Watch Vassar's 146th Commencement

Coming to Vassar next fall? See what you have to look forward to in four years! Watch Vassar's 146th Commencement! It was a really incredible ceremony—lots of tearful parents, proud brothers and sisters, and spirited faculty members to send off my class.

Among the highlights: Lisa Kudrow (Vassar Class of 1985, and Emmy Award-winning actress) gave a hysterical and inspiring speech. (Her speech begins around 81 minutes into the video). And, if that isn't enough for you, watch me and Rachel Gilmer present the INCREDIBLE results of the 2010 Senior Class Gift. Rachel and I were the chairs of the Senior Class Gift, a student created endowment to support financial aid. We raised $22,849 from 92% of our class! Not only did 2010 make history at Vassar, but our results also crushed the senior class gifts of virtually all of our peer institutions. Wesleyan should just give up now. (The results start at about 35 minutes into the ceremony).

Questions about Vassar? Are you starting in 2014, or thinking about applying? E-mail me (brfarkas@alum.vassar.edu) with questions over the summer!

Law School...

I'm excited to say that after Vassar, I'll be attending Cardozo School of Law. Located in Greenwich Village just blocks from Union Square, I'll finally be back in my hometown of New York City! Cardozo is nationally known for its programs in alternative dispute resolution and intellectual property law. I'm especially interested in studying intellectual property law after taking a class on the subject last year in Vassar's Political Science Department. (The class was taught by Michael Bennett, who studies the intersection of nanotechnology and the law). Professor Bennett really inspired us to think critically about very difficult issues, ranging from fair use to gene patenting to the very notion of "owning" an idea. That course hooked me on these issues, and I'm thrilled to have the chance to study them in depth at Cardozo.

The thought of leaving Vassar certainly isn't easy for me. I love this place, and it's difficult to imagine leaving my beloved History Department, my housemates, or my work on the VSA. But I know that I'm prepared and excited for the challenges ahead!

Graduation is just a week away, and I'll be sure to update you on all the Senior Week happenings. Remember: E-mail any prospective student questions to brfarkas@vassar.edu.

Vassar to Google!

My good friend Eric Estes '11, Design & Production Editor of The Miscellany News, just got a hugely exciting summer job offer from Google. Right after Commencement, he'll fly to their corporate headquarters (the famous "Googleplex") in Mountain View, California. He'll be working as a Web designer for their research and development team. As a Computer Science major at Vassar and avid computing geek, he should be perfect for the job. Everyone is very jealous of Eric though, not just because of the amazing job and salary, but because of the benefits. Google offers its employees free breakfast, lunch and dinner, free laundry, and free foosball, air hockey, and video games. Plus, employees are usually given 20% of their time "free" to work on independent development projects that interest them.

Good luck, Eric!