How did you learn about Vassar and what aspects of our college do you find appealing?
When we rummage through our drawers to find a pair of socks, it's a mini-quest for love. We are inclined to look for things that complement each other, it's almost biological. When we write, we make connections. When we get dressed, we coordinate colors. Life is a constant search for matches. To say that I'm in love with Vassar is sort of cheesy (well really cheesy), but I'm guilty of it anyway. To say that Vassar fits me, that it is my match, well that's just telling the truth.
The first time I heard about Vassar was in my guidance counselor, Sr. Patricia's, office in freshman year. I was a nervous little freshman sitting there in my first group session wondering if Sr. Patricia was trying to analyze my character. I was largely focused on what high school had to offer and college was a vague image that lingered in the back of my mind. Sr. Patricia made it clear that she wasn't there to evaluate me, but in fact, to make me aware of possibilities. During that session she talked about college not as four years away, but four years soon to come. The first school she mentioned to us in that session was Vassar. What a perfect way to excite us about possibilities! It was an instant attraction for me. From the description that she gave, Vassar sounded like an intellectual heaven. The openness of the curriculum was its most striking feature.
Vassar gets my heart because we share a passion for open-mindedness. When I think of learning, I think of freedom; I think of exploration; I think of bare feet on the grass in the summertime. On a cold Sunday visit to Vassar, freezing in Rocky, I could still feel that free; barefoot on the grass feeling. There was something in the air. The students I saw and talked to weren't just there to get a good job in the future, to live up to the expectations of their parents, or to party, like many other college students in the country. At a panel discussion that I attended one of the students said, "I never had a class that changed my life immediately, but when that class was over there was so much I had to dicuss." about his urban studies class. That type of passion was striking to me, and it intensified my cheesy love for Vassar.
I want that experience. I want classes that can move me. Vassar students are at Vassar to truly cultivate their intellect. They are not simply trying to acquire knowledge. They are trying to multiply knowledge and then circulate it so that the cycle continues.
By giving students the opportunity to design their own majors and not having a core curriculum, Vassar shows respect for students with varied interests instead of dismissing them as scatterbrained. Vassar's unique attitude towards education allows students to be intellectually stimulated in a way that no other school does.
Sitting in my 9am Early British Literature class during the Vassar bus trip, I remember the feeling that I had back in freshman year, sitting in my group guidance session, thinking "Oh the possibilities!" I knew that Vassar students were passionate about learning, but I did not think they would be so engaged in a 9am class (on a Monday morning no less). The class was very intimate. The professor asked one of the students to read a passage from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" aloud. He read it with so much enthusiasm that it sounded like he was reciting for a play. Everyone sitting in that class was contributing and their discussion reflected a genuine thirst for knowledge. Literature and writing are my biggest passions. In high school, I always wished that my school had a larger community of people who shared this passion. I cannot wait to go to Vassar and get involved with the Helicon. This would give me that one thing that was missing from my high school experience.
Another thing that I had often wished for during my high school years was a serene environment. The buildings that I see on bus rides throughout the city, though beautiful, can be reminders of my distance from nature. On my way to Vassar, I looked out the window of the bus and couldn't help but feel closeness to my surroundings. Up at Vassar I experienced autumn the way it should be, with leaves crinkling under my shoes. Coming from the Bronx, I appreciate the nature of Poughkeepsie in a very special way. It inspires me and makes me feel at peace. I can see myself going for long walks in the morning before an exam or writing poetry by the lake.
So, why Vassar? I'm applying to Vassar for the same reason that when people find their soul mate they pursue them with every fiber of their being -because perfect matches are hard to come by.
Wow, that's a pretty solid essay. :)
It really brings across your passion for Vassar; however I feel that there is some repetition of ideas, that made your essay considerably longer than usual 'Why?' essays.
For example, delete "There was something in the air."
But all in all, I loved your essay.
On a cold Sunday visit to Vassar, freezing in Rocky, I could still feel that free;(delete semicolon) barefoot on the grass feeling.
They are trying to multiply thier knowledge and then circulate it so that the cycle continues. (nicely put!)
Excellent ending statement! Well done! I absolutely loved reading it :)
can you read my duke research essay in return ?
