Lillian Reuman

Each day in my work as an intern in the Office of Admissions, I am challenged to sum up two enormous questions in one sentence for prospective students and their parents – ‘Why did you choose Vassar' and ‘What don't you like about Vassar?' My "appropriate" replies required some fine-tuning, and over the past couple of years, they've become automatic. Honestly, I find my initial reasons for "choosing Vassar" somewhat obsolete and my qualms quite trivial.

In response to the first question, I typically speak of highlights from my overnight visit as a prospective student with Caitlyn Ly '10, my visit to a small anthropology class in the high-tech Kenyon Hall, and the Thompson Memorial Library's overwhelming splendor on a gloomy day's tour. And, if I were to list off the variety of reasons why I love Vassar, they'd be sitting there for hours.

The little things that temporarily ticked me off pale in comparison to the rich resources that Vassar has offered me. Generous invitations to share stories from abroad at a professor's house or dine on fine Vassar china at President's house overwhelmingly negate the incomprehensible lack of a dishwasher in my newly constructed town house. Twisted Soul's lavender lemonade on Tasty Tuesday quells my cravings for a long-overdue Atrium smoothie. And the beauty emanating from the flower beds in front of Main Circle and the Library quickly suppresses any lingering loathing that I harbored from the winter days wrought with a sub-par shoveling job on the steep path that leads to the Town Houses.

Through my service to the Office of Admissions, I also hope that I have helped to assuage the rampant stereotypes that surround the Vassar namesake. At times it was hard to maintain composure in front of a packed Sanders Auditorium as I responded to the recurring questions of "Does anyone here take science classes?" and "Is everyone here gay?" followed by the predictable sequence of "Will my daughter find a boyfriend?" and "Does Vassar offer more of a hook-up culture or a dating culture?" – prefaced, of course, with "It really isn't that important to me, but… " or "I'm unsure how to phrase it, but…" Others seemed to wonder what "constitutes" the typical Vassar student. And then there is always the sophisticated question: "What's your policy on alcohol?"

I typically offer a simple reply along the lines of "Students have many interests" or "Students are open-minded." In terms of dating and drugs: "If you're looking for it, you can find it." Regarding the "typical Vassar student" inquiry, I've adopted the favored response of, "The typical Vassar student is atypical." I suppose I could elaborate and let them know that some of us appreciate experimental fashion, encourage some pansexuality here and there, and adore our gender-neutral bathrooms. Are these visitors looking to hear that everyone is heterosexual, abstinent, and pre-med?

The thought of a biology and music double major or a studio art major on the rugby team makes me proud to be part of a school that fosters such diverse interests and talents. For me, the fact that some Vassar students identify with one stereotype or fulfill multiple stereotypes while others completely loathe the very notion of conforming to a stereotype makes for an interesting (read: the best) campus environment – one that creates unique conversations, lifelong friendships, and the tangible energy that is Vassar College. I wouldn't have it any other way.

—Lillian Reuman is an outgoing contributing editor of The Miscellany News.