Bard vs. Bennington

<p>All financial considerations aside, would you choose Bard or Bennington?</p>

<p>My interests include: literature, history, journalism, political studies, international relations, activism, music.</p>

<p>The perspective I’ll get on the Bard forum will probably lean towards Bard; if so, why? If not, why?</p>

<p>I’m attracted to Bard for what I perceive to be stronger academics, and Bennington for what seems to be a great community and overall educational philosophy. Are these perceptions accurate?</p>

<p>My concern with Bennington is the large imbalance in the female/male ratio - like 75/25. That’s why my daughter didn’t even consider Bennington.</p>

<p>As a guy, that is not a concern. :)</p>

<p>Bard is bigger (in relation to Bennington,) and much closer to NYC - which does influence the school - both in accessibility to events and activities in the city, and with the professors connected to the school. Just think of it like this - Bard is connected.</p>

<p>Bennington is more isolated - but students do get off campus for their internships. I don’t know anything about the music scene at Bennington - but it’s huge at Bard. (All types of music.)</p>

<p>I’m a good person to ask! My older daughter just graduated from Bennington and my younger is now at Bard. My older daughter loved, loved, loved Bennington and was heartbroken to finish. She is a very outgoing person and embraced everything. Bennington got into her blood. Bennington has a very strong alumni network here in the northeast and the field work term encourages getting out there, and finding your place. She now works at one of the places she interned at.</p>

<p>My younger daughter at Bard is less outgoing and less sure of herself. Bard is very nurturing. It is also bigger and can offer more. She is a dancer and is taking classes with Bill T. Jones’ company this semester, something that would not have happened at Bennington. (Bennington has great dance teachers, but their distance from the City makes it more difficult to get current artists up there as frequently.) That said, I don’t think my younger daughter will come away with as many warm memories as my older daughter did. But I may be wrong. </p>

<p>Oh, and music is very important at Bard. The president leads their orchestra.</p>

<p>As someone who visited and considered both schools, I think I have a pretty good idea of the differences between the schools. First of Bennington’s campus is far more impressive than Bard’s. It is gorgeous and idealic- not to say that Bard’s campus wasn’t nice, but Bennington was one of the most beautiful campuses I’ve ever seen.</p>

<p>Secondly, I understand how you would get the impression that Bard’s academics are better than Bennington’s, but I don’t necessarily think that that is the case- both of them have similar philosophies in the way that they present academics (both with a “plan” process where you kind of design your own course of work and reflect upon it throughout the years through analytical writing- Bennington may be a bit freer), and I feel like you would be able to find wonderful teachers at either of the schools.
Bennington is known to have a great literature department and the students there (especially with the recently built CAPA in place) seemed very interested in activism; however, I know that to be true at Bard as well.</p>

<p>I ended up not applying to Bard because I needed to narrow down my list and it just didn’t give me the same feeling of comfort and community that I got when I visited Bennington. While Bennington was somewhat of a safety school for me, I am very happy to have been accepted there this year with a nice merit scholarship.</p>

<p>I really suggest, if you haven’t already, to go visit the schools because you can really only learn so much from what others tell you- it’s much more beneficial to see for yourself.
Good luck!</p>

<p>Thank you very much, danceclass and tellmenow.</p>

<p>I was leaning strongly towards Bard (assuming I get accepted. I really hope that’s the case), but my visit to Bennington and the one on one tour made me reconsider. I did visit Bard as well, and like it – but I didn’t feel the same connection or warmth as at Bennington (which you also seem to have felt, tellmenow)… Just the way students greeted each other at Bennington – smiling and joking around – everyone seemed very personable and kind. I also love the dorming situation, and the community it seems to foster. And I’m already accepted there, albeit with aid I’ll need to increase somehow.</p>

<p>On the other hand, Bennington doesn’t have Leon Botstein, and I’ve heard some iffy things about the administration/Elizabeth Coleman.</p>

<p>Danceclass, if I may ask, what did your daughter concentrate on at Bennington? Did she find that the fieldwork term helped her when applying for a job? Reputation wise does Bard have a better image? (not that I’m overly concerned about that, but I suppose it might matter down the road).</p>

<p>And then there’s still Hampshire and Sarah Lawrence to consider, and possibly Allegheny or a SUNY school. Ugh. So many choices!</p>

<p>@Turntabler - it’s a good problem to have! I’m sure you won’t go wrong with your final choice - even if it were made by tossing a coin - because you narrowed down your search well before you ever applied.</p>

<p>@danceclass - I hope your younger daughter at Bard does come away with as many warm memories as her older sister!</p>

<p>My daughter concentrated in dance, and field work term definitely helped in getting a job. She is working now at one of the places she interned at. Field work term is a good way to get to know older alumni, and from what I’ve seen, they are very supportive. I don’t know whether Bard has a better reputation or not. Bennington’s image from the 40s is almost legendary (that may be too strong a word) - the girls dancing in the meadows thing. It is very different now, but still has a certain status. Bard may seem a little more serious, I guess. Bard has certain academic requirements, where Bennington has none, but that is just because at Bennington you are expected to form your own. </p>

<p>Thank you SpiritManager. I hope she does too.</p>

<p>@SpiritManager
I forgot to thank you as well, so thank you – for the information and the kind words.</p>

<p>@danceclass
Thanks for the input. People do seem to know about Bennington more when I tell them about the two schools, but that could change with the amount of people Bard graduates each year.</p>

<p>@turntabler, my son is a sophomore at Bard now and loves it. We visited 8 schools, and Bard is the only campus where students approached him, talked to him, and made him feel at home. He is a double major of music and physics, and he told me that 95% of the students play something…he plays 5 or 6 times a week. Everywhere you go, there is music, and the Fisher Center is amazing. I went to Bard myself, and graduated in 1982. Leon Botstein was there then, and he is a brilliant man who truly cares about education. Don’t get me wrong, Bennington is also a great school (and I am biased towards Bard). Bard is extremely liberal, has lots of diversity, great and plentiful music, and is extremely rigorous academically. Plus, it has the best of both worlds…a gorgeous, park like (and eclectic) campus on the Hudson River, yet a short train ride to NYC. I’m sure you will be happy at either college - they are both wonderful schools.</p>

<p>Thanks, monkey13. You make Bard sound amazing!</p>

<p>I have to second monkey13, but I absolutely love it here. I feel like Bennington might be a name of a lot of people recognize because the town is one of the largest in Vermont and also the school is one of the main ones you hear from Vermont whereas New York has a lot of fantastic schools (universities) so I feel like Bard is sometimes swept under the rug when talking about New York schools. </p>

<p>However, Bard is mentioned in the New York Times regularly. The school is pretty much revolutionizing education on a global scale. On the whole (also note I’m not that familiar with Bennington College), I’d say Bard is probably your better bet between the two schools based on your interests (with the exception of journalism, only because I don’t really know much about its function on campus). But all of the departments you expressed interest in are fantastic. The music scene is unreal. My freshman year my dorm created several bands and music was played all the time. My friends right now are in some of the huge Bard bands and they get regular gigs off campus in the local bars and other places. </p>

<p>Bard has academic requirements that can seem daunting because there seems to be a lot. But they’re all pretty easy to fulfill, and really, what would a liberal arts degree mean if you weren’t exposed to many different disciplines? The classes that I took to fulfill requirements are often the classes that I feel I learned the most in and ended up loving.</p>

<p>Bard is an incredible place. I’m sure Bennington is, too. But to me, Bard is special, although I recognize it’s not the place for everybody. I knew the second I stepped on campus (much to my chagrin because my father had wanted me to check it out for years and as a result I wanted to go to not-Bard), that I would come here. People are INTERESTED in what you know, what you’re learning. Amongst most groups of friends, there’s constant conversation about what people are taking away from class and how it applies to our situation and the world here and now and there and then.</p>

<p>Sorry for the essay. I’m not even sure if I fully addressed your concerns, but if you have any questions about the lit department here, don’t hesitate to send me a message!</p>

<p>Thank you very much, lilygraces. Bard sounds incredible; you describe exactly what I hoped it would be/will be. Really crossing my fingers for admission in a few weeks, or else this is all academic!</p>

<p>the ratio of male to female at Bennington is not 75 to 25 any longer it is 67 to 33 so while there is still a much larger female population it has changed in that regard</p>

<p>My d is at Bennington and loves it there. She is a city person, but really enjoys the Vermont setting and is able to satisfy her urban instincts during Field Work Term and over the summer. It’s a fabulous balance. She is studying psychology, theatre, dance and is taking a lot of literature classes as well. The course work is rigorous, in spite of the freedom offered to students through the plan process. It requires a lot of initiative, passion for what you pursue, and accountability for what you choose to study. It is a supportive environment and professors guide students and help them to create the curriculum that will best suit their interests, which keeping a balanced schedule of subjects, but demands a self-starter type person. Due to the small size, there is a great sense of community. We visited Bard when doing the college tours, but it didn’t have the same feel as Bennington for us – and mostly for her! As far as male/female ratio, it’s going to fluctuate, but there are surely more females. That being said, my d has a boyfriend there. So that’s that. Hope this helps.</p>

<p>Oh, and Liz Coleman announced this week that she will retire at the end of this academic year. I heard her speak once, and was very impressed and respect the changes she instituted over the past 25 years, including eliminating tenure, while retaining top notch professors who are all professionals in their fields, and being forward thinking and progressive. Although there are those who have issues with her, I think that is true at most colleges and may only be more heightened there due to the size of the school and greater exposure to more of what is going on in the administration than at a big state university. Whatever you may believe, thought this information would be valuable to you. Good luck!!</p>