College Spotlight: Vassar College

General Information
One of the stops on my college trip was also in Poughkeepsie, NY at Vassar College. As soon as I walked onto the campus, I knew I was at a college. It was an absolutely beautiful campus with tons of space and architecture that just screams college. Vassar College is a small liberal arts college with just under 2,500 undergraduate students. It was originally an all-women's college, but went coed in 1969. It is a liberal campus with students from all different backgrounds. Vassar was actually recently awarded 1 million dollars for being the most socially economically diverse college in the country. They devote over $60 million each year towards financial aid and the average financial aid package per student is $40,000. Any student that comes from a family that makes under $60,000 will be given financial aid packages that do not include loans. While walking the campus I was impressed with the immense diversity throughout the campus, which was great o see. 

Academic Information
Vassar College is very much a liberal arts college and they have an open curriculum, many students can take any classes they want across all disciplines. Overall, there are 51 majors offered in Arts and Humanities, and the Social Sciences. Students are encouraged to take a foreign language and Vassar basically offers any language you could think of. Also, more than 60% of the students have more than 1 major. There is also a very large art presence on campus, with many people involved in different types of art, including the performing arts. There are numerous plays that are put on by the students each year. Many of the professors at Vassar live on campus in the student housing. The housing is unique at Vassar, with the majority of students living in the same house on campus for the first three years. 98% of students live on campus all four years and there is a very large Catholic community on campus, with Catholic mass being held once a week.


Admissions Information
Vassar offers Early Decision, Early Decision 2, and Regular Decision. A good amount of their students (48%) are accepted through Early Decision. There are about 670 students per class, and they have about a 23% acceptance rate, which makes it very competitive. Their middle 50% of the SAT is 1340-1460, ACT is 30-33, and the top 5 states Vassar draws from is New York, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. 

Overall, Vassar College is a very special place drawing some of the most liberal, academically driven, and diverse students from across the country. The setting is on a picturesque campus in upstate New York, and is a great place for the right student. Vassar is definitely not for everyone, but if you are someone who wants the small school feel, personal attention from professors (some of which will live with you), and a place where you can take a variety of courses and push yourself across many different subject areas, Vassar may be a place you want to check out. Enjoy!

-Joseph D. Korfmacher 











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