Hey there... sorry for the lack of new posts. October Break begins a week from this Friday, so I'm currently swamped in work for several midterm exams and a paper. Anyway, a couple more questions came in in the past few days, so I thought I'd answer them quickly.
Thank you for that info on the Boston bus service. Is that fare one way? and do they offer bus service for the return trip-back to Vassar after these breaks?
According to the email I received about the bus service for October Break, the service is one way.
Can you kindly offer me some tips [for applying] and is it possible for people like me to get in?
First of all, let me just say that I'm no expert as far as admissions goes. I can give you advice and tell you about my own experience; however, I can't guarantee that you'll get in by listening to me. That being said... some advice on your application. The first is to make sure that all of your application essays are strong. Your common application essay should tell your readers something about you that they wouldn't be able to pick up from your resume: it should be a personal insight into who you are. In addition, be sure to give your "Why Vassar?" paragraph plenty of thought. Tell the admissions officers what about Vassar makes it appeal to you more than any other institution and what makes you a good fit for the school. Basically, even though it's "just a paragraph," be sure to give it plenty of attention.
Another suggestion I can offer is to make use of the YourSpace part of the application. You mentioned that you're involved in music, so send in a short recording of yourself playing your instrument (please keep in mind that if you're planning on a serious study in music, you should submit a music supplement instead). The YourSpace gives you another space where you can differentiate yourself from the thousands of other students applying to Vassar, so take advantage of it if you can. That being said, if you can't think of anything to put in the YourSpace, leave it blank (that's what I did). It's entirely optional, after all.
Lastly, I'll address the second half of your question: whether or not it is possible for people like you to get in. I don't really want to turn this blog into a "what are my chances?" sort of site, so I'm not going to go into your chances based on your resume here (if you want that, try College Confidential). That being said, I will say that, generally-speaking, it certainly is possible for international applicants requesting financial aid to go to Vassar. The school is not need blind for international students; however, if you are accepted, Vassar guarantees that it will meet 100% of your demonstrated financial need for all four years.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
The Vice Presidential Debate
I'm mainly planning on writing about last night's Vice Presidential Debate and how it was received at Vassar; however, before I do, I need to tie up one unfinished piece of business about transportation during short breaks (October break, Thanksgiving break, Spring break). The other day, I mentioned that Vassar provided a bus service to Boston for these three breaks last year. I can now confirm that the school is once again offering this service this year. According to an email the student body received yesterday the bus leaves from Vassar at 3:30 on the Friday October Break begins. It costs $35 and makes two stops: MTA Riverside, Newton MA and South Station, Boston (ETA at Boston is 8:00 pm).
Now that that's cleared up... on with the debate!
Although Vassar is certainly a liberal campus, it is not an overtly political one, most of the time. There are plenty of students who are passionate about politics; however, I would say that most are interested in a few issues that they personally relate to in some manner, usually of the social persuasion. There is also a rather sizable amount of the student population that doesn't seem to care that much about politics. They complain about Bush, of course, but they're not very interested in what's going on in the political world on a daily (or even weekly) basis; I would describe them as politically apathetic, I guess.
That being said, there is a definite rise in student interest in politics this semester on-campus, and last night's Vice Presidential Debate "parties" were a testament to this. Most (if not all) of the dorms held screenings of the debate. In addition, the Vassar Dems and the Debate Team teamed up to hold a showing of the debate on a projector screen on the second floor of the All Campus Dining Center, which I attended.
It was a good thing I arrived twenty minutes early: by the time the debate started, the room and the balcony on the floor above it were both packed with students. I would estimate that at least 300 students showed up to see the debate (with more watching in their dorm T.V. rooms), and that just about everyone stayed for the entirety of it. Granted, there were some individuals who showed up with the intent of seeing which debater would screw up first, and a few guys whose primary interest lay in ogling Palin. Those people aside, most really seemed interested in what the candidates had to say. With the exception of the chortles that rose up at such trademark Palin phrases as "bless their hearts" and the claps that resounded when one of the two debaters (usually Biden) made a particularly strong point, the group was impressively quiet and focused. Most impressive of all at a liberal institution like Vassar, there were several claps and cheers for Palin (although the vast majority were decidedly for Biden). Although I'm a liberal, it was refreshing to see that there is a conservative presence at Vassar and that these students are comfortable enough to express their beliefs, even though they may be in the minority.
Now that that's cleared up... on with the debate!
Although Vassar is certainly a liberal campus, it is not an overtly political one, most of the time. There are plenty of students who are passionate about politics; however, I would say that most are interested in a few issues that they personally relate to in some manner, usually of the social persuasion. There is also a rather sizable amount of the student population that doesn't seem to care that much about politics. They complain about Bush, of course, but they're not very interested in what's going on in the political world on a daily (or even weekly) basis; I would describe them as politically apathetic, I guess.
That being said, there is a definite rise in student interest in politics this semester on-campus, and last night's Vice Presidential Debate "parties" were a testament to this. Most (if not all) of the dorms held screenings of the debate. In addition, the Vassar Dems and the Debate Team teamed up to hold a showing of the debate on a projector screen on the second floor of the All Campus Dining Center, which I attended.
It was a good thing I arrived twenty minutes early: by the time the debate started, the room and the balcony on the floor above it were both packed with students. I would estimate that at least 300 students showed up to see the debate (with more watching in their dorm T.V. rooms), and that just about everyone stayed for the entirety of it. Granted, there were some individuals who showed up with the intent of seeing which debater would screw up first, and a few guys whose primary interest lay in ogling Palin. Those people aside, most really seemed interested in what the candidates had to say. With the exception of the chortles that rose up at such trademark Palin phrases as "bless their hearts" and the claps that resounded when one of the two debaters (usually Biden) made a particularly strong point, the group was impressively quiet and focused. Most impressive of all at a liberal institution like Vassar, there were several claps and cheers for Palin (although the vast majority were decidedly for Biden). Although I'm a liberal, it was refreshing to see that there is a conservative presence at Vassar and that these students are comfortable enough to express their beliefs, even though they may be in the minority.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Reader Question Five: Computer Science 100 & Class Schedules
The class "Computer Science 101. Problem-Solving and Abstraction" sounds interesting. And about how many classes per week/day does a typical Vassar (or Cog Sci) student have?
My friend that took to the Computer Science 101 course really enjoyed it (so much, actually, that he's currently thinking about a Computer Science major). That being said, he did mention that it wasn't for everyone: he had several classmates who dropped the course quickly. It covers the basic principles of programming with Java, teaching you how to make simple graphics programs (for example, a smiley face). Later on in the class, you work on more advanced programs, such as making a slot machine program. Basically, it emphasizes problem-solving and using logic. The class meets three times a week: twice for a lecture and once for a 90 minute lab. For my friend, homework entailed writing a weekly program; however, you should keep in mind that this could vary based on which professor is teaching the course (he had Professor Walter). Computer Science 101 is the first introductory course to computer science at Vassar; however, I believe it can be skipped with AP credit.
Now, onto the second half of your question. I would say that most Vassar students have between 1 and 3 classes per day. It is possible to have 4 on one day, as it is also possible to have none. For example... here are the schedules of some people I know this semester...
PERSON 1: 3 classes Monday, 2 Tuesday, 3 Wednesday, 2 Thursday, 0 Friday.
PERSON 2: 3 Monday, 2 Tuesday, 3 Wednesday, 2 Thursday, 2 Friday.
PERSON 3: 3 Monday, 1 Tuesday, 3 Wednesday, 2 Thursday, 1 Friday.
PERSON 4: 3 Monday, 3 Tuesday, 3 Wednesday, 3 Thursday, 0 Friday.
Based on what I've seen, I would say that the average Vassar student has between 10 and 14 classes a week. Most classes meet two or three tims a week; however, introductory language classes meet four or five days a week.
My friend that took to the Computer Science 101 course really enjoyed it (so much, actually, that he's currently thinking about a Computer Science major). That being said, he did mention that it wasn't for everyone: he had several classmates who dropped the course quickly. It covers the basic principles of programming with Java, teaching you how to make simple graphics programs (for example, a smiley face). Later on in the class, you work on more advanced programs, such as making a slot machine program. Basically, it emphasizes problem-solving and using logic. The class meets three times a week: twice for a lecture and once for a 90 minute lab. For my friend, homework entailed writing a weekly program; however, you should keep in mind that this could vary based on which professor is teaching the course (he had Professor Walter). Computer Science 101 is the first introductory course to computer science at Vassar; however, I believe it can be skipped with AP credit.
Now, onto the second half of your question. I would say that most Vassar students have between 1 and 3 classes per day. It is possible to have 4 on one day, as it is also possible to have none. For example... here are the schedules of some people I know this semester...
PERSON 1: 3 classes Monday, 2 Tuesday, 3 Wednesday, 2 Thursday, 0 Friday.
PERSON 2: 3 Monday, 2 Tuesday, 3 Wednesday, 2 Thursday, 2 Friday.
PERSON 3: 3 Monday, 1 Tuesday, 3 Wednesday, 2 Thursday, 1 Friday.
PERSON 4: 3 Monday, 3 Tuesday, 3 Wednesday, 3 Thursday, 0 Friday.
Based on what I've seen, I would say that the average Vassar student has between 10 and 14 classes a week. Most classes meet two or three tims a week; however, introductory language classes meet four or five days a week.
Reader Question Four: Transportation, Part II
I'm a potential applicant and from the Boston area. I was also concerned with the difficulty of getting home. It's only about a 31/2 to 4 hour ride home to Boston but if I were to take the train it could be well over 6 hours. Unfortunately I don't have a car. So you think that I would have no problem finding a ride to Boston during breaks? Are there many students from the Boston area? As long as I can get close enough to get on the T I'd be happy. I would be willing to help pay for gas, etc.
There are most definitely a lot of students from the Boston area at Vassar: according to a Facebook group in the Vassar network named "Boston," there are at least 61 students (but there are definitely more than that... this group is over a year old and definitely isn't joined by everyone at Vassar from Boston) who call the city or its environs home. Based on that alone, I would say that you should be able to find someone who you'd be able to carpool with.
In addition, there is the ride board on-campus which you could use. Last year, this was posted in the College Center of Main Building; however, I'm not sure if it's there this year (I haven't checked yet). That being said, there is a Facebook group called "Vassar Ride Board" which looks to be active and would definitely be a good thing to check out.
Lastly, the school did offer a shuttle service to Boston several times last year for some of the shorter breaks (October Break, Thanksgiving Break, Spring Break). I'm not sure if this is being done again this year, but I will let you know if I hear anything about it.
There are most definitely a lot of students from the Boston area at Vassar: according to a Facebook group in the Vassar network named "Boston," there are at least 61 students (but there are definitely more than that... this group is over a year old and definitely isn't joined by everyone at Vassar from Boston) who call the city or its environs home. Based on that alone, I would say that you should be able to find someone who you'd be able to carpool with.
In addition, there is the ride board on-campus which you could use. Last year, this was posted in the College Center of Main Building; however, I'm not sure if it's there this year (I haven't checked yet). That being said, there is a Facebook group called "Vassar Ride Board" which looks to be active and would definitely be a good thing to check out.
Lastly, the school did offer a shuttle service to Boston several times last year for some of the shorter breaks (October Break, Thanksgiving Break, Spring Break). I'm not sure if this is being done again this year, but I will let you know if I hear anything about it.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Reader Question Three: The Train
I have a transportation question. I live in Maine and from what I gather I would need to go into NYC and then take a train to get home. Are there ride board posted on campus that one could find a ride during holidays/school breaks. I don't have a car. I love the school but fear that it may just be too difficult to get home.
There are indeed ride boards posted on-campus for car-pooling purposes. Most of the time, it's pretty easy to find a ride to major cities (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, etc.); however, I'm not sure how many people there are that go all the way to Maine. That being said, in your case, you could probably take the train the entire way home without worrying about the ride board.
One of the benefits about being located in Poughkeepsie is that it is the last stop on the Amtrak commuter train line into New York City. In addition, Vassar provides a shuttle service to and from the train station both during the school year and during the holidays. All you'd have to do is sign up for a place on the shuttle, take the shuttle to the Poughkeepsie train station, take a train from Poughkeepsie to New York City, and transfer trains to go from New York to home.
I have a friend who has done this a couple of times to get home, and she says it's really easy: according to her, it's even possible to get a student discount from Amtrak.
There are indeed ride boards posted on-campus for car-pooling purposes. Most of the time, it's pretty easy to find a ride to major cities (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, etc.); however, I'm not sure how many people there are that go all the way to Maine. That being said, in your case, you could probably take the train the entire way home without worrying about the ride board.
One of the benefits about being located in Poughkeepsie is that it is the last stop on the Amtrak commuter train line into New York City. In addition, Vassar provides a shuttle service to and from the train station both during the school year and during the holidays. All you'd have to do is sign up for a place on the shuttle, take the shuttle to the Poughkeepsie train station, take a train from Poughkeepsie to New York City, and transfer trains to go from New York to home.
I have a friend who has done this a couple of times to get home, and she says it's really easy: according to her, it's even possible to get a student discount from Amtrak.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Reader Question Two: The Cognitive Science Department
I'm interested in Cognitive Science at Vassar, but since it's very small it's hard to get any information/experiences about it (other than what's on the site). Do you have any friends that are cog sci majors, or have you heard anything good/bad about the department?
Unfortunately, I don't have any friends who are Cognitive Science majors. That being said, I can still talk a little bit about the program. At Vassar, Cognitive Science is an interdisciplinary major. As such, it doesn't have a department of its own. Instead, the professors that mentor the Cognitive Science program sit on a sort of board and are from a variety of different departments: Psychology, Computer Science, Economics, English, Biology, Dance, Music, and Anthropology. Which departments and professors you'll be more intimately working with depends primarily upon which area of Cognitive Science you'd like to concentrate in.
The Cognitive Science program is a mix of general, program-wide requirements and more specific, concentration requirements. All Cognitive Science majors are required to take the following eight courses, each of which is one credit:
The professor I had for the course (Ma), was okay; however, if you think you're going to need a lot of help in understanding statistics, I would recommend trying to get a different professor. She was perfectly nice; however, she wasn't great at explaining complicated subjects. Fortunately, the textbook that the psychology department has been using for statistics for the past couple of years is excellent, so this isn't a big deal if you can learn via a textbook. One last thing: AP Statistics does not allow you to skip this course, so you'll be taking it regardless of whether or not you've gotten a good score on the AP exam.
Sorry for the long-winded response, but I hope this helps. If you want to hear about any of the classes I've listed above, post a comment in this post and I'll get back to you about it.
Unfortunately, I don't have any friends who are Cognitive Science majors. That being said, I can still talk a little bit about the program. At Vassar, Cognitive Science is an interdisciplinary major. As such, it doesn't have a department of its own. Instead, the professors that mentor the Cognitive Science program sit on a sort of board and are from a variety of different departments: Psychology, Computer Science, Economics, English, Biology, Dance, Music, and Anthropology. Which departments and professors you'll be more intimately working with depends primarily upon which area of Cognitive Science you'd like to concentrate in.
The Cognitive Science program is a mix of general, program-wide requirements and more specific, concentration requirements. All Cognitive Science majors are required to take the following eight courses, each of which is one credit:
- COGS-100. Introduction to Cognitive Science.
- COGS-211. Perception and Action.
- COGS-213. Language.
- COGS-215. Knowledge & Cognition.
- PSYC-200. Statistics & Experimental Design.
- COGS-219. Research Methods in Cognitive Science.
- COGS-300-301. Senior Thesis.
- COGS-311. Seminar in Cognitive Science.
- Cognition & Culture (Anthropology, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology)
- Cognition & Language (Anthropology, Computer Science, English, Philosophy)
- Cognition & the Arts (Anthropology, Art, Dance, Drama, English, Film, Music, Philosophy)
- Cognitive Development & Education (Biology, Education, Psychology)
- Embodied Agents (Anthropology, Biology, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology)
- Evolved Minds (Anthropology, Biology, Psychology)
- Formal Analysis of the Mind (Computer Science, Mathematics, Philosophy)
- Mind & Brain (Biology, Economics, Neuroscience & Behavior, Philosophy, Psychology)
- Biology 138. Principles of Genetics (an option for Cognitive Development & Education, Evolved Minds)
- Education 350/351. The Teaching of Reading (Cognitive Development & Education)
- Computer Science 102. Data Structures and Algorithms (Embodied Agents, Formal Analysis of Mind)
- Mathematics 121/122. Single Variable Calculus (Embodied Agents, Formal Analysis of Mind)
- Mathematics 125. Topics in Single Variable Calculus (Embodied Agents, Formal Analysis of Mind)
- Computer Science 101. Problem-Solving and Abstraction (Formal Analysis of Mind)
- Anthropology 120. Human Origins (Evolved Minds).
The professor I had for the course (Ma), was okay; however, if you think you're going to need a lot of help in understanding statistics, I would recommend trying to get a different professor. She was perfectly nice; however, she wasn't great at explaining complicated subjects. Fortunately, the textbook that the psychology department has been using for statistics for the past couple of years is excellent, so this isn't a big deal if you can learn via a textbook. One last thing: AP Statistics does not allow you to skip this course, so you'll be taking it regardless of whether or not you've gotten a good score on the AP exam.
Sorry for the long-winded response, but I hope this helps. If you want to hear about any of the classes I've listed above, post a comment in this post and I'll get back to you about it.
The Benefits of an Open Curriculum, Part 1
As the title of this post suggests, this has to do with the more-or-less open curriculum system we have here at Vassar. For those who don't know, Vassar students have only three common requirements for graduation: proficiency in a language, a freshman seminar designed to get incoming students used to writing in college, and a quantitative course. Other than that, the only requirements exist by major, and take up usually no more than 13 (but usually 11) of the 34 units required for graduation.
Back in the day when I was looking at colleges, the full benefits of an open curriculum were unclear to me. I realized that they meant I would never have to take another math class again (although I did); however, I didn't think about other implications. In particular, I didn't really consider how the option of taking whatever desired would affect the composition of who was in my classes.
Since coming to Vassar, I've discovered that the open curriculum concept not only allows me a great deal of flexibility in what classes I take, but that it also causes classes to contain students who are taking the class solely because they're interested. In particular, this means that even in intermediate and advanced level classes, there are plenty of people who aren't necessarily majoring in the subject, but are nevertheless interested in it. They bring to the table a unique and different perspective which a major in the subject might not otherwise be exposed to.
This is especially evident for me, this semester, in my history class. A 200 (intermediate) level class of approximately 22 people, this does, of course, contain its fair share of history majors. The things that surprised me, however, were how many non-history majors and minors there were who were taking the class, how diverse of this conglomeration was. There are, for example, majors and/or minors in such departments as Psychology, Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Italian Studies, Women's Studies, Economics, English, Philosophy and Political Science. Thanks to the fact that the class ranges from covering social to political to economic to cultural topics, all of these represented backgrounds of study help to generate a fuller, more fruitful class discussion.
Back in the day when I was looking at colleges, the full benefits of an open curriculum were unclear to me. I realized that they meant I would never have to take another math class again (although I did); however, I didn't think about other implications. In particular, I didn't really consider how the option of taking whatever desired would affect the composition of who was in my classes.
Since coming to Vassar, I've discovered that the open curriculum concept not only allows me a great deal of flexibility in what classes I take, but that it also causes classes to contain students who are taking the class solely because they're interested. In particular, this means that even in intermediate and advanced level classes, there are plenty of people who aren't necessarily majoring in the subject, but are nevertheless interested in it. They bring to the table a unique and different perspective which a major in the subject might not otherwise be exposed to.
This is especially evident for me, this semester, in my history class. A 200 (intermediate) level class of approximately 22 people, this does, of course, contain its fair share of history majors. The things that surprised me, however, were how many non-history majors and minors there were who were taking the class, how diverse of this conglomeration was. There are, for example, majors and/or minors in such departments as Psychology, Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Italian Studies, Women's Studies, Economics, English, Philosophy and Political Science. Thanks to the fact that the class ranges from covering social to political to economic to cultural topics, all of these represented backgrounds of study help to generate a fuller, more fruitful class discussion.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Reader Question One: The Drama Department
First off, I just wanted to apologize for the lack of new posts over the past week. I hit a bit of a rough patch with my work where I had four things due at once, so, very unfortunately, didn't have the time to post. What can be learned about Vassar from this? Well, that the homework really isn't overwhelming, most of the time. The exception to this comes when you have the misfortune of having all your classes scheduling tests, papers, problem sets, and presentations for the same week.
Now that I've got that off my chest, on to business! Today's question:
My daughter is VERY interested in Vassar... we visited this summer & she fell in love with pretty much everything. She's intending to major in theatre... might you be able to share any interesting tidbits about that department?
First of all, let me just say that Vassar is a fantastic school for those interested in any of the arts. Not only are the dance, drama, music, and art departments all strong, but the extracurricular art scene is also quite impressive. There are two major dance groups on campus (VRDT and flypeople), eight A Capella groups (and one whistling group), six performing arts groups, five comedy & improv groups, a film group, and a variety of choral and instrumental groups offered both by the music department and student clubs. The best part about all these offerings, in my opinion, is how easy it is to become involved in them, regardless of major.
As to the question of a major in theatre... at Vassar, your daughter would probably be majoring in drama. I believe the department has somewhere between ten and fifteen professors and offers classes in both the performance and production aspects of theatre. Majors are required to take classes in both of these parts of the program, in order to encourage well-roundedness. Most of the classes are heavily grounded in theory: I have a friend who took the 102. Introduction to Theatre-Making: Theory & Practice course last year and remember him talking a lot about all of the theories of different directors and actors on performance and production that he learned in the course. At the same time, however, he did mention that they learned these theories partially through performance (scene studies, I think he called them). I haven't taken a drama class myself, but from what I've heard, the classes stress a combination of theory and performance.
The drama major consists of 10 1/2 credits, which is a bit less than most of the other majors offered at Vassar (all other departments that I know of require 11 to 13 credits). It also requires no senior thesis or project. This, I imagine, is partially because the department expects students involved in the department to be putting on performances and taking part in productions. It also, however, makes double-majoring in drama and a second department more of an option.
If you're looking for more information, I recommend you check out the Vassar College drama website: http://drama.vassar.edu/index.html.
Now that I've got that off my chest, on to business! Today's question:
My daughter is VERY interested in Vassar... we visited this summer & she fell in love with pretty much everything. She's intending to major in theatre... might you be able to share any interesting tidbits about that department?
First of all, let me just say that Vassar is a fantastic school for those interested in any of the arts. Not only are the dance, drama, music, and art departments all strong, but the extracurricular art scene is also quite impressive. There are two major dance groups on campus (VRDT and flypeople), eight A Capella groups (and one whistling group), six performing arts groups, five comedy & improv groups, a film group, and a variety of choral and instrumental groups offered both by the music department and student clubs. The best part about all these offerings, in my opinion, is how easy it is to become involved in them, regardless of major.
As to the question of a major in theatre... at Vassar, your daughter would probably be majoring in drama. I believe the department has somewhere between ten and fifteen professors and offers classes in both the performance and production aspects of theatre. Majors are required to take classes in both of these parts of the program, in order to encourage well-roundedness. Most of the classes are heavily grounded in theory: I have a friend who took the 102. Introduction to Theatre-Making: Theory & Practice course last year and remember him talking a lot about all of the theories of different directors and actors on performance and production that he learned in the course. At the same time, however, he did mention that they learned these theories partially through performance (scene studies, I think he called them). I haven't taken a drama class myself, but from what I've heard, the classes stress a combination of theory and performance.
The drama major consists of 10 1/2 credits, which is a bit less than most of the other majors offered at Vassar (all other departments that I know of require 11 to 13 credits). It also requires no senior thesis or project. This, I imagine, is partially because the department expects students involved in the department to be putting on performances and taking part in productions. It also, however, makes double-majoring in drama and a second department more of an option.
If you're looking for more information, I recommend you check out the Vassar College drama website: http://drama.vassar.edu/index.html.
Monday, September 15, 2008
An Ode to Class Discussion
Many of the professors in the history department at Vassar follow the same general structure to their courses in that there are two types of classes: "lecture" days (an outline is handed out and the professor spends most of the time delivering a lecture) and "discussion" days (the class as a whole discusses the assigned readings). I've never been one to over-express myself in class so, for me, lectures are usually better than discussions. I use the word "usually" here because I'm gradually finding myself gravitating more towards discussion days. This isn't so much because I'm suddenly find myself wanting to contribute more, but because, as I'm moving out of 100 (beginner) level courses and into the 200 (intermediate) level, I'm finding myself in classes with a bright, astute peer group who really do make some engaging, thought-provoking comments.
Now, that's not to say that this doesn't happen at the 100 level. In fact, it most certainly does. The real difference is that at the 100 level you have a few students who are really "on the ball" while, at the 200 level, the vast majority of the class is able to easily come up with and articulate meaningful ideas. Today, for instance, in my history class, we were discussing a work which our professor described as "quite the challenge." After a bit of initial grumbling about the piece, the discussion really picked up; over half of the twenty or so students participated without any prompting on the part of the professor.
Later on in the class, when our professor stepped in to provide some guidance in the form of a question, we had 100% participation. As we went around the room and all the students provided an example that satisfied the query, they were able to reply with a unique, thought-provoking answer, as well as quality textual support. There were no repeats, no "skip me please, I can't think of anything"s, no vague generalizations that lacked textual evidence. It was a true joy to be a part of and reminded me once again that Vassar really is the intellectual community I was looking for in my own college search.
Now, that's not to say that this doesn't happen at the 100 level. In fact, it most certainly does. The real difference is that at the 100 level you have a few students who are really "on the ball" while, at the 200 level, the vast majority of the class is able to easily come up with and articulate meaningful ideas. Today, for instance, in my history class, we were discussing a work which our professor described as "quite the challenge." After a bit of initial grumbling about the piece, the discussion really picked up; over half of the twenty or so students participated without any prompting on the part of the professor.
Later on in the class, when our professor stepped in to provide some guidance in the form of a question, we had 100% participation. As we went around the room and all the students provided an example that satisfied the query, they were able to reply with a unique, thought-provoking answer, as well as quality textual support. There were no repeats, no "skip me please, I can't think of anything"s, no vague generalizations that lacked textual evidence. It was a true joy to be a part of and reminded me once again that Vassar really is the intellectual community I was looking for in my own college search.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Anything But Cloth (ABC)
Last night marked the start of the house-sponsored parties for the semester. For those who don't know, these parties are all-campus events which take place primarily on Friday and Saturday nights. They usually have some sort of theme and are put together entirely by the house teams of the dorm or dorms sponsoring the event. Basically, they're a lot of fun and feature non-stop DJ-ing and dancing until one or two in the morning.
Unfortunately, I missed out on last night's bash, Anything But Cloth (ABC), thanks to a cold and a rather large body of reading for three of my classes. That being said, I do have a close friend who is a member of one of the house teams sponsoring the event, so can give you a brief synopsis of the party.
ABC was sponsored by two campus dorms--Lathrop and Jewett--as well as Contrast, a student organization whose primary production is a fashion magazine put out at the end of each semester. The dance had a "Project Runway" sort of theme (the show is quite popular on-campus): it invited attendees to show up in an outfit made of anything except cloth. Basically, duck tape shirts and cardboard skirts were absolutely everywhere. Aside from dancing, ABC also offered entertainment in the form a of catwalk where individuals dressed in non-cloth attire could show off their outfits and a screening of the show "Project Runway." Although there were complaints on-campus prior to the evening about the difficulty of coming up with an outfit, the party was, according to my friend, quite the success: most of the attendees managed to come up with an outfit that was at least partially non-cloth, if not fully.
Unfortunately, I missed out on last night's bash, Anything But Cloth (ABC), thanks to a cold and a rather large body of reading for three of my classes. That being said, I do have a close friend who is a member of one of the house teams sponsoring the event, so can give you a brief synopsis of the party.
ABC was sponsored by two campus dorms--Lathrop and Jewett--as well as Contrast, a student organization whose primary production is a fashion magazine put out at the end of each semester. The dance had a "Project Runway" sort of theme (the show is quite popular on-campus): it invited attendees to show up in an outfit made of anything except cloth. Basically, duck tape shirts and cardboard skirts were absolutely everywhere. Aside from dancing, ABC also offered entertainment in the form a of catwalk where individuals dressed in non-cloth attire could show off their outfits and a screening of the show "Project Runway." Although there were complaints on-campus prior to the evening about the difficulty of coming up with an outfit, the party was, according to my friend, quite the success: most of the attendees managed to come up with an outfit that was at least partially non-cloth, if not fully.
Welcome
Hey there!
For those of you who know me from College Confidential, I'm littleathiest and am here to give you the perspective of one student on anything and everything Vassar-related. Basically, my purpose is two-fold:
1. Talk about my own experiences at Vassar. In doing so, I'd like to give you a sense of what the life of a student at the school is actually like: classes, social stuff, extracurriculars, and anything else that pops into my head.
2. Answer any and all questions you have about the school. This could be as general as "Can you tell me a little bit about the city of Poughkeepsie?" to as specific as "Can you tell me anything about Professor Merrell in the History Department?" I might not be able to always give you a full answer, but I will certainly try. If you have a question about the school or the admissions process in general, feel free to post it in the "comment" section of any post I make. It doesn't have to pertain in the least to the post itself.
Now that that's been said, let me introduce myself a bit for those who might not know me. I'm a female sophomore at Vassar College from a small, private high school in the Connecticut-New York area and am considering a potential major in history. I have a wide variety of academic interests, and as such have taken classes in a bunch of different departments so far: history, psychology, biology, mathematics, medieval-renaissance studies, Russian studies, classical studies, physical education, and political science.
That's about it for now. Let the games begin!
For those of you who know me from College Confidential, I'm littleathiest and am here to give you the perspective of one student on anything and everything Vassar-related. Basically, my purpose is two-fold:
1. Talk about my own experiences at Vassar. In doing so, I'd like to give you a sense of what the life of a student at the school is actually like: classes, social stuff, extracurriculars, and anything else that pops into my head.
2. Answer any and all questions you have about the school. This could be as general as "Can you tell me a little bit about the city of Poughkeepsie?" to as specific as "Can you tell me anything about Professor Merrell in the History Department?" I might not be able to always give you a full answer, but I will certainly try. If you have a question about the school or the admissions process in general, feel free to post it in the "comment" section of any post I make. It doesn't have to pertain in the least to the post itself.
Now that that's been said, let me introduce myself a bit for those who might not know me. I'm a female sophomore at Vassar College from a small, private high school in the Connecticut-New York area and am considering a potential major in history. I have a wide variety of academic interests, and as such have taken classes in a bunch of different departments so far: history, psychology, biology, mathematics, medieval-renaissance studies, Russian studies, classical studies, physical education, and political science.
That's about it for now. Let the games begin!
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