Bard College Simon's Rock

I am currently a sophomore at Bard College at Simon's Rock studying technical theater and stage management. I could not be happier with my decision to come to this school. In the year and a half that I have spent here I have learned so much not only about the field that I am studying but also about myself. I have made the best friends in the world as well as making great professional connections through my professors. The school is quite small and being a city girl at heart the size of the school is sometimes hard but it really is a great way to do your undergraduate degree because everyone knows you and you can't fall through the cracks of the system.

1st Year Female -- Class 2017

Faculty Accessibility: A+, Surrounding City: A-

I find that much of the way people talk about Simon's Rock is unfortunate because there isn't as much consistency of experience as people would like you to believe. Just about every person that shows up at Simon's Rock will have a different perception of the school, and those who leave do so for a variety of reasons (and they aren't always because they hate the place). The first year dorms aren't gorgeous, the school isn't brimming with money, we aren't somehow magically exempt from societal issues, and it isn't always easy to be in such a confined place for so long.

That doesn't negate the academics, faculty members, beauty of the campus, and the actually very immense opportunities that open up to you (in correlation with how well you do. If someone does well here, they shouldn't have many issues transferring, as the school helps students do that by offering GED, SAT, and ACT).

I don't think I've had a perfect experience here. However, most of my issues are interpersonal (whether with students or staff/faculty/admin), and to say those issues only exist at Simon's Rock would be incredibly unfair to the school.

It isn't like this place is a black hole. I've had a lot of fun since I've gotten here, both in and out of the classroom. When I want to be challenged, I'm pushed, and when I want to ride low, I'm still challenged. That's why I came here, and that's why I'm considering staying.

Students can come here at 17 and while they may not, at the moment of their arrival, be prepared to take on what they will for the next for years, they have opportunities (and take those opportunities) to grow. Students have come here at 14 and 15 and been incredibly successful, and hundreds of students have come here at 16 and been incredibly successful. To say that someone is unprepared for college because of their age is inaccurate, even as we recognize that most do not show up thoroughly matured on their first day. However, that is part of the experience. People don't mature because they're 18 and living in a dorm with other people who can vote and smoke, they mature when they face the legitimate issues of adulthood and life, when they discuss philosophical problems and have the initiative to contemplate themselves. We do that here.

This is also generally an incredibly opportunity that not many have knowledge of or access to. I was not doing well in high school: my ability to motivate myself was sub par at best, and no one, not my teachers or the administration, attempted to push me. Coming here put me in an environment where most people appreciated what they were learning, and knew they were learning because they were interested. While the people here were supportive and helped me do that, it was also my responsibility to be in an accepting mindset. Don't come here expecting to hate it because all you will do is ignore any positive experiences you have and erase the constructive experiences that so many people have had here.

If you are sitting in high school and either under-worked and hoping for more, overworked in an nonconstructive way, and hoping for something actually beneficial to you, or just generally wanting to get a head start on your life, look into Simon's Rock. Come with an open mind, , a preparation to be challenged (and an expectation that the challenge will be *gradual,* you won't drown in the first quarter), and come with an understanding of *how things work at other schools, because many complaints about Simon's Rock are inherent to the collegiate experience and attributing them solely to SRC is unfair to the school and to your own experiences.*It really is a great school, the BA programs are great, the travel abroad/away opportunities are great, the graduate and post grad paths that open to you are great. There really is a lot about this school that is great. We aren't perfect, but I'm not looking to be coddled in an artificial bubble during my undergraduate career. This is real.

1st Year Male -- Class 2017

Useful Schoolwork: A+, Surrounding City: B-