Bennington v. Mount Holyoke v. SUNY at Geneseo v. Goucher v. Antioch College

Colleges and Universities A-Z Bennington College
1

<p>I was accepted to these 5 schools and I was wondering if anyone has anything to tell me comparing and contrasting any or all of them.</p>

<p>Bennington was my top choice for a while but I became a bit dis-disillusioned by it. I love the campus- one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. I love the academic freedoms, the arts culture on campus, the very small size, and the housing options.
However, I have become worried that the stereotypes about it being a rich-kid hipster playground. I am really looking for a very intellectual atmosphere and as much as I care about the arts aspect, I am not willing to compromise the academic aspect for it. Can people please tell me what their experiences have been and what they think of Bennington in contrast to these other schools.</p>

<p>About Me:
Female
3.85 Unweighted GPA
29 ACT
Newspaper co-Editor in Chief
Yearbook Senior Editor in Chief
Chair of the Social Action Board</p>

<p>I’m a Senior at a boarding college-prep high school with 160 students.
Interested in humanities such as ethics, philosophy, and English, as well as fashion/costume design (which I have a lot of experience in and would like to integrate into my college experience somehow even if I don’t actually major in it).
I want a liberal, small school which will have a good balance of academics and arts.
I want a school with geographical, racial, religious, and socio-economical diversity.
Non-academic interest include theater, listening to music, farming and sustainable practices, and swing dancing.</p>

<p>Please give me some input into which school you think may suit me best or any comments you have the schools that are not specific to me.</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>You can find most of what you are looking for at Bennington (not sure about swing dancing), and not everybody is a rich kid. I don’t know much about the other schools except Goucher. It is my impression that it does have the academic status of Bennington.</p>

3

<p>thank you for the feedback!</p>

4

<p>Bennington does have a swing club! Goucher is not as well known as Bennington, but is a good school.</p>

5

<p>Also, in terms of public action, etc. Bennington just opened a magnificent Center for the Advancement of Public Action (CAPA). The program offers a wide range of social action courses as well as public events and lectures. The school is putting a lot behind the program and even just the building itself is forward thinking. VT is a very green state – no joke intended.</p>

6

<p>You would like Bennington. There are hipsters, and rich kids, and a few hipster rich kids, but they’re far from the majority of students. Take for instance, the swing dance club, which is partially led by one of the silliest, least hipster-ish kids here.</p>

<p>Don’t worry about academic rigor. You’ll find it, especially if you take philosophy classes. Lit classes - it depends on which faculty you study with. </p>

<p>On the subject of CAPA…well, if you like big marble buildings you’ll like CAPA. The school is using it as their favorite new marketing tool, but really it’s the least interesting part about Bennington. The culture and community are what make Bennington great, not the President’s new vanity project.</p>