Well, that’s their loss, isn’t it? Sheesh! Moving on . . .
Things to do off campus: You’re right, Poughkeepsie mostly sucks. NYC is an option for occasional weekend trips, but chances are you won’t want to leave campus very often - there’s a lot going on that you won’t want to miss!
Preferably good food: Don’t know the situation currently, but the Vassar chefs used to all be affiliated with the Culinary Institute of America, so the food was pretty darned good! Vassar still appears to have its own food service that’s not affiliated with any of the commercial college food services.
Accessible opportunities for research, internships, etc.: Vassar doesn’t have a graduate program, which means that all research opportunities go to undergrads. Want to work with a specific professor? Just let them know!
Diversity in locations people come from: Check it out - [**Vassar](http://chronicle.com/article/Interactive-Freshman-Class/129547#id=197133)[/b] vs. **[Rice](http://chronicle.com/article/Interactive-Freshman-Class/129547#id=227757)[/b].
No huge segregation between people who party and people who don’t: Yep, sounds like Vassar!
Recognition when job-hunting Depends on where you want to hunt for jobs!
Accessibility of volunteer work with education/children: [Wimpfheimer Nursery School](Wimpfheimer Nursery School – Vassar College)
You’re absolutely right about the Vassar “bubble” - you’re going to run into the same people every day on your way to breakfast, and it’s not easy to get away . . . unless you want to go all the way down to NYC. On the other hand, Vassar also has one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country, so why would you want to get away? If you need to escape, just go for a long walk around Sunset Lake.
Don’t know where you’re getting the idea that Rice has a “huge drinking culture” - I’ve never heard anything of the kind. And, really, which of the two schools was founded by a beer brewer? (Hint: it wasn’t Rice!)