Bard Entrance Exam and Scholarships

<p>Hey CC,</p>

<p>I am looking applying to Bard and was pleasantly surprised by the choice between an essay exam and the common app. I looked through the essay prompts and I would definitely enjoy writing on a few of them, but I am unsure of whether it would help my chances.</p>

<p>Statistically, I am in good standing to send my common app (35 ACT, Top 2% of Class, solid course load), but I am also planning to give the Distinguished Scientist scholarship a shot. Would taking the exam help me in any way? </p>

<p>Thanks,
J</p>

<p>I think this may be a question for the admissions department, rather than the CC community, especially as the timing is a bit different. The essays are due Nov 1, while the DSS supplemental application is not due until Jan 1, after one would have heard the results from the essay exam.</p>

<p>It’s refreshing to see someone with your stats considering using the essay exam rather than the conventional admissions model - as often those who choose that route are the ones whose high school record does not reflect their intellectual capacity. If you choose the essay exam then your grades and test scores will not be considered - only the essays themselves.</p>

<p>It seems to me you’ve a very good chance to be admitted to Bard through the conventional application. As for the DSS scholarship - I have no idea what your chances for that would be. But it does sound like you’d be a great Bard student!</p>

<p>@SpiritManager Thankyou for the feedback. It looks like the CA is my best bet, but I’ll post to this thread when I make my final decision for anyone who ends up in a similar situation. </p>

So I’m a bit confused about this topic myself. I applied via the Entrance Exam and was accepted, but… I’m not sure if I need to send in test scores for aid consideration anyway. I asked that question via email and got the following reply:

So… should I be sending in the SAT scores? I’ll be following up after the weekend, but how exactly does that sound to you guys? I’d always heard SAT scores were a vital part of the aid process. Is that the case even if they say they don’t offer merit aid?

I would be shocked if you needed to send scores. The whole point of the Entrance exam is to bypass standardized testing and grades, after all. However, you should send in the CSS Profile and FAFSA for need based aid consideration. By all means contact the financial aid department directly with your questions.

And, congratulations!

Checked, and I got another, even more puzzling reply.

Um… what?

Update -

I ended up applying through common app and was accepted a couple weeks back. It did not give any mention of merit aid - which leaves me wondering whether I received no merit aid, or if I have to wait until a later time to hear about merit awards (Northeastern, Fordham, and Temple gave me full scholarships, so I was expecting at least some merit aid from Bard, but they may have different criteria).
Although Bard remains an appealing school and will be on my list when I make a decision a few months from now, I think I’ll probably end up fitting in better elsewhere.

To @Evan111‌ - those responses sound very rushed/outdated. The Bard website does specify that they give merit aid (http://www.bard.edu/financialaid/programs/bard/). Maybe they have undergraduate volunteers working in the department? It may be worthwhile to try to find a direct email to one of the financial aid directors.
Good luck, and remember to stay classy

The two emails I quoted above were purportedly from the assistant director of FinAid, though with the typos I do wonder if they were written by an intern/volunteer.

Here’s what the admissions office says:

Bard will review all applicants (i.e RD people) before giving out merit aid decisions.

So all applicants receive FA letters at the same time? I submitted my CSS Profile early in order to get “an early decision financial aid letter,” but there’s nothing on their site about when that would actually be mailed. April 1-15 is given as the generic date for “prospective student” award letters, but what exactly makes an “early decision financial aid letter” different from a regular financial aid letter?

ETA: Ah, that’ll be an ESTIMATE letter.

People listen up. Bard totally screwed up my D app last year. Deffered her from EA then “lost” her app. I think they have monkies working the desk in admissions. Too many crazy communications to count. So finally after mulitple phone calls by D, me and HS GC, Bard cops to the error (in mid-april). They graciously agree to consider her app for admissions with following conditions: an essay describing why she’s still interested in Bard and why it’s her top choice (due the next day). Really?

Moral of the story, Ask to “speak with a supervisor” (like when calling the phone company), document everything in writing, don’t assume the person who answers the phone cares or can access any information.

@‌momneeds2no I’m sorry to hear that you had such a difficult time last year with Bard’s Admission Office. College admission offices are inundated with thousands of applications during their reading season, and as a result mistakes do happen. Often, the first line of contact in any admissions office is with student workers who have rotating schedules, so it can be helpful to ask to speak to an Admissions Counselor for more consistency and for more nuanced questions. Keeping records of contact can also be really helpful. I also believe that Bard instituted a new online portal system this year that allows students to follow up on their materials and application status with greater ease.

I hope your daughter had a terrific first semester in the college she did end up attending!