researching4emb

Many people, both friends and CC people, have recommended Vassar for my junior D, who wants an NY- or Boston-adjacent LAC where she can get a good education, have a great college community, and major in theater, but not as a serious actor (more general theater studies, with some performing and opportunities to learn about all aspects of production, performannce, management, etc.)

I've just ignored that suggestion because based on all the super-achiever stats I see here, I figure a mini-Ivy like Vassar is out of reach for yet another upper-middle-class white girl who loves the arts, has a solid but not amazing academic record (3.8uw/4.2w, only 3 APs by graduation, a fair amount of honors, but no calculus or physics), and normal ECs (mostly theater, but a few other things too).

We're going to do a tour for spring break-- I don't want to waste our time if Vassar is out of reach. It's just that it gets mentioned so often. Should she put it on her list?

CaliforniaDancer

Given her GPA and interest in the arts, it sounds like it might be a good fit and a definite possibility. However, it's really hard to tell without test scores - 3.8uw at one school is very different from at another school. Has she taken the PSAT? If she just took it as a junior, I understand that you don't have scores yet, but I think it will be easier to say once she has some standardized test scores. However, I would definitely visit (unless for some reason you don't think she'll have a particularly hard time with the SAT/ACT); it does indeed sound like a good fit.

simply lily

Why not visit or apply? You have nothing to lose and the admission process is insane anyway - there's no way of telling who'll get in and who won't. I say, just do it. And if you don't feel like visiting, try to apply anyway - why not?

researching4emb

She's at a college-prep girls' Catholic school in L.A., one that mostly sends girls to the UCs and Catholic colleges (LMU, Santa Clara, USD, Gonzaga, and for a few, BC, Villanova, etc.). Unfortunately I'm not expecting her test scores to be great-- her sophomore PSATs were so-so, and her older sister's test scores did not nearly reflect her grades/academic success. (Don't get me started on my hatred of SATs... my older D is thriving in college, a top student, doing far far better than her SATs would have suggested-- she just has bad test anxiety, and we have philosophical problems with untold hours/years of standardized-test prep.)

Anyway, if high school entrance exams and first PSAT are indicators, D2 will do a little better on SATs than her sis, but will probably be only the 1800 range, not the 2200 range.

We chose to send our girls to a wonderful, fabulous elementary school that eschewed all standardized testing and grades, so in part this is probably because of that. But that elementary school set them up to love learning, love school and excel in their HS classes. It's a tradeoff, and not one we regret, except for the damn SATs.

Sorry, a rant....

mythmom

I think it will be tough get so I think it really depends on your D's character. Is she the type to be devastated if she falls in love with a school and can't be admitted? Or does she roll with the punches.

With scores around 1800 I don't think the chances are very good.

However, what we did with our D was take a Hudson Valley trip. You may want to also. You can drive along the Hudson and see Skidmore, Bard, Vassar, Sarah Lawrence and we ended at Barnard (in NYC, the final destination of the Hudson before it turns into a tidal estuary and empties into the Atlantic Ocean.)

D ended up at Barnard (with a view of the Hudson from her dorm room) and she really liked all these schools. Her scores were 2100+, but Bard and Sarah Lawrence don't care about test scores. Skidmore maybe want the geographical diversity.

imsolidmatter

I'd say research the school as much as you can and wait it out to give a try. I had low PSAT scores, and my actual SAT scores are about 300 points higher. There's no harm in trying if she really loves Vassar.

researching4emb

Thanks, good suggestions all. And she will certainly prep next summer for the second round of SATs and may do better than I think.

We saw Skidmore last spring, and while I loved it, she thought it was too remote.

Next spring we were going to have a few fun days in NYC, see a couple of plays and check out Wagner, then head south to see Muhlenberg and Ursinus. But maybe we'll take two days to first go north to see Bard, Vassar and New Paltz.

Vassar sounds right up her alley in terms of vibe and the kind of students who go there. She's not the type to be devastated-- she's very practical. Right now she mostly wants Emerson but is also interested in Muhlenberg and is open to others. We'll see how the rest of junior year goes and the testing.

I was pretty stunned at Vassar's price, so I don't want to push it too much! At schools like Muhlenberg and Ursinus, she might very well get merit aid....

imsolidmatter

Emerson is fantastic! If she likes Vassar & NYC, depending on what she wants to study, she should check out Eugene Lang (or just the whole New School University).

Do you know what type of students go to Wagner?

researching4emb

Don't know a lot about Wagner, except it's known for theater, and a friend of hers from L.A. is there. I get the impression that it might be not very good academically and might be a little too small and high-schoolish. But we'll take a look-- we'll be right there anyway.

She is coming from a girls' school and so won't consider women's colleges or those that fall too much below the 60/40 standard-- so no Bryn Myr (sp?), Smith, Sarah Lawrence, etc. I totally get that-- I went to the same high school in the '70s, and the male-female ratio was probably the top priority for many of us!

HarrietMWelsch

It does look like a stretch, but there's no reason not to visit.

The Hudson Valley trip suggestion is a good one; mythmom mentions some schools that your D will likely find interesting.

This is a great year to visit in any case. All the river towns are celebrating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage. But as a big Hudson fan . . . okay, also a rivergeek who thinks this is just really interesting: The Hudson is an estuary for roughly half its length, beginning in Troy - over 150 miles from the NYC Harbor. The salt front reaches up to Tarrytown through the winter and as far north as Newburgh in the summer. Sometimes even to Poughkeepsie if things are really dry.

mythmom

You know Harriet, I kind of knew that was wrong, so thanks for the correction, because I love the Hudson and should know the facts.

Is Pete Seeger going to give one of his concerts? I saw one in 1968 with my first boyfriend who could drive. (I couldn't yet.)

Is there any particular date or celebration you recommend?

HarrietMWelsch

I'd look at hudson400 dot com or hudsonriver400 dot org for general celebrations.

Pete Seeger frequently (maybe always, I really don't know for sure) performs at the Clearwater festival (clearwater dot org slash festival); clearwater dot org would list anything coming up in the meantime. He sang with Arlo Guthrie and Taj Mahal this past spring.

canada

If you're even remotely interested in Vassar I highly recommend visiting. I was on the fence about Vassar before I went, and after visiting, it really swayed me to apply. I abolutely loved the feel and the campus. And it never hurts to gather as much info as possible on the college before you apply.