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.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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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