dc89

chocoholic, I don't know anything about the class, but I can say again that Natalie Friedman is terrific!

nmatth, I'm an Italian correlate so I can tell you a little about the department. I did 105-106 and loved it. You really bond with your class, because it's tiny and you see each other every day. I adore the Italian department - the professors are all totally nuts and completely amazing. They like to feed their students. (I have one professor who brought us wine after the election last semester. It was GREAT.) I've also taken French here and I think the Italian department is more fun... but languages at Vassar are generally pretty great. Really well-taught and good material.

SailorV, the social life off campus is essentially nonexistent. I mean, there are good restaurants around, thanks to the proximity of the Culinary Institute (grads stay in the Hudson Valley area and open up fabulous restaurants!) but we don't get discounts. There's enough to function, there's a movie theatre and a Target and grocery stores and whatnot, but Poughkeepsie is kind of a dump. There is enough to do on campus that it doesn't really matter, though, and if you're free enough, you can always take the train to NYC.

littleathiest

Also, what's the social life like off of campus- as in, what does Poughkeepsie and the surrounding area have to offer? Is it a good college city; do you get benefits at restaurants/stores (such as discounts) for being a student?

@SailorV... Personally, I don't think Poughkeepsie (and the Hudson Valley area) is a terrible place to be: it's definitely not a big city environment, but it's not horrible either. In terms of attractions... there are several historic sites (Franklin Delano Roosevelt's home and library, several houses to tour, etc.), a mall and movie theatre complex, bowling, and museums (Dia Beacon) within a 45-minute radius. A couple of cafes (Babycakes, the Cubbyhole) and theatres (the Bardavon for more classical stuff & the Chance for rock/alternative) that have weekly (if not daily) music venues also exist. Babycakes and the Cubbyhole are within walking distance of the campus, while there's a shuttle that you can take down to the Bardavon/Cubbyhole area. This shuttle runs throughout the week (convenient for internships and work-study) and makes a number of stops in the downtown Poughkeepsie area, including the Poughkeepsie train station. In addition, it also does weekend trips up to the Galleria mall & movie theatre complex.

With the CIA up the road, there are a number of very good restaurants in the area as well at a variety of different price levels. Babycakes (cafe and restaurant), the Krafted Cup (coffehouse), the Beechtree Grill (American), the Dutch Cabin (Tex-Mex), Thai Spice, Sushi Village, the Acropolis Diner, K&D's Deli, and several Tex-Mex and pizza places are all affordable places within walking distance of the campus. In addition, there are a ton of other restaurants within about a half-hour radius of the campus: Soul Dog (hot dogs), Akari (Japanese), and Twisted Soul (South American) in Poughkeepsie and the Ever Ready Diner in Hyde Park, are a few I'd recommend. There are also several places to eat other than the Culinary Institute that are a little nicer (the Artist's Palate, the March Hare, the Busy Bee, & Le Pavilion in Poughkeepsie and Twist in Hyde Park).

In addition to this, there are occasional festivals and farmer's markets in Poughkeepsie. Every fall, for example, there's a farmer's market held across the street from the campus weekly (its inside Main building on weekends). There have also been a number of other festivals and events in the area (I remember hearing about a Greek festival, an Italian festival, and several Poughkeepsie church events open to the public).

The Hudson Valley also offers a number of different hiking options as well as a number of orchards (apple picking in the fall was quite fun).

In addition to this, keep in mind that NYC is definitely accessible from Poughkeepsie. The Poughkeepsie train station is the last stop on the Hudson Valley line, which takes you directly to Grand Central Station. Although you probably won't find yourself going into NYC every weekend because of work obligations, it can be fun on occasion. And, one more thing, remember that Vassar has tons of stuff going on on-campus every weekend. If Poughkeepsie seems a bit lacking to you, bear in mind that most students don't go into the city all that much (I do a bit more because my boyfriend has a car), and are pretty content with the social activities the campus has to offer.

lauraluisa

Hey I am not sure if this has been asked before, and I am really sorry if it has but here goes:

1. I visited a few weeks back, on a sunday, and it seemed that a lot of people were off campus. Many students were driving off with their cars, and I am a bit worried (I'm an international student) that I will be left alone on weekends. I'm guessing that a lot of the students come from ny, and I am wondering if a lot of people go home on weekends...e.g is vassar a suitcase school on weekends???

2. Does anyone have details on the vassar drama program?? I have heard that it is really good, I visited the facilities...I really liked what I saw. But how demanding is the program?? And what do students usually do post-graduation??? Do a lot of drama students go on to get an MD in acting? Any success stories???'

thanx guys....

lauraluisa

oh and one more thing

do you think its realisitc to double major in econ and drama???

littleathiest

@lauraluisa... Vassar is most definitely a residential campus and not a suitcase school. There are really very few people on-campus who live close enough to campus to commute back and forth on weekends. Vassar is a pretty geographically diverse place and those who live, say, two or less hours from campus are most definitely in the minority. More importantly, the vast majority of students wouldn't commute home on a regular basis if they were given the choice because of all that goes on on-campus during the weekend: that's the time that all-campus parties, private parties, movie screenings, socializing, and student performances and sports games take place. Besides, the majority of students don't have cars on-campus.

In terms of going into NYC... yes, people do that occasionally. But, because of the time and money it takes to go in, the vast majority of students go to New York no more than a couple of times a semester at most (personally, I went in once last year, but have yet to go this year).

Vassar students venture into Poughkeepsie more than New York, but even this doesn't deter very much from the amount of people on-campus. Because the city isn't huge, there's not a big night scene, so students like to get back on-campus for the evenings. In addition, I really don't think people spend the majority of the daytime off-campus. Personally, when I go off-campus, it's either for dinner (there are several restaurants within walking distance of the campus), to run an errand, or to spend an afternoon at the Galleria mall and movie theater complex (on weekends, you can take the Vassar shuttle there). I don't end up spending the entire weekend off-campus and don't do this every weekend... trips off-campus are occasional treats, not weekend staples.

By the way, it might be possible that the Sunday you visited was atypical. Easter weekend (Sunday, April 12) more people than usual may have gone home for the holiday. Sunday, April 5 was Parent's Weekend, so there was more car activity on-campus than usual. In addition, March Break ended Sunday the 22nd of March, which also caused a greater than usual amount of cars to be on-campus.

Unfortunately, I don't know very much about the drama department. I can tell you, however, that an Economics and Drama double major is probably feasible. Although I don't know anyone with that exact combination, I think it would work because both majors are pretty manageable in terms of credits: Economics requires 11 credits (most classes are 1 credit) while Drama requires 10 1/2 credits. Neither major requires a final project or thesis, which also works in your favor. The drawbacks I can think of are two: that you won't be able to take as many courses outside of those departments as a single major would and that Drama is going to be pretty time consuming, because majors are encouraged to participate in some of the school performances outside of their classes. Of course, this is something you'll need to talk about with your advisors when you get to Vassar... my opinion is really just a semi-educated guess.

gamayshark

i have heard the creative writing/english department is suffering. how accurate is this assessment? english is going to be my major, with a minor in creative writing. im in the midst of an internal conflict between vassar and occidental, so if the english department is actually dying, it may sway my vote.

MZ2009

Since i see you guys were talking about languages i want to ask about spanish. I am fluent in spanish but would really like to improve my writing/grammar skills and just have more sophisticated vocabulary.
Do you think i should do the elementary spanish class or would it be better, without being out of this world super hard, to take the intermediate spanish class?
(i have no problem with a challenging class by the way, i dont just wanna cruise by it, but i would like to know if the intermediate class is so extensive i would be better off just taking the easier class )

littleathiest

@gamayshark... I know there's been a lot publicized online about the creative writing program dying, but from what I know, that's not actually the case. Having attended a talk led by the dean of students, dean of academics, and president about the financial affairs of the school and how they're going to affect academics and student life, my impression is that the administration is definitely committed to maintaining the program. Class offerings per semester might decrease a little, but the program isn't going to disappear anytime soon. As proof of this, consider the classes being offered next semester in creative writing: 5 sections of Intermediate Composition (ENGL-205), a section of Literary Nonfiction (ENGL-207), a section of Narrative Writing (ENGL-209), a section of Verse Writing (ENGL-211), and a section of Advanced Composition (ENGL-305). The only difference from last year's schedule (according to Ask Banner, where past courses are listed) is that last fall two more sections of Intermediate Composition were offered. The diversity of courses is the exact same.

In addition, the English Department as a whole won't be going anywhere: it's one of the biggest (if not the biggest) departments on-campus with, currently, over 40 faulty members (according to the Department website). Unfortunately, some of the non-tenured visiting professors may be cut (and don't get me wrong, I think it's terrible that that could happen), but the department will still remain quite substantial because of the sheer number of tenured and tenure-track faculty members.

@MZ2009... I believe the Hispanic Studies department has guidelines about which course you should sign up for. Elementary Spanish (105-106) is really designed for students with minimal experience with the language (ie, under 2 years). My guess is that you probably belong in either Intermediate Spanish (205) or Reading and Writing about Spanish Culture (206). I'd recommend you try contacting a professor in the department either before or when you get to campus to determine what class would be the best fit for you.

nimby58

We're planning a summer visit. Do you have any recommendations as to a place to stay?

arlington91

im a little confused about vassar ap policy. It would be great if anyone can clear things up a little bit

For the math department it says that "Students receiving 1 unit of Advanced Placement credit based on either the AB or BC Mathematics Advanced Placement Examination or the calculus credit examination administered by the Department of Mathematics may not be granted credit for Mathematics 101 or 121." and then it says "The department recommends that students who have earned a 4 or 5 on the BC examination enroll in Mathematics 221."

Now my question is what if i do not want to take credit for ap calc bc. I really dont want to take a 200 level math course in my first year especially since i dont plan on majoring in math. I really just want to take the single variable courses first year.

Also on the general ap policies it states that "Students will receive 1.0 unit of pre-matriculation transfer credit each for every score of 4 or 5 up to a maximum of 4.0 units. Admission into higher level courses on the basis of AP credit is at the discretion of the individual department." so what will happen if we have a lot more than 4 possible credits... can i choose which ones to take credit for. Also does getting credit for foreing language using the SAT II exam count as part of the four. Im curious about this because i feel like if i take credit for four other aps and not the calc bc then i will be able to take the 100 level classes instead of the 200 level ones my first year. or will still be have to take the 200 level math class. The same thing also goes for statistics. I want to take the class again but on the course catalog website it says that the statistic class is "Not open to students with AP credit in statistics or students who have completed Economics 209 or Psychology 200." So can i decide to not take the ap statistics credit and take the class again.

Sorry for rambling on. Im just really confused by the ap policy and i dont wanna be stuck taking more difficult classes than i really need to my first year in college. Thanks

dc89

One thing about the creative writing offerings being cut for this semester: it might look like just a few classes were cut, but because of the cuts, I can't take creative writing this semester. The only class offered that I can take is 207 (because I'm in 205 this semester), and it's at the same time as a class that's required for the major I'm considering switching to. So basically, the cuts have screwed over my getting a creative writing correlate, which I was hoping to do. I can't in good conscience recommend Vassar as a great creative writing school anymore because of these cuts.

ThatsWhatSheSaid

DC89's situation is unfortunate, but one schedule conflict does not change Vassar's status as a great writing school. Yes, cuts were made, but they're being made everywhere and by everyone. Our English department remains one of the best anywhere, and from what I've heard the school is definitely committed to maintaining creative writing (not to do so would just be a bad move, considering how many people here are interested).

bcash

2. Does anyone have details on the vassar drama program?? I have heard that it is really good, I visited the facilities...I really liked what I saw. But how demanding is the program?? And what do students usually do post-graduation??? Do a lot of drama students go on to get an MD in acting? Any success stories???'
--------------------------------------------------
Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, among others, went to Vassar. Hathaway ended up transferring to NYU. Streep went to Yale drama school after Vassar.

littleathiest

@arlington91... I took math my first semester at Vassar and signed up for MATH-125, a one semester review of calculus (I got a 3 on the AB Calculus exam). I believe that if you have a 4 or 5 on BC Calculus or a 5 on AB Calculus, it's recommended that you take MATH-221, Linear Algebra. A 3 or 4 on AB Calculus or a 3 on BC Calculus gets you recommended for the MATH-125 review of calculus that I took. You can also get into this course if you have under a 3 on an AP mathematics exam, but that requires consultation with the department.

This all being said, if you don't want to move onto Linear Algebra yet, it sounds like the MATH-125, Single Variable Calculus course would be your best bet. Personally, I'd recommend you take Linear Algebra (200-level courses really aren't that bad). MATH-125 would probably work for you too, although I'm guessing it would be a pretty easy A (not to mention boring) for you if you did well enough on BC to get into Linear Algebra.

The rules for statistics (the MATH-141 course) are the same as for the Single Variable Calculus course. Even if you don't take credit for AP Statistics, you still can't take the course because your score alone places you out of it. If you'd like to take statistics, you'd need to either wait until the 300 level course in Mathematics (which you need a couple of 200-level courses for first), or take one of the statistics courses in the Economics or Psychology departments (again, you need introductory Economics or Psychology courses for these as well).

In terms of language... scoring a 600 or higher on an SAT II foreign language exam allows you to test out of the foreign language requirement, but doesn't count as a college credit.

Let me know if this isn't clear or you have any further questions... I know it's a bit confusing.

arlington91

Thank you littleatheist that definately helped... Do u think it is worth taking statistics 141 course again if it means an easy A? ... i can probably get a 4 or 5 on the exam but i feel like i really want to take it again to get an easy A ( also do u know if it normall is an easy A or is it different from the ap class.) i know a lot of counselors advise against that since we are supposed to be learning new things in college but if i dont take it ill just end up taking one less class as opossed to taking another different class. Thanks again.