<p>I find it a little hard to believe Bard is that obscene considering their relatively low admit rate.</p>
<p>Back when I was looking, I visited Vassar, Bard, Sarah Lawrence within the same two day trip. Bard began as my first choice and after visiting, I decided not to apply at all (my parents were mortified by how dirty the campus was -- such as overflowing trash cans and filthy dorms). I wasn't bothered so much by that, but I just felt that it wasn't quite what I expected based on the viewbooks and stuff. </p>
<p>When I visited Vassar I knew nothing about it and loved it instantly after the visit. Sarah Lawrence was fine, but I wasn't blown away. I don't think I ended up applying, ultimately. I mean, there are a lot of goth and theater people at SL, but there are also plenty of people studying sciences and everything else. A friend of mine studied both science and film and combined both in some of her projects. </p>
<p>I ended up at Vassar and loved it completely. However, I know people who attended both Bard and SL and really loved those schools as well. I think Bard can be an amazing experience, if you crave a not-so-traditional college atmosphere and you're a fairly mature and independent person. To me, it has never seemed quite as "comfortable" as Vassar -- but for some, that could be a good thing. </p>
<p>Incidentally, I also visited Hampshire (many people find it similar to Bard) and liked it much better than Bard. I can't quite explain why, it just seemed more laid back or peaceful or something.</p>
<p>I'd suggest that folks interested in Bard, Sarah Lawrence and Vassar read this old thread which does a very good job of describing some of the different IMPRESSIONS people have had of these three schools.</p>
<p>Notice, I highlighted the word "impressions" --- because that is just what all of these comments are - personal impressions based on personal preferences. </p>
<p>It is important to keep this in mind when looking at schools because what is great and exciting for one person may be a turn off for another. Only YOU can decide what works for you and what doesn't, so don't let any individual's impressions turn you off to any particular school - visit and see if the school is right for you personally. </p>
<p>No school in the world is going to thrill everyone, and that goes for the prestige names like Harvard, Yale, Stanford as well. </p>
<p>I do not feel comfortable commenting on a school based on impressions from one visit, but I felt compelled to share our experience in order to provide some balance to the venomous comments Edad has spewed. </p>
<p>We visited Bard in the spring of 2002 when my son, now a senior at Brown, was waiting to see where he had been admitted. Brown had been his first choice since the beginning of the process. However, Bard would have been a strong contender, had he not been accepted at Brown. In fact, we were so impressed with Bard that we have been encouraging his sister, a 10th grader, to start looking at Bard as a possible school to apply.</p>
<p>Bard is in a beautiful, but somewhat isolated area. Thus a student strictly looking for an urban setting, might not be happy there. I recommend that if you are seriously interested in attending Bard, you should visit. In fact, I think that it is critical to visit and stay overnight in the dorms at any school that a prospective student is seriously considering. If you are from a warm climate, visit in the winter.</p>
<p>The students at Bard seemed happy to be there and those with whom we spoke were enthusiastic and friendly. Everywhere we walked, whether escorted or on our own, we were greeted by anyone who walked past us. The students spoke highly of their professors and of the school. The administrators we met were very warm and approachable. </p>
<p>Creativity and intellectual quest seemed the norm, not the exception. I do not believe that Edad can substantiate many of the reckless comments he/she has made. I would simply say that you should disregard his/her hateful comments and not let them influence you negatively. The comments seem highly suspect and motivated by some undisclosed hidden agenda, perhaps a rejection by the school? Did you notice that he/she visited last year?</p>
<p>wow if you are going to trust and take for the gospel the (seemingly angry and VERY biased) interpretation of ONE student at bard, or at any given school, you need to snap out of your naivety.</p>
<p>In fairness to Edad, his story of the last big party at the Old Gym is correct. I found several articles in the student papers about it. 29 people were taken by ambulance to local hospitals. There was an open letter from the staff of the college to the students citing the wide-ranging damage the party had done to the relations between the school and the surrounding communities, the embarrassment the staff felt, and the years it would take to repair the damage. The party so overloaded the local emergency room and ambulance service that hospitals in surrounding communities had to be called.</p>
<p>Bard is has a very interesting governance. The president, Leon Botstein, became youngest college president in the country at age 23 when he was hired at Franconia College in NH, which was in Chap 11 bankruptcy. He remained there until 1975 (it closed two year later), when he was hired to "turn around" Bard which was experiencing financial difficulties at the time. He has been at helm at Bard ever since -- a truly unusual length of tenure. Schools generally don't want to leave any president in place that long as they want institutional and board control of the long-term identity of the school, not individual control.</p>
<p>He is also a well-known symphony conductor, currently serving as musical director of the American Symphony Orchestra. </p>
<p>Botstein clearly has some fund-raising skills as Bard's endowment has grown from $133,000 to $115 million. However, the usual financial information is non-existent on its website as is institutional research information about distribution of majors, etc.</p>
<p>I think it's a bad idea to spread around that one account of one campus event as evidence of anything. Bard is a really interesting place -- but not because of any real or mythical orgies. Most schools seem to have at least one wild and crazy event. At Vassar we had Homo Hop which sounds a lot like what this person described. We also sent an embarrassing number of students to the hospital. This is not unique to Bard (and I'm not saying it's acceptable at any college). </p>
<p>If you're considering Bard, please don't let these stories scare you off. Definitely visit and check it out and talk to a variety of people. Give it a chance. I think anyone familiar with the school would tell you that a visit is an absolute must to get a sense of the campus and community.</p>
<p>I think it is naive to believe this was a single, isolated event. Our official tour included a visit to the Old Gym and the tour guide explained with pride the activities. The walls were covered with impressive graffiti describing drug and sexual activities. Even if there was only a single event, it occurred on campus and that should tell you a lot about the permissive environment and campus culture. </p>
<p>The original poster asked if Bard was really "out there". I believe that is the case. I don't mean to imply that you should not consider Bard. The out there culture fits some students. In addition, I would add that the culture at Bard is in transition. The conservatory of music is now open and that will bring in a different type of student. Bard is serious about upgrading the sciences and was planning the addition of an impressive new science building. In addition to the humanities and multidisciplinary studies, Bard might be a good choice for someone interested in music or science. My daughter fit both categories and we were told that very substantial scholarships were available. She got the royal treatment and we stayed into the evening for an audition and to sit in on the orchestra rehearsal. Our visit was almost a year before she was going to apply to colleges. I thought we should come back and give Bard a second look, but she would not consider living in that environment and also felt the music quality was poor (note this visit was before the conservatory opened).</p>
<p>All colleges must report a considerable amount of information to the federal government. This includes enrollment demographics, degrees conferred, financial assistance, graduation rates and security events. You can look up this information for Bard or any other college on the Dept of Ed webpage: <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/%5B/url%5D">http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/</a></p>
<p>I'm also looking at Bard. Do you think someone (me) who doesn't smoke or do drugs would feel isolated there? Thank you.</p>
<p>You should check livejournal or one of those other "blogging" sites and do a search for "Bard" under interests or communities or something similar. My daughter has asked questions and received helpful replies from students attending Bard. </p>
<p>You are more likely to receive accurate relevant information in one of those sites from current students than from parents or prospective students posting here who visited for a day or two. </p>
<p>I do not think that the average Bard student currently attending school will have the inclination or time to "visit" and post on college confidential.</p>