'd like to become more cultured prior to the parties, Vassar Theatre and the student run modern classical music orchestra MPO often give performances on weekends that are open to the campus and the public. Academics
Before coming to Vassar, I didn't know too much about the academic aspect of the school other than that it offered possible majors that I had been considered and a great reputation. But since coming to Vassar, the academic aspects of the school are probably those with I most fond of.

When I was on my semester abroad in Prague, I need to interview an economist for an article I was writing for the journal of European affairs where I interned abroad. None of the economists I talked to in Prague would give me an interview, so in an act of desperation I turned to my home school and found someone with a reputable history of studying the information I needed. Never having met the professor in my life, he gave me a great interview through email which helped me out a lot in my article.

All of the departments I have taken classes in here have been great, and I've heard no rumors about weak departments. I am especially fond of the Sociology Department (because it's my major) and Professor Bill Hoynes because he always manages to engage his classes in great discussion and is willing to help as much as he can in preparing his students for papers and exams. Vassar's Astronomy Department is supposed to be especially strong, however, I have never taken any Astronomy classes myself.

Student Body
Vassar tends to get a lot of stereotyping due to the way that it shies away from choosing the average student body. Sure, there is a large gay population and no varsity football team, but this doesn't mean your life here will be a disaster just because you're hetero and would rather jump off a cliff than miss the Super Bowl. I personally enjoy the saying, "A typical student here is an atypical student anywhere else" in describing the "typical" student body. There is a club here to fit every personality-from the Nonhuman Students Organization to the "art of campus sex" student run publication Squirm.

In Closing...
Vassar is a great school with a beautiful campus. If you haven't fallen in love with it already, just wait till you visit....