My daughter has now been accepted to both Bard and Skidmore!
I’m so happy that she has a choice of two fantastic colleges and yet, with admitted student weekends being cancelled, making the decision is that much more difficult.
My daughter is a funky, artsy type who’s passionate about social issues and has various interests. She’s not decided on a major, although is considering fine arts.
Looking for a school where she can explore different possibilities and also make some good friends while at it.
Are students generally welcoming at both schools? We’ve heard some rumors that socializing can be an issue.
If anyone out there can give us some insight on either or both schools, I’d very much appreciate it!
Skidmore College is the safer choice based on first year retention rates of 92% versus 85%.
That is a valid point. In fact many statistics are in favor of Skidmore. Regardless, my D seems to be drawn to Bard…
I would get as much information as I could about each college’s financial situation. In general, that’s a good idea, but especially now. Not every college is going to make it and they have probably all taken big hits to the endowment. You don’t want to risk a closing while she is there.
Bard is typically a little…funkier? than Skidmore.
Completely anecdotal, but one of my collegekids had a Bard math teacher as a visiting prof, and said he was the single best math teacher, and one of the very best teachers in general, that she ever had.
The reality is that your daughter really can’t go wrong, and unless $$ is an issue, there is no reason not to go to the one she feels drawn to.
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It’s exactly that funky bit that’s interesting to her, and having grown up abroad, she’s looking for some diversity - not sure that she’d find that at Skidmore.
I just wish that she’d had the chance to spend some time on each campus so that she could meet some students and judge for herself.
I’ve read some reviews that make Bard’s student body out to be an unfriendly bunch of hipster/smokers… but I’m hoping that the stereotypes aren’t accurate!
That is a terrifying thought. I’ve heard that Bard’s financial situation isn’t fantastic, but I find it hard to imagine that it could be so dire that it could actually close in the near future?! Am I being overly optimistic??
My son is very happy at Bard and describes it as a friendly place full of arty, intellectually-curious kids. He is a shy nerd (nonsmoker, not a “hipster”) and has found his niche there.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/08/24/bard-college-faces-liquidity-and-strategy-questions
Article describing Bard’s financial situation/philosophy, which is different than most colleges.
So nice to know! Thank you Angela1111.
Hi, @pumnut . My son has chosen Bard for the fall. We are very excited! He is very friendly, so while reputations online are what they are (and grain of salt, right?) there is a whole new group every year who can continue to influence the culture. He has a friend who has been at Skidmore this year as a freshman, and I understand that she is interested in transfer to Cornell, but that is potentially because her girlfriend is a student there. Has your daughter joined any of the online groups? My son is in the accepted student facebook group and they have had at least one zoom meetup that I am aware of. He was excited to meet some other new students that way. Good luck! And see you at Bard in the fall (fingers crossed) if that is where her heart leads her.
My daughter has decided to go with Bard! She is in the facebook group and she’s super excited to attend in the fall. Our biggest concern now is whether or not she’ll be able to get there on August 7th (assuming that they open campus). We live abroad and will rely on international flights opening up in time…
Congrats!! I hope it’s a wonderful adventure for her 