Bard College

I just graduated from college (Class of 2004) with an English degree. I went to a well respected 4 year state University that was pretty competitive to get into.

A friend referred me to this site and I think it is a great way for prospective students to hear real opinions about various Colleges/Universities.

Let me first start off by telling you that growing up I dreamed of going to Bard College (it has a great reputation as a liberal arts school). Coming out of a math and science oriented HS, I dreamed of going to a place where I could sharpen my creative skills. I am an avid writer and worked on my HS newspaper. I love fiction writing and was encouraged by many of my HS English teachers to apply to Bard College. Since I had good grades and several extra cirricular programs under my belt, I decided to go for it.

I am stating now that I DID NOT attend Bard College...but the impact my visit left on me is enough for me to feel the need to post a comment.

Keep in mind I visited Bard during 2000 and have not returned since. I knew going into my admissions interview that Bard College was fairly competitive but I had been reassured by both teachers and my guidance Counsler that I was an ideal canidate for this school.

Upon arriving at Bard I was placed in a discussion group that was straight out of a freak show. I guess you could say I was dressed "normally": not too trendy, not too goth and apparently this was not the "norm" for the average Bard student. I am a very a very friendly person and immediately felt uncomfortable in the setting. We were suppose to have done some assigned reading (looking back now, I realize all of it was very useless and generated the type of discussion that would interest your average over- analytical yuppie).

I could tell right away that the "Professor" who ran the discussion was only interested in listening to a select few...and it seemed the more you stood out, the more interested she was in you. Overall, there were some really nice students in the discussion but there were several that made it known that they were much smarter than you.

Several of the radical students had not done the reading at all but had no problem pulling crazy theories out of their head...and suprisingly the Professor seemed really taken with some of the stupidity that poured out of their mouths.

When I went for my actual admission interview I was immediately treated with coldness. My portfolio was disregarded and I was told that my math skills were not up to par. Now mind you, I'm no math whiz but I managed to pull decent math grades. Also, keep in mind I was interested in literature and creative writing.

I wasn't so upset at the fact that I didn't get in but more over the fact of how I was treated. In my lifetime, I have never been so disrespected and disregarded as I was at Bard College. I'm not writing this for sympathy...trust me, not attending Bard was THE BEST THING that ever happened to me.

If you are a creative student looking into colleges it makes sense that you would want to go somewhere that fosters creativity (especially coming out of HS!).

My advice to any student in this boat is to REALLY LOOK at a college. Bard taught me the hard way that some liberal arts colleges do not welcome diversity unless it fits their own particular standard. A lot of Private Liberal Art Colleges such as Bard will try and convince you that the unfriendly, eccentric, over- analytical college route is the way to go.

College is four years to have fun, party a little, expand your knowledge and meet LOTS of different people. NO COLLEGE should make you feel inferior... the funny thing is, I ended up going to a state college where I took creative writing workshops with published poets and fiction writers and mets LOTS of different, highly talented people at 1/2 the price of Bard.

I have met several people who hated Bard and transferred right out and a few that seemed to enjoy it (I am from the surrounding area in NY...about an hour away). I am sharing this experience because I believe it is relevant to any prospective students with reservations about Bard. I for one, will never forget how arrogant the place seemed. Also, if you are really looking for a diverse liberal arts school with specialized programs I would highly recommend SUNY Purchase. It has a great reputation, is affordable (especiall if you are an in-state student)and has a very eccentric feel. Some of the students can be overwhelming but there is a nice feel to it and the students are interesting to talk to. I didn't go there but one of my classmates who got into Bard ended up choosing Purchase because she felt it offered a more prestigious program and a more comfortable environment.

Don't get caught up in the Bard hype...just because a school wants to be ivy league doesn't mean it is. And even Ivy league schools treat prospective canidates with RESPECT.

1st Year Female -- Class 2004

Bard is full of students who think they are extraordinarily intelligent, but rather, teeter on the average. This is a good school that institutionally seems to think it is exceptional. Rather, Bard is an average school with an average student body. Bard is in the midst of an identity crisis: students and the administration seem to think it is an Ivy League school when, in fact, it is pretty average. This school does not demand much and will give you A's in all your courses if you simply complete your assignments.

3rd Year Female -- Class 2005

Faculty Accessibility: A-, Surrounding City: F