<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>Bard stayed on my S’s his list right until the very end because of the experience he had at IDP, where he came out of the seminar saying “that was amazing.” IMO, Bard’s strengths are: its faculty who it attracts because of the location in a sophisticate rural location with easy proximity to NYC, emphasis on seminar style learning, and unusual educational approaches. </p>
<p>However, for my son, he decided that the fit with Grinnell’s student body was a better one for him, and he had had a wonderful classroom experience at Grinnell to ensure that the student body was engaged in learning and in bringing ideas from outside the classroom into the discussion.</p>
<p>As a parent, I think that the difference in transparency between the two schools’ management is huge, in terms of the information about financial condition, strategic priorities, etc. Bard is Botstein, who has been its president for decades, and while he has come up with amazingly creative and brilliant initiatives, I am not convinced the school is managed all that well. </p>
<p>Grinnell has a new president who is also brilliant, creative and a visionary, but comes to the school with deep experience in managing organizations. Grinnell has a very clearly defined sense of mission, and applies its institutional resources towards achieving that goal. Please see my post on the “what are Grinnell’s strengths” thread for more about this. </p>
<p>The endowment at Grinnell makes a huge difference in terms of a wide variety of opportunities available for its students, not just in academic opportunities, but in funding for a wide variety of things. I also think that Grinnell finds a way to make anything a student wants to do (or nearly anything…) possible. At Bard, I believe it is difficult to major in some of the most popular areas (eg., photography) because of limits the school places. While we visited, we saw a student art installation that had as its theme the lack of classroom supplies for its students… A friend of mine also complained about the attention Bard places on its many far-flung educational institutions and wished the administration would focus more on its Annandale campus. Nonetheless, her D absolutely loved Bard and it seemed like those student artists loved it, too. My son made his decision based on personal fit, though, not institutional resources or management.</p>
<p>In terms of the student body, while not everyone there is artsy or a hipster, my S is neither, and he felt like he’d have to find a niche there. At Grinnell, he didn’t get any one distinct vibe from student type (and neither did I, and I had my radar out on every campus we visited), and he just loved the sense of community he perceived at Grinnell – created by virtue of campus layout, location and self-governance system. There really is something about the midwestern niceness and unpretentiousness that is different. </p>
<p>I recall that Bard’s student body was heavily East Coast (and probably predominantly NY and mid-atlantic) with a large international population. Grinnell’s is much more diverse, I’m pretty sure. While 40% come from the midwest, even that represents a big geographic and demographic spread (urban and rural); and it also has a high percentage of international students as well as domestic students of color. Grinnell’s huge endowment enables it to practice needs-blind admission and meet full demonstrated need, which helps it to increase its diversity. </p>
<p>I have no doubt that the education at Bard will be phenomenal. It was not an easy decision, as Grinnell was far and away the most difficult school for my son to travel to!! I am really really happy, though, that my S picked Grinnell even though he’s a plane ride and not a car ride away from us…</p>
<p>My S tells us that his Grinnell experience has lived up to his hopes and expectations, and i know that he has has stimulating classes and finds his professors helpful and accessible both in and out of class.</p>
<p>The settings for the two schools offer huge differences, obviously. If being near the mountains is a top priority, then pick Bard! That part of the country is wonderful! But, there is still outdoor activity in Grinnell, just not mountain related…</p>
<p>Also, the town of Grinnell is in walking distance (the college is two blocks from the downtown) and is surrounded by residential areas. Bard requires a drive to town, but students do seem to get rides or use the shuttle if they don’t have their own car.</p>
<p>Thanks, SDonCC, for all the good information.</p>