Bard College

Date: Nov 06 2003
Major: History/Histories (art history/etc.) (This Major's Salary over time)
Bard was my first (and only) choice when I was researching schools…way back when…and I have been 100% satisfied with my choice. I received a world-class liberal arts education that equals any ivy-league experience I might have had. Bard's educational philosophy, above all, is geared toward teaching students how to think and how to communicate. Once you have these skills, you can succeed at anything. I, for example, am not working in my chosen field, but am easily able to adapt many things learned at Bard to my workaday life. One of the nice things about Bard is that the sensibilities have not really changed since I attended. Nowadays, many schools have become very "vocational" in nature, teaching to a career or grad school. Bard is classical—offering education for its own sake. And, of course, you can't overlook the awe-inspiring setting of the rural Hudson Valley. Although Bard is much more developed than when I was a student (with architecture ranging from classic Victorian to uber-modern), the 500-acre campus is just incredibly beautiful. The local towns offer a few eating and recreational opportunities, and if you really need a cultural fix (world-class opportunities offered on campus notwithstanding), you're only 2 hours away from NYC.