<p>I'm applying to the first two certainly, and perhaps Bard. I've only visited Hampshire and I loved it, Clark as well. From what I've read, I'd fit in well with the liberal/quirky/politically-active environment at any of these schools. I know the basics, but what are the major differences that you noticed, or that turned you on or off from any of these? Which gives the best financial aid? I love Hampshire and SLCs narrative evaluations. and I'm interested in studying some combination of Literature/Writing, Psychology, and Women's Studies.</p>
<p>Four threads for the exact same question is a bit much, don’t you think?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sarah-lawrence-college/1416863-clark-u-vs-hampshire-college-vs-sarah-lawrence-vs-bard.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sarah-lawrence-college/1416863-clark-u-vs-hampshire-college-vs-sarah-lawrence-vs-bard.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/clark-university/1416861-clark-u-vs-hampshire-college-vs-sarah-lawrence-vs-bard.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/clark-university/1416861-clark-u-vs-hampshire-college-vs-sarah-lawrence-vs-bard.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/bard-college/1416859-hampshire-college-vs-sarah-lawrence-vs-bard-vs-clark-u.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/bard-college/1416859-hampshire-college-vs-sarah-lawrence-vs-bard-vs-clark-u.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hampshire-college/1416857-hampshire-college-vs-sarah-lawrence-vs-bard-vs-clark-u.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hampshire-college/1416857-hampshire-college-vs-sarah-lawrence-vs-bard-vs-clark-u.html</a></p>
<p>Yes, it is definitely overkill. But on other comparison threads, I always see advice to cross-post to the specific college forums to avoid bias.</p>
<p>My daughter applied to all of these, except Bard. She did not like the physical environment around Clark one bit. The neighborhood is sketchy and students are told not to walk through it. Really a shame, because the academic program seems very good. The daughter of one of our friends went there and had a fantastic experience. A big plus is the ability to emerge with a Masters degree with no extra cost.</p>
<p>Sarah Lawrence seemed too traditional and “preppy” to our daughter, although I thought it looked very interesting.</p>
<p>We also have friends with a daughter at Bard and she is doing very well. I’m not sure why Bard was not on our daughter’s radar, perhaps because she was initially interested in religious studies (boy, did that NOT pan out!), and Bard doesn’t have much in that area.</p>
<p>In the end, our daughter was drawn to the Division system, she was very taken by the classes she visited, and her brother went to Hampshire as well.</p>
<p>That’s my major concern about Clark. The school is wonderful, but not well-placed imo. It’s not a deal-breaker for me, but I’ll have to compare it when I get my acceptances and FA packages.</p>
<p>SLC is preppy? Really? I haven’t heard that much, more so of it being filled with hipsters. The evaluations and having a don system made it seem nontraditional too, but again, these conceptions are all based on things I’ve read on the internet. Can you explain how it seemed traditional to your daughter?</p>
<p>This was based on visiting classes and talking to students. Mind you, I’m not sure that she was seeing things very clearly; certainly the campus is a classic old-time liberal-arts college, and if you don’t look beyond that, Sarah Lawrence could be viewed as traditional. I focused on the classrooms, many of which were small, with a large round discussion table, as opposed to lines of smaller tables.</p>
<p>My sister is at SLC and absolutely loves it! And I can tell you, she is anything but preppy. She says the student body is incredibly interesting and diverse. You’ll definitely have a wonderful time at SLC. My sister is a theatre major. She loves the evaluations and the classroom setting.</p>