Vassar College - Academics

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

Vassar professors are approachable. You won’t be told to go to a teaching assistant because there isn’t one. Professors lead classes, grade papers and tests, advise students, make themselves available for hours beyond office hours, and conduct research in their respective field. They live in dorms, are with kids at lectures, and invite students to their homes. Professors create and modify classes to fit personal strengths and student input. They are proficient in what they teach and often dynamic in their style of teaching.

Even if Vassar professors weren’t half as good as they are, the academic freedom allows students to construct their own program. The fine print is not something you should pull out a magnifying glass for. There are no core requirements, but only three classes students must take: a writing-intensive version of an introductory class offered in a wide range of departments, a quantitative analysis class, and a foreign language sequence, which a good score on an SAT II test fulfills. The rest of your education is up to you. Students are allowed to “shop” for classes, and most add and drop courses during the first two weeks of class to fine tune their schedules. They can create an independent major and are encouraged to study abroad.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

Well, of course, there are the... Well, of course, there are the typical complaints of teachers who don’t know their stuff, who aren’t organized, who give out stupid assignments or pointless tests. But any school has its faulty teachers. They say in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) ‘make for yourself a teacher, acquire for yourself a friend.’ The professors I have met at Vassar have indeed been both my teachers and my friends. I worked with my advisor on an independent study for a semester. Every week, we would meet at Babycakes (the café across the street from campus), sip vanilla Chai, and chat about Emanuel Levinas and Martin Buber, comparing their philosophies to my own experience of Jewish life at Vassar. At Vassar, the teacher and student communities are not so far apart. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

The vast majority of teachers are... The vast majority of teachers are really superb, approachable, fair, and gifted speakers. But there are some that, for whatever reason, seem to be idiot savants who lack basic people skills. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

Most of the professors are... Most of the professors are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the subjects they are teaching. Most are very good at combining lecture with reading, with discussion, and with related topics for a series of classes that encourage student participation and learning. With small class sizes, the teachers are able to really tailor the class time to the students and their interests. I don’t think I’ll ever feel like I have run out of classes that I still want to take, and I will never have time to take them all. Students learn how to figure out what classes they will like and are certain to be able to find plenty of classes that interest them. When you do find those classes that are just right for you, they’re amazing! 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

Most of my professors have been... Most of my professors have been wonderful, challenging, and fun. However, I can think of at least two professors that really weren’t worth my time. Both were teaching their first semesters here, so maybe stay away from new professors. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

Professors are known to invite... Professors are known to invite students to their homes, and occasionally, they can be spotted on the fringes of a student event or party. I was once asked by a prospective student what the ‘fatal flaw’ of Vassar College is. I was hard-pressed to think of one, but after long deliberation, I was able to dig one up. My professors all know my name, and none of my classes have more than 30 students. When my seat is empty or my eyes start to close, my professor knows. This intimacy is usually a plus, except when you have a nine o’clock class on the other side of campus after a long night of partying. 12345 Academics Report

Facts

Did You Know?

Vassar was the first college in the country to include a museum and teaching collection among its facilities. The college’s gallery predates such institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was founded in 1880, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, established in 1870. Today, Vassar’s Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center has more than 17,000 works in its collection.

About 500 students participate in fieldwork or internships locally or in New York City for credit. Approximately 70 percent of Vassar students participate in fieldwork for credit before they graduate.

Paper needs a little editing? The student-staffed Writing Center located in the library provides help to students at any stage of the writing process, from rough outline to final draft.

Students can take as many as four Vassar courses with the Non-Recorded Option, also known as pass/fail. Students select the minimum grade they are willing to accept for a class in the beginning of the semester; if they end up doing well in the course (better than the minimum grade), then they get the grade earned. Otherwise, as long as they don’t fail it, they’ll earn a pass in the course.

The library doesn’t have what you’re looking for? Vassar students have access to a seemingly infinite number of resources from other academic libraries through Interlibrary Loan and Connect NY. Materials usually arrive within two weeks. Students can renew their borrowed books online to keep them out for extended periods of time.

Most Recent Contributing Author

Name: Sam Murray
Hometown: Bend, IN
Major: Philosophy/Economics

Sam once got slimed on a Nickelodeon TV show as a kid.

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