<p>Hello.
I’m still undecided between Bard and Grinnell, and need to make the decision. I would appreciate feedback about all aspects of these two colleges, from both students and from their parents.
Thanks so much.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about Grinnell (it’s in Iowa, right?) but I’ve heard it’s a great school. It may come down to where you want to be. If you are okay with the midwest, then it may suit you. If you want to be closer to the center of the universe (written by a true New Yorker, you understand), then choose Bard.</p>
<p>Hi, danceclass. Do you have experience with Bard, as a student or parent? If so, could you tell me about your major, professors, ease of getting into classes, satisfaction with your classes, student peers, opportunities for internships, etc?
Thank you.</p>
<p>Sorry, I’m just a parent and my daughter will be starting at Bard this fall. So all my knowledge is gained from doing research like you are doing. It seems to be a perfect fit for my daughter, but she’s a dancer so she probably has different criteria than you do.</p>
<p>danceclass: did your daughter pick Bard because of the ballet program, among other things? My S going with Grinnell (science and theater), but he did not apply to Bard.</p>
<p>My daughter is a former ballet dancer but did not pick Bard because of the dance program (though there are lots of dance performance opportunities at Bard). One thing that I noticed is that some of her friends who are majoring in physics, math and other hard sciences, are also able to pursue classes and interests outside of their field such as music and theater, and it seems that Bard makes it easy – and maybe encourages – students to pursue outside interests, esp. in the arts.</p>
<p>Bard is primarily modern (although we met the ballet teacher at Open House and she’s wonderful), and yes, the dance program was my daughter’s first criteria in selecting a college. Many other aspects of Bard, especially the small seminar style classes, make it appear to be the perfect fit for her.</p>
<p>jrothkoo, I’m a (prospective, my moderation is on Tuesday) creative writing major at Bard. The professors I’ve had have been pretty fantastic and the ones who weren’t, I still got a lot of of their classes. The ease of getting into classes depends on your major, the difficulty/demand of the class, and how popular it is. Most classes in the arts are hard to get into because they’re in such high demand. It helps if you’re a major. Classes are small (my largest class was about 30 and that was a lecture class) and professors are available for extra help during their office hours or an appointment if you can’t make their office hours. Reading goes quickly, so it’s easy to fall behind BUT that happens at every school and isn’t really that much of a problem. The students here are awesome; intellectual, nice, and interesting among other adjectives. People here like to give knowledge and acquire it as much as they can (at parties, walking to and/or from class, just hanging out, etc), a little socially awkward but I’ve always felt that the outcasts in high school went to Bard so it makes sense. As for opportunities for internships, I don’t know much. I apply for internships on my own time and independently of the college BUT they do have a career office that many people use and have success with.</p>