Vassar is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York. The school used to be a Women’s college, but, was the first women's college in the country to become coeducational in 1969. Men now make up around 45% of the undergraduate population. Vassar prides itself on its broad liberal arts education and classes that teach students how to think and not what to think. Vassar is on the smaller side with around 2500 students. Their acceptance rate is about 20%. Vassar’s supplemental materials are largely optional (more on that later,) however one question is required. Let’s break down what Vassar asks you and how we would tackle it.
First, they ask you to respond to ONE of two prompts. However, those two prompts are both very wordy and that can trip people up on what they are actually asking.
Please select and respond to one of the following prompts in 300 words or less.*
At Vassar, we aim to foster an inclusive community through our philosophy of engaged pluralism. Engaged pluralism is rooted in “the conviction that collaborating across differences is necessary for social transformation and critical for the well-being of any community and its members.” In short, we believe it's our differences that make us stronger. Tell us a little bit about what makes you unique and what you hope to add to our community.
You can ignore most of the words in this prompt. What it is asking is what are you going to bring to Vassar and what are you excited about once you are here. In a lot of ways, it’s a “why do you want to go here” essay, but it also asks you to talk about what makes you unique. This essay requires Vassar specifics that relate to your own life.
You might be freaking out about not knowing “what makes you unique.” It can feel really broad and scary, but there are hundreds of things that make you unique. The easiest way however to approach this is by talking about your interests. Your interests are unique to you and this is your time to showcase them. This should include basics like what you want to major in and classes you want to take but also activities you do in high school that you also hope to do in college. This essay should talk both about classes and on-campus life. Ideally, your answer will show not only why Vassar is the school for you but also why Vassar should want you.
For example, maybe your parents instilled in you a love of math when you were young, but you also have a passion for theater. This is unique. You can talk about how you want to pursue Math in the classroom and get involved in the arts outside of class at Vassar. Make sure you use specifics to back up that Vassar’s community has the opportunities you are specifically looking for and also what you would bring to those communities.
Vassar is a diverse community that inspires positive change through open inquiry, deep dives into society’s most difficult challenges, and collaborative problem solving. We care deeply about one another, the communities that have forged us, and the community we build together on campus. Tell us more about the community (or communities) you come from and how it has shaped who you are.
This is another very wordy prompt. It really only asks students to talk about how their community shaped them. That’s it. Sometimes the word “community” can trip students up. Community can mean an ethnic, religious, or minority group, but it can also be a ton of other groups. Your community might be your school or your baseball team. Community could be a group of friends who do weekly movie nights or the people at your job. You can choose to write about any of these communities.
The more important thing here is to tell a story about a moment when your chosen community shaped something about you. This prompt should feel like a story with a beginning, middle, and end, or else it will feel rambly. First, introduce the community and then talk about a day or time that was meaningful for you. For example, if you choose to write about a baseball team, maybe you want to tell a story about a time you stepped up as captain for a team when the usual captain was out sick. What did you learn from this experience? In what ways did you grow? How did your community support you that day?
If you want to write about a minority community, you can approach this the same way. Let’s say you want to talk about being Muslim. Same thing. Write about a day you volunteered at your Mosque or a time you connected with an elder from your community. It should also feel like a story and show how you support your community and how they have supported you.
If you wish to provide details of circumstances not reflected in the application, please upload a file here. Similarly, if you wish to upload your resume, include it here.
This section is technically optional, but we suggest adding your resume here. You shouldn’t need to use this section for additional information. If you have something you need to explain, that can go in the area of the Common App that lets you provide additional information.
We would encourage all students to make a simple, one-page resume ready to use for questions like this. If you have never written a resume before, you can check out examples online or read our guide to resume writing. Resume writing is a skill. The first one is always the hardest since there is a bit of a learning curve, but once you have made one, you can use it again and again.
Your Space is your opportunity to allow the Committee on Admission to learn something about you that you have not addressed in another section of the application. For example, in the past, applicants have shared poetry, short stories, cartoons, digital images of art projects, photography, and collages, and/or links to videos, and short films. It is your space, so if you choose to complete it, send something that is a reflection of you! Your Space is entirely optional.
The last question is also optional, but unlike the resume section, it’s not as simple for everyone. This space is best for students who are involved in the arts. Think about the things that they list in the prompt. They are all creative endeavors. If you aren’t artsy, that’s fine, but don’t try to force it. If you are trying to draw a cartoon the night before, usually people can tell.
However, if you participate in a creative pursuit, feel free to add it here. We love zines, photography portfolios, articles you wrote for the school paper, videos of you singing opera, etc. Our only tip is don’t overload them. Adding a poem that you got published in a literary journal is amazing. Adding a full unpublished novel, however… is a lot. Ask yourself can a reader take in what you have shared in around 15 min? If so, great. If not, maybe try to cut it back. Readers are busy and don’t have time to watch a full orchestra recital for each student. Try to just send the solo.
We highly encourage all students to respond to 2 of Vassar’s questions and for many, we encourage all 3. These questions might take you some time, especially if you don’t have a resume and acting reel ready to go. If you don’t already have a resume or arts supplement teed up, it pays to create one. You can use it over and over again. Many schools ask for resumes and they are a great resource to have during this process.
Need help with supplements? Resumes? We got you. Reach out here.