A Fireside Chat with Vassar.

Today began nicely because I finally got a normal amount of sleep: nine solid hours. We headed over to Penn Station again and jumped on the Amtrak to go to Poughkeepsie, New York. After a beautiful train ride up the Hudson River it was time to go to Hyde Park and the home of the 32nd president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 

Morning time with the Roosevelts.

The lovely Hyde Park gardens with Emily.

The estate that FDR lived on was incredible. We were given a private tour by a park ranger of the house that FDR lived in. We learned a multitude of interesting facts about the life of FDR including his preservation of bird species and that his wife was his very distant cousin. We saw the final resting place of the Roosevelts and their famous dog Fala and we visited a museum about the Roosevelts. Finally we watched a movie about people's perceptions of Roosevelt's presidency. I left the theater feeling a newfound interest in the presidency of FDR and his policies. Hopefully we might discuss the Constitutionality of the New Deal programs in our course at Columbia! We had lunch at the visitor center cafe where Emily, Margaret, Bryan, and myself discusses the best and the worst of the U.S. presidencies. In particular William Henry Harrison, James K. Polk, FDR, and Andrew Jackson. Margaret impressed us all by reciting the 44 presidents in order in under 60 seconds. 

Dinner!

It was time to visit Vassar. The first thing i noticed as we drove through the archway entrance into the college is how beautiful the campus looked. There are hundreds of different types of trees scattered all over the grassy campus with small white paths interjecting between the patches of grass. The school had a few modern buildings but has maintained much of its  original architectural style. Vassar's buildings reminded me of European castles and palaces. We first attended an information session hosted by a Vassar admissions officer. Similar to yesterday's meeting this session focused on the basics: admissions, the application, statistics about the students, etc. One particular thing to note was Vassar's very open curriculum. Students choose all their own courses from a catalogue of over 1000 total courses! Students are paired with a counselor to help them make the right decisions but it is mainly up to the student to design their own education at Vassar. I really like this approach, but I am also fine with a more structured approach as well. 

The tour we took was with a wonderful tour guide who clearly loved Vassar. Classes are quite small averaging at about 19 students. Larger lecture classes are only about 50 students maximum which is incredible. I personally love the small classes because they allow for more discussion and personal lessons and interactions. The tour took us through the beautiful campus, we weaved in and out of the trees and small fields. We were able to see a double dorm room which was quite spacious and we got to relax for a few seconds in the dorms main room. Housing and social life on campus seemed very lively with lots of clubs and things to do. One thing to note about Vassar is that it is not really close to a big city. This was a slight negative for me because I like having the opportunities that a big city offers. However, the campus seems self sustaining enough to keep the students very entertained. A major positive I thought about Vassar was its own 9 hole golf course which only costs $2 to play at. I love golf and for such a small school (2450 students) to have its own golf course is incredible! 

Eventually it was time to ride the train home, where we were scheduled to go to Ellen's Stardust Diner near Times Square. A quirky diner staffed by actors and actresses trying to make it on broadway. Periodically throughout the meal the wait staff would jump up on tables and burst into song. They sang classics from the Lion King, Les Miserables, and Queen. They walked around the restaurant giving a lot of special attention to Margaret. At one point our waitress gave us straws to throw onto the people eating below us. It was an amazing restaurant due to its awesome vibe. Probably one of the most unique places I have ever been to. Today was a fantastic day and I look forward to meeting the Brown cohort tomorrow for lunch and a tour of Yale. 

Original building from Vassar.