I’ve heard/read some really awful things about the food and dorms at Bard (food is basically inedible, some freshmen end up living in trailers, etc.) Is it really that bad? Do many students end up living off campus to avoid this?
The dorms at Bard are just fine - even the ones referred to as trailers. The trailers are portable units, most of which are now gone, I believe. My son lived in one his freshman year, and it was his favorite dorm of all. It had individual climate control, a common room and kitchen and gorgeous views of the Catskills, meadows, and Hudson river. And Bard is phenomenal at matching up roommates - he’s still, years later, fast friends with his dormmates.
As for the food, it’s institutional food - which they’re working to improve by using locally grown and raised foods from the Hudson Valley and Bard’s own farm. But most food, after a few months, can get tiresome. Which is why my son loved the trailer dorm with the kitchen. He did, eventually, end up eating a lot of his meals at the grill called Down the Road, which is on the meal plan. And he got his own dorm refrigerator in subsequent years so he could purchase artisan local cheese and salumi!
Most students live on campus at least the first three years, some all four. My son only moved off campus for his fifth year (he was a double degree student.) Local housing is cheap, plentiful, and on the shuttle line, so it’s not a problem to get a place in Red Hook or Tivoli.
However, really, I think the question of food and lodging is immaterial when choosing a college. What is important are the professors and one’s peers. You will not find more interesting classes anywhere. Which, to me, is what counts.
Similar to Spirit Manager I’d say that neither are THAT bad. Food and dorms are not Bard’s selling points (and honestly I valued amazing professors more and Bard’s natural beauty greatly increased my quality of life). Plenty of perfectly decent dorms, some dorms are kinda old or really small spaces, but you have some say in what dorm you get into. (You can state preferences on the housing app first year and housing lottery after that). I grew up eating homemade food from my family’s garden and refuse to eat fast food (so pretty picky) and I found the food fine. Some days it’s great and some days you’re left eating from the salad bar or eating pizza. The main problem is that it get’s repetitive. There’s a rotation that repeats every 3-4 weeks but that’s the problem at most colleges.
My daughter is a freshman at Bard. As far as food goes, she has been pleasantly surprised - and she went to a boarding high school with its own farm and dairy - and finds that there is always something to eat that is fresh and good. And Bard does take a great deal of care in matching roommates and considering housing preferences - all dormsare decent, many are great, including hers - so no complaints there. She is in a smaller dorm with w/d on each level, a common room on each level, and a shared ktichen (so she can cook occasionally if she wants to). And the professors (who students get to know as their classes are small) and the natural beauty can’t be beat.