Vassar College (VC)

Vassar College, a small, “academically challenging” school, offers a “perfect liberal arts feel,” blending intellectual rigor with a collaborative, creative spirit. Known for its multidisciplinary learning, Vassar encourages students to expand traditional academic boundaries and connect ideas across fields—a hallmark of its open curriculum. With no core requirements, students have the freedom to forge their own educational paths: “A great opportunity for students to explore anything they want before settling into a major,” attests one student. The college excels in the humanities, sciences, and arts, with particularly strong programs in Art History, English, Drama, and Biology. Students describe classes as “very discussion-based,” and that extends to the campus, where it’s said “no problem goes undiscussed.” The “amazing” and “super accessible” professors help to model this idea, by being “fully engaged in the total Vassar community” and “spectacular at illuminating difficult material,” as well as “willing to meet you outside their office hours.” Another distinguishing feature is that classes are taught exclusively by professors. This creates a much-appreciated mix of “high academics” and “a more relaxed environment.”

Vassar College is characterized by many degrees of freedom, not just its open curriculum. Students describe a freedom of expression that’s “all about being unique and letting your quirky characteristics shine.” They also speak to an intellectual freedom filled with thriving “open-minded” individuals. There’s also a degree of financial freedom, as 100 percent of demonstrated financial need is met, which leads to “wide socioeconomic diversity” on campus. These freedoms mean that “you can definitely find at least one other student for every obscure interest you have.” Whether it’s in an inclusive first-year orientation that’s “a great way for people to make friends” or the ways the school fosters community and connection, the “left-wing, artsy, intelligent” students feel genuinely supported.

Students find Vassar’s accredited arboretum campus to be “stunning,” and note that its mix of Gothic and futurist buildings starts to feel like home very quickly. The school is filled with magnificent sights, like a multifloor stained glass window in the library, but also accessible: “The vibe of the whole school is so chill,” and there’s a “vibrant extracurricular scene.” Vassar is “bursting at the seams with orgs”: intramural sports, a cappella, comedy, ice skating, ceramics, performing arts, politics, and “basically anything else you can think of.” The “close-knit dormitory communities” and an emphasis on being “hyper-socially aware” shape a student body that is “excited to be with each other, which creates this school spirit that isn’t necessarily based on sports.” Although there is no Greek life, “there are always parties you can go to if you want,” and with New York City just a train ride away, students enjoy easy access to world-class exhibitions, performances, and nightlife. Intellectual conversations abound at all hours, and students spend “significant time thinking about the state of the world and what’s going on within the campus community.”

The Career Development Office at Vassar “helps students and almumnae/i envision and realize a meaningful life” after graduation. To that end, the CDO provides career and major exploration, sets up information interviews, and will even help students put together a four-year plan to maximize their college experience. Both Handshake and The Vassar Alumnifire network provide job and internship listings for summer and post-college. Typically, more than 96% of Vassar graduates report having employment, graduate school, or fellowships within six months of graduation . PayScale.com reports that the starting salary for recent grads is a median of $56,300 and that 50 percent of grads visiting their website believe their work makes the world a better place.