EEC Scholarship and GPA Requirement Question/Advice

My daughter received a letter that she was an EEC scholar at Bard. She is very excited, but she is also worried about how challenging it would be to maintain the 3.3 GPA that is required to keep the scholarship. She does well at her public high school, but we have read about the rigorous curriculum at Bard. Also, she wants to go into Written Arts and we know that this is a popular (and perhaps more selective) major at Bard. If her GPA dropped below a 3.3 and she lost the scholarship, there is no way we could afford to continue to send her to Bard.

If there a student or parent who has any information or insights about this scholarship or how challenging it is to take the required 32 hours per year and maintain a 3.3 GPA, could you please respond?

I believe if your daughter went into the college with the dedication she had in high school which earned her this scholarship; if she did the assigned readings, attended all her classes, and wrote the assigned papers that she would not have a problem maintaining her grades. Yes, the professors have high standards - but I don’t think this will become an issue - as long as she’s willing to put in the time. There is academic support and tutoring, if needed, and every single professor at Bard is happy to meet with students outside of class and give any kind of extra help that might be needed. The relationship between the students and professors at Bard cannot be overstated and trumpeted loudly enough. Also, if have you checked out The Learning Commons: http://inside.bard.edu/learningcommons/

As for the number of credit hours - a normal load is four classes - each for four credits. Some students take five classes in a semester. From the website:
All courses carry four credits unless otherwise noted. There are several two-credit seminars; intensive language courses carry eight credits and immersion language courses 12 credits. A normal course load is 16 credits each semester.

Yes, Written Arts is selective - but the overall Literature and Language programs are top-notch - so even if she weren’t admitted into Written Arts she would still have a phenomenal experience.

Congratulations on the scholarship!

Thank you for your response. My daughter works very hard and has good grades in high school, but it is great to know that the support is available if she needs it. I will check out the information on The Learning Commons from the link that you provided.

Do you know how difficult it is to moderate into the Written Arts? My daughter is very dedicated to writing and would be disappointed if she was not able to pursue this major at Bard.

@jreneau - I’m afraid I can’t answer that about the difficulty of moderating into Written Arts. But I have heard that it’s best to try to start taking writing workshops right from the start. One needs to submit a portfolio for admission to the workshops. Has your daughter read the information on the website about the program? http://writtenarts.bard.edu. It is certainly one of the most popular programs at Bard - as it has an unsurpassed faculty. However, yes, it is possible to be denied admission into the workshops, and to not be recommended for moderation into the program.

From the website:
Successful completion of a writing workshop—not merely a passing grade, but truly outstanding work—is required in order to Moderate into Written Arts.
Even if you do not get into a workshop as a first-year student; your first workshop experience could come as late as sophomore year; and, with all other academic factors working for you, you could still be recommended for Moderation into the Written Arts Program. However, most aspirants to a Written Arts major do attempt to place into a workshop during their first year. If you are repeatedly denied entry into workshops, this may be an indication that you are not ideally suited for this major.

There are students who are deterred by this from enrolling at Bard - they want to be certain they’ll be able to major in whatever program they choose. If you feel this would cause your daughter a lot of stress to be worrying about it - and if she would not be happy majoring in anything else - such as another area of literature - then Bard might not be the best choice for her. I recommend that you have her write to one of the faculty in the division and express her concerns - or arrange to meet with some of the professors at a visit.

I will tell my daughter to check out the information and contact the professors. I appreciate your advise!