Is Obama the next FDR?

One of the wonderful aspects of Vassar is its location—and not just because it's only 1.5 hours away from New York City. The Hudson Valley, designated a National Heritage Area by Congress in 1966, is full of historic and cultural attractions.

One of my favorites in the the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, on the same grounds as the FDR Museum and the president's former home. The Roosevelt estate is only 20 minutes from Vassar, and well worth the trip. Students will love the immaculately kept gardens and the spacious picnic grounds; history buffs will love just about everything else. You can read my full review of the estate on The Miscellany News Guide to Poughkeepsie.

Recently, the Museum opened its exhibit entitled, "Action and Action Now: FDR’s First 100 Days." The exhibit is fantastic, and details the foundations of the New Deal. Many analogies have been made between the nation inherited by FDR in the throes of the Great Depression and the nation that Barack Obama is about to inherit, struggling with a global financial crisis. Though this exhibit in Hyde Park doesn't draw the comparison directly, it certainly poses the question implicitly: is our situation today so different from the one faced 80 years ago? This question has recently been posed by many scholars and political pundits.

The exhibit has been generating rave reviews, and rightfully so. Go check it out the FDR estate when you visit Vassar!

Huffington Post

I was so excited to have been offered the opportunity to write for the Huffington Post. The Post is one of the most widely viewed online newspapers in the country, and its blogs deal with political and cultural news of all sorts.

Check out my article, "Higher Education Will Struggle Through the Recession," here.

I wrote about the effects of the economic downturn on higher education. Like all businesses, institutions and individuals, colleges across the country are being hit by the recession. But with lots of discussion, creativity and ingenuity, I'm confident that Vassar—and maybe even a couple of its peer institutions—will make it through the crisis.

My Twenty-First!

Sunday was my 21st birthday! I know what you're thinking—Sunday is a pretty awful day to have a 21st birthday party. I had classes the next morning, and two papers due that week. Fortunately, my friends made it a day to remember... About two years ago when we were freshmen, my closest group of friends promised that they would take me out for my first legal drink, since I would be the first among us to turn 21. But in return, they made me promise to choose a special drink - something festive.

Sure enough, I ended up getting a delicious piña colada from UNOs Chicago Grill, a great restaurant within walking distance of Vassar. We got some festive appetizers and some more delicious drinks, and had a grand old time. It might have been more fun if my birthday had been on a Friday or Saturday night, but I'll take what I can get!

Final Exam Season

Remember how stressed I was about midterms? Multiply that by five. Vassar is a wonderful place, but the academic work is not for the faint of heart. I have more research papers than I can count due within the next few weeks. At the moment, it's about 6:30 in the morning and I'm getting all my books together to head over to the library, which opens at 8:30.

Today, my project is a research paper on an American businessman in Japan... I figure if I get there at 8:30, I could get a ton of writing and reading done, then leave the library in time to see my friends for dinner and hang out with them in the evening. Maybe even watch a movie? The last few weeks of a semester always bring a tornado of work. Let's hope I make it...

Thanksgiving Feast

After a difficult week of papers, I'm finally free for Thanksgiving Break! I'll be heading home tonight on the train to Manhattan. Sometimes it's really nice to live just an hour and a half away from Vassar—some of my friends have to suffer through hours on busses and planes to get their turkey. But I just hop onto the free College train shuttle, spend an hour on MetroNorth, and I'm happily in Grand Central in no time.

Usually, I like to spend my train rides staring out my window at the scenic Hudson River. This afternoon, though, I won't be quite so lucky; I have about 450 pages of reading to do before Monday :-( Not to mention the four research papers I have due in the next couple weeks. Ack! Finals period can be really stressful, since everyone's major assignments are all due at the same time. It tends to put a crimp in Thanksgiving.

On the bright side, though, I will soon be with my parents, eating my favorite stuffing and sipping some apple cider! At least I'll have a couple hours free from schoolwork...

Thanksgiving, thanks to Sarah Josepha Hale!

Last year around this time of November, I caught an interesting story in On Campus, one of Vassar's publications:

If it weren’t for Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, the popular women’s journal of the 19th century, Vassar would be “Vassar Female College” and Thanksgiving Day wouldn’t exist. The College was originally incorporated in 1861 as “Vassar Female College.” Very much a supporter of Matthew Vassar’s plan, Hale appealed to the founder to dispense with “Female,” a word she considered “inelegant” and “absurd.” After much correspondence between the two and numerous editorials in Godey’s, the trustees eventually agreed to the name change, the New York State Legislature amended the college’s charter, and the marble slab engraved with the word “Female” was removed from the front of Main.

Furthermore, Hale is responsible for devising Thanksgiving. Although the holiday had been practiced since the settlers in Plymouth, its scheduling was never regularized.

It wasn’t until Hale took up the cause that what we call Thanksgiving evolved. She wrote editorials and lobbied “that the LAST THURSDAY IN NOVEMBER shall be the DAY OF NATIONAL THANKSGIVING for the American people.” Finally, in 1863 (just two years before the first class of Vassar students would arrive on campus) President Lincoln succumbed to her pressure and proclaimed the last Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving. Finally, in 1941, Congress made Thanksgiving a legal holiday.

The Day that was The Day

Hard to believe Election Day was already a week ago. I've never felt so much energy on Vassar's campus. So much pent up anxiety, excitement and youthful engagement exploded on one glorious November evening. But while everyone was glued to their televisions in their dorms, attending parties organized by professors and student groups, myself and my fellow editors were stuck in the Miscellany News office putting together the weekly paper.

Editors tend to be very politically engaged, so there was a certain sense of sadness when Production Night began that Tuesday. Would we miss all the excitement? Would we be forced to struggle with formatting instead of watching history unfold? Everyone knew they had to type away at their articles and put their heart into layout--in spite of the excitement outside our doors. I found myself refreshing CNN.com every few seconds for the latest results. Indeed, our own Web site included live blogging of elections results from the second floor of the Students' Building, where hundreds of students were merrily gathered in front of a large projector.

But then, around 10:45, we all gave in to temptation. As the final states were being called, we all huddled around a laptop to watch the results. Ohio. Pennsylvania. Virginia. Then, at 11:01, Wolf Blitzer called it - Barack Obama had won the presidency.

By 11:02, the information was on miscellanynews.com, and we stood cheering and hugging one another. Our paper had endorsed Mr. Obama in late October, and we were happy to know that the nation had agreed with our choice. Many editors stuck around to watch his victory speak in Grant Park streaming online. Trying to inconspicuously wipe away our teary eyes, we saw the 44th president address the nation in one of the most inspiring acceptances my generation has witnessed.

For the rest of our lives, we'll remember sitting in the Miscellany News office, recording student reactions and putting together our newspaper on that truly historic American night.

An inside look...

Yesterday was an exciting day for me and my fellow newsies. The Miscellany had a behind-the-scenes tour of Davison House, which is being gutted and renovated over the course of this year. Construction began early in the summer, and by next summer, it will be complete and ready for the Class of 2013 to move into in Fall 2009.

Vassar's residential life is really something special. Students feel true, Harry Potter-esque affinity to their houses on campus. Some of my closest friends freshmen year lived in Cushing, which I continue to call home. Each dorm has a house team—a group of people who create all sorts of interesting programming for residents. Each week, Cushing has CommuniTea, where we can all talk with our neighbors, get to know each other over a cup of tea, and take a break from the rigors of our academic work.

Most of the dorms themselves are very stately—many are collegiate red brick, tudor style buildings, others are Victorian, and other are more modern. Because of their age, however, some of the interiors are getting a little ratty. Many of these buildings were constructed in the late 1800s or early 1900s, and certainly could use some upkeep. Not that any of them are awful. But after so many years and so many residents, the ongoing renovations to residential life are certainly welcome.

In 2003, Jewett House was overhauled and is now a pristine, almost hotel-like building (my personal favorite!). It features big-screen televisions, several multi-purpose rooms, beautiful bathrooms, and spacious kitchens. The rooms are cozy, with nice wood flooring, brand new furniture, and bright lighting.

Davison House, one of the four Quad Dormitories, is now being redone as well—and The Miscellany News got the first peak! Learn about some of the building's new features in this exclusive video. No doubt, the members of the Class of 2013 assigned to the new Davison will be very lucky indeed.

Entering the World of Multimedia

Over break, an article that I wrote on the digital future of college newspapers was published by Inside Higher Ed, an online newspaper on issues facing higher education.

The article discusses some of the ways in which The Miscellany News has been trying to take advantage of the internet, in the same way that professional news organizations like CNN.com and The New York Times have been. For the first time, our staff has been experimenting with videos, slideshows and voiceovers. All of this content is posted on a special multimedia section of our Web site, here. Pretty nifty for a student paper.

As people are consuming media in so many different ways these days, it's important that the youngest journalists stay ahead of the curve as much as possible. Admittedly, our video skills still leave quite a bit to be desired, but we're getting there. The hardest part? Holding the camera steady...

Meet Me in Poughkeepsie!

One of the stereotypes about Vassar is that the College has an awkward relationship with the Poughkeepsie community. Although this stereotype is not entirely accurate, there is a grain of truth to it—too many students never leave campus. Even many of my own friends often remain within Vassar's walls, rarely venturing into Poughkeepsie, except to catch the MetroNorth train to New York City. That is unfortunate, because Poughkeepsie and the Mid-Hudson Valley have so much to offer.

In an effort to get more students into the community, the Vassar Student Association (Vassar's student government) organized Meet Me in Poughkeepsie. MMIP got about 1,000 students—nearly half of the student body—off campus. Students participated in more than thirty events, which ranged from a trip to Eleanor Roosevelt's home, to apple picking, to hiking at Mohonk. Check out the Miscellany's coverage of the event: Meet Me in Poughkeepsie!

I was really proud of the VSA's efforts in organizing this event; afterwards, there was a renewed energy among the students whom I spoke with for engaging local attractions and patronizing local businesses. To learn more about the terrific resources that the community around Vassar has to offer, read the Miscellany News Guide to Poughkeepsie here: Guide. Poughkeepsie has so much to offer, and Vassar students are now taking advantage of those resources more than ever before.

Midterms

Hard to believe we're already approaching the half-way point of the fall semester. On the bright side, that means bright crimson, orange, and golden leaves falling from Vassar's countless trees. On the not-so-bright side, that means papers, exams and stacks of reading. Midterm season is here in full force.

Unlike in high school, where work was evenly distributed over the course of the term, college students tend to have most of their work clumped in the middle and at the end of each semester. Right now, I'm up to my ears in work: 3 papers due this week alone, in addition to a political science midterm exam. Next week, I have four more papers, and a research proposal due. Ack!

And so I'm stuck in the library, unable to frolic through those falling leaves. Oh well. Thankfully, most of my work is pretty interesting. For example, today I'm working on a paper about a British woman named Harriet Tytler, who lived in India during the mid-19th century. She was the only woman to witness the 1857 Siege of Delhi. She was able to see first-hand the anger and resentment of Indian peoples against the British East India Company. Certainly good reading for a nerdy history major!

Politics

Friday night on a college campus. One thinks of scenes from Animal House or The Greek Life: people partying, carousing, and misbehaving. But Friday night—tonight—at Vassar will be very different.

Literally all of my friends will have their eyes glued to the television for the Presidential Debate. Every dormitory has a large TV room with a huge flat-panel screen. Usually there are just a few quiet couches in front of the TV, where friends occasionally get together in the evening to watch the World Series or The Daily Show. But tonight, the television will be surrounded by rows of chairs, dozens of couches, love-seats, ottomans, tables, stools... you name it.

Vassar is a very political place. Though people often assume that the entire campus is "liberal," I've found a great deal of diversity of opinions here. Tonight will be an exciting opportunity to discuss those ideas with my friends and neighbors, as we sit down to watch Barack Obama and John McCain face off for the first time—assuming McCain actually shows up...

Course Selection

My favorite time of any semester at Vassar is the first two weeks. This time, known as "Add/Drop" period, is when students can attend as many classes as they like and 'experiment' before settling down into a final schedule. No one takes advantage of this shopping period more than I do. In the past two weeks, I have visited more than 25 different classes, even though I knew I would only end up taking four or five. Some of my friends think I am little nuts for voluntarily sitting through so many seminars and lectures for two weeks, hour after hour, even for courses that I likely would never take.

So why do I do this? Why do I enjoy Add/Drop period so much? Going to those classes, even the ones that I know I will never take, I get dozens of perspectives on learning at Vassar. I get to see dozens of teachers in action. I get to see what goes on in a geography class, a classics class, a psychology class—even though my primary areas of studies are totally removed from these disciplines. Professors almost always distribute their syllabi on the first day, which means I get a free window onto entire courses that I would otherwise never see. In my room, I have a drawer full of syllabi, all from classes that I never have (and probably never will) take. But if I ever wanted to learn about Developmental Psychology or Dostoyevsky, I now have comprehensive lists of books and readings.

I'm not a very adventurous person when it comes to course selection. I know exactly the types of professors that I like and exactly the types of books I like to learn from. Many people are far riskier than I when it comes to course selection (one friend is taking a class on Creole Religions; another is taking a course on nanotechnology). I tend to stick to my favorite departments—history, political science and economics. But that doesn't mean that I'm not curious. At Vassar, students routinely audit courses without being enrolled in them. In other words, you are able to hear the lectures, do the readings and participate in the discussions, and not have to worry about stress and grades. Having the flexibility to fine-tune my course list really makes for an excellent semester. And this semester is no different. After much adding and dropping and experimenting, I enrolled in courses on Tokugawa Japan, Childhood in Modern England, the British Empire, the American Presidency, and Charles Dickens.

And now, I had better return to all of the homework I have for those classes...

Coming Home to Vassar, and to a new homepage, www.miscellanynews.com

As I unloaded my car this year, I felt a twinge of deja vu. This was not the first, not the second, but the third time that I would be making those multiple voyages between the back of my trunk and my cozy Cushing room. I first moved into Cushing House as a freshman, and continue to live there now. But as I unloaded the boxes and bins, pillows and suitcases, clothing and computer equipment, a small feeling of sadness hit me; I don't have that many 'unloadings' left. College is a funny thing; you obsess about it throughout high school, you get there, and before you know it, you're half-way through. So, in the short span of being in school, it is important to make your mark on the institution.

Along with my fellow editors, that is exactly what we plan to do with the Miscellany News. This year will boast a number of major changes to the paper. Perhaps the most notable is our online presence:
www.miscellanynews.com — Over the summer, I pushed a major overhaul of our Web site. While our old site was clunky and outdated, our new site is sleek, user-friendly and flexible. Photos and articles can be quickly rearranged depending on the news of the day. For example, we were able to post our coverage of Fall Convocation within an hour, and soon afterwards posted a gallery of photos from the event. Very cool, considering last year, that same coverage would have taken a week to get into our print edition. The Miscellany can now be as flexible as a blog, as timely as a daily paper, but as creative as a weekly publication. This online overhaul has been incredibly difficult, but once we see it through, I believe it will revolutionize news at Vassar—and revitalize our almost 150-year-old publication.

Hopefully, my fellow editors and I will also have time to be students this semester. My full course roster is not yet decided. Thankfully, Vassar gives students several weeks to add and drop courses before having to commit. This is one of my favorite parts of academic life here, since it gives you time to find professors with whom you really click. I have, however, definitely settled on a few interesting gems. I'll be taking The American Presidency in the political science department, and then The British Empire in the history department. I'm also going to take Childhood in Modern England, a seven-person history seminar that looks really interesting. It will be a nice change to take a class on such a specific topic and develop a deeper mastery of the material. (In high school, we had to take classes spanning all of world history! No time for details.)

Overall, I'm looking forward to a fantastic year, both academically and on the Miscellany — now, which of those requires more of my time, I couldn't tell you!

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Eight papers and exams down, one more to go! These last few weeks have been incredibly busy, but now I can concentrate all of my energy on my final task: my Revolutionary America final exam. As I've said in previous posts, that class is one of the best that I've taken at Vassar, but also one of the most difficult. I had taken American history in high school, and thought I understood the Revolutionary period. Boy was I wrong. I always knew the baby version of the story: In the mid-eighteenth century, American colonists became increasingly uneasy with British control, and after getting taxed too heavily, they decided they'd be happier splitting ways. So, on July 4, 1776, they declared independence.

Well, after a semester in this Revolutionary America course, pretty much every part of that story-line has been broadened and complicated in my mind. Even the date of independence is different in my head - July 2, 1776 is the actual day that the Continental Congress voted for independence. John Adams, in his writings, even noted that July 2 would be remembered with "illuminations" (i.e. fireworks). Turns out, he was two days off, since (for reasons unclear to Adams) people decided to celebrate the day that the Declaration was voted on, rather than the day that independence was voted on.

Professor Merrell promised us on the first day of class that, at the end of the semester, we would be far more confused about the Revolution than were were at the beginning. He was right. I do love my American history, though, so studying for this exam will not be quite so onerous as my other tasks during finals period have been.

After all the stress of these past few weeks, I needed a little break. Last night, we went to dinner at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). The CIA is conveniently only about 20 minutes from Vassar, and has the most delicious food you've ever tasted. They make buffalo Monterey Jack cheeseburgers that are out of this world. Plus brownie sundays for dessert. Even though the food at the CIA is gourmet-quality, the prices are pretty reasonable, because it's all made by student chefs. We even managed to sweet-talk the waitress into giving us free gazpacho and cookies - and *almost* into giving us free hats.

Alright, back to studying! I have another section of my notes to go through before bedtime...

Finals...

Well, here we are. Those two weeks of the semester that everyone dreads - finals period. An ominous quiet falls over Vassar, as all the students seem to disappear and the campus becomes suddenly silent and completely still. Everyone packs into the Thompson Memorial Library, parking themselves at a computer, furiously trying to complete that last bit of research, read that one last chapter, write that one last paragraph. Vassar students are nothing if not studious, and nothing proves that more than the energy and vigor that everyone puts into their final exams and papers.

As for me, I'm juggling five different exams and term papers in the next couple weeks. Right now, I'm sitting in the Class of 1951 Reading Room of the Library (one of my favorite rooms because of its arched, imposing mahogany ceiling). My project for today is to make some headway on papers for each of my Political Science courses. For one class, "Congress," I'm writing about the ways in which the personal experiences and values of Pennsylvania Senators Arlen Spector and Rick Santorum have influenced their past decisions on roll call votes. For the other class, "Law, Justice and Politics," I'm writing about the shift from institutional to modern racism in sentencing decisions in the criminal justice process.

So I still have a lot of work ahead of me :( The good news is that yesterday, I handed in my enormous term paper for my Revolutionary America, 1750-1830 history course. That class - with Professor James Merrell - is definitely one of the best I've taken at Vassar, but it's also one of the most difficult. I spent hours and hours in the Library trying to find original diaries from the wives of congressmen between 1800 and 1820 in Washington D.C. Narrow topic, much? Oh yes. But it was so rewarding to finally hand in that paper, which I had been working on for months.

Clearly, final exam period can get really stressful. Thankfully, though, the atmosphere is not competitive, and once its over, everyone goes back to being normal and stress-free just in time for summer!

Founder's Day

Today is Founder's Day! Founder's Day is one of our oldest and most exciting traditions, which began as a surprise birthday party for the College's Founder, Matthew Vassar. No blog post can quite do it justice, but I'll explain it as best as I can: On the first Saturday in May, the entire College becomes a gigantic carnival, complete with live music, dancing, rides, inflatables, free food, and prizes. People flock out of the Library, stop studying for finals, put down their unfinished theses, and just play for hours on end.

Professors and staff come too, and the entire College community gathers around to celebrate Vassar's past, present and future. Even alumni attend, often bringing their families. This afternoon, I met a man who had graduated from Vassar in the 1980s. While waiting for his wife and children to make their way through one of the bouncy castles, he told me about his own memories of Founder's Day. It's pretty cool how this one day can unite people from all different stages of the College's history.

The tradition began on April 29, 1866 (Matthew Vassar's 74th birthday), when then-President Raymond organized a day of surprise festivities. Students greeted the Founder with cheers and songs. After the excitement, Vassar, with tears of joy in his eyes, is thought to have said that "This one event has paid me for every cent I have spent for the College." Though Vassar passed away two years later, the event has lived on for nearly 150 years; by tradition, the President of the College leads a toast to the Founder to begin the day's events.

I had SUCH a great time. My friends and I went early and got free candy and balloon animals. We also went on this funky spinning ride. Then we listened to Lola Bluegrass, this crazy singer from Vermont, who kept dancing around and rolling down hills. She was a little nuts. She said she's going to the fireworks tonight (in just a couple hours!) so maybe I'll see her there. Anyway, Founder's Day 2008 was WONDERFUL!

Happy Birthday, Matt!

PS - Read about this year's Founder's Day in The Miscellany News here!
http://misc.vassar.edu/archives/2008/05/founders_day_pr.html

First Week On The Job

A couple weeks ago, I was elected Editor in Chief of The Miscellany News through Fall 2008. For those of you that know me, you know how much I love The Misc. I started my first week freshman year as a Guest Writer, and worked my way up through the ranks. Working for the campus newspaper has been such an unbelievably rewarding experience. I've learned so much through my years on the paper, especially from those above me on the chain of command.

It's pretty scary, though, to think that now *I'm* the person at the top of the masthead. This past issue was my first as Editor in Chief; it was terrifying to say the least. I used to be responsible for only a single section - now I'm responsible for a 20-24 page paper every week. All of a sudden, writers and editors began coming up to me asking for my input and direction. There is SO much that goes into the creation of a newspaper that readers don't even think about. Even writers and editors don't always see the paper from all of its many angles - I certainly didn't until this past week. Thankfully I have two wonderfully organized Senior Editors to catch mistakes and aid in the production process. Plus, The Misc has unbelievably talented Editorial Board, who work tirelessly to make the paper as well-written as it is.

It's certainly a tremendous amount of work, but The Misc is an obsession of mine. This summer, I'll be working on redesigning our Web site and archiving old newspapers (dating back to the 1860s!) online. Incoming freshmen! If you're interested in working on The Miscellany News, I would love to get the Class of 2012 involved. Shoot me an e-mail at brfarkas@vassar.edu, and I'll tell you more about how to begin writing for Vassar's oldest publication.

Getting the Scoop

There are few activities at Vassar that I've enjoyed more than my work on The Miscellany News. The Misc, as students call it, was founded in 1866 as The Vassar Miscellany, and has spanned the history of the College. Students here have a proud tradition of investigative journalism, a tradition which we continue into the present day.

Just last night, we 'scooped' the College in announcing some major upcoming changes to campus dining. We posted our story on our Web site http://misc.vassar.edu at 1 a.m. and administrators sent out their announcement at 10 a.m. today. It felt wonderful to inform the community and beat them to it! Next year, the All Campus Dining Center (ACDC for short) will be remodeled to allow for a lot more up-front food preparation. Vassar will also renovate the Kiosk, a coffee and snack stand in the College Center for people on the move during the day. There has also been some talk of adding another convenience store in ACDC, which would have small, a la cart items.

Pretty cool. I love student journalism here at Vassar, and would encourage all students - current and prospective - to get involved. The more voices we are able to represent, the stronger The Misc becomes, even 140 years after its founding.

April Days...

Looking around campus, I can see the buds beginning to form on the trees, the grass beginning to green, and of course, the ubiquitous squirrels beginning to emerge and make their presence known. But I see something else - hundreds of prospective students! Campus tours seem to be everywhere. April can be a difficult time for high school students; the decisions that they make among the often numerous schools to which they are admitted can be complex. Should you choose based on the buildings? Based on the class size? Based on the people you meet? 

As I hear the guides talk about the Vassar's founding or the huge number of books in the library, I can't help but remember my days as a high school senior on that same tour. Though I'm already a sophomore, it seems like it was just yesterday that my dad and I came up to Poughkeepsie to see the campus. We had a wonderful trip up along the Hudson from New York City, where I live. After the info session and tour, we walked to Vassar's huge sports fields, where we had a catch and talked about all of my college choices. I later visited Vassar for a second time with one of my best friends on Admitted Students Weekend.

Honestly, the process of selecting Vassar as my clear first choice was not an easy one. I had numerous conversations with friends and parents, teachers and college counselors, all of whom seemed to give me different advice. I think there were two aspects of the College that sold me. The first is superficial: the Library. If you haven't been on a tour and walked inside the unbelievable Thompson Memorial Library, you're missing out. Not only is the building itself magnificent - complete with imposing spires and cathedral-like ceilings - but it contains over a million printed books, plus untold numbers of electronic journals, magazines and newspapers. As a history major, I love the process of research. Nothing has facilitated that research more than the Library, a building that I fell in love with from the moment I saw it.

Second, the people that I met when visiting Vassar struck me as some of the most thoughtful and ambitious that I have ever encountered. I met one guy who was working to raise money for schools in Haiti, another girl who was pre-med with a double major in biology and English with a minor in Math (!) and another guy who was on three varsity teams. Not only are the students here interested in so many different things, but they also excel at all of them. That first impression has wrung true with the people that I've met since I arrived as a freshman.

Coming to Vassar was one of the best decisions I've ever made. All of my gut feelings about the students and the campus proved correct. I'm always happy to answer any questions about Vassar from prospective students... just shoot me an e-mail at brfarkas@vassar.edu.