Bard College

Attending Bard made me a very tolerant person. I was something of a fish-out-of-water in this ultra-liberal institution and there were very few people (less than a handful) on campus with whom I shared similar interests/opinions/goals. The experience was very off-putting at first, but it grew to be the thing that I liked most about the college. I liked that I was able to remain true to my beliefs and vision of the world while letting others share their unique perspectives with me.I do wish I had been more informed about financial aid before I entered college: it would have helped my parents out. As it was, I ended up working for the college financial aid office and learned a great deal about how the system works my first year. I was able to finance my own education from the middle of my freshman year on.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

Bard is very much what you make of it. If one doesn't get involved, it is likely to be quite alienating, but the school has an abundance of cultural events and political activism. The student body leans left, with liberal Democrats representing the right end of the political spectrum. In the 2000 election, the student body was split between Nader and Gore - and most Gore supporters were more liberal than Gore and just didn't want Bush to get in (though it turns out it was Buchanan who was the spoiler). Conservatives would be very lonely here.

I am in the sociology department, which I think is very good. Two of the three sociology professors are former Harvard professors. The courses offered in sociology are very interesting, though unfortunately it is a small department and very few courses in the catalogue are offered.

Some departments are better than others. I'm quite happy with the sociology department. Political studies, literature and environmental studies are also excellent, though the psychology department is considered weak. Despite Bard's "artsy" reputation, I've heard that the arts programs here are overrated. Professors are for the most part accessible and helpful.

Each student is required to do a thesis in order to graduate. This is (I would imagine) very demanding but also very rewarding and an advantage when applying to grad school.

Social life is quite limited. The campus is surrounded by small towns with little to do, though it is very pretty. NYC is about 90 miles away. Though students are for the most part friendly with each other, students are fairly cliquish and tend to hang out in small groups. The students here tend to be cerebral types but are not snooty, pompous ivory towerists and are not too concerned with their grades.

I like Bard a lot, but there's certainly a Bard type - politically progressive, intelligent but critical, willing to work and not to have too extravagant a social life, and willing to get involved in extracurricular activities.

1st Year Male -- Class 2002

Perceived Campus Safety: A+, University Resource Use/ spending: F

Bard is a great school, but only for certain departments. It seems that they put all their energy into the departments that everyone knows are already great here (film, photo, creative writing) and ignore the departments that are not quite as acclaimed, so that they remain of a lesser quality. Students are brilliant, but tend not to challenge themselves to the fullest extent, which holds back the level at which classes are taught.

Male -- Class 2000