Bard College Top Questions

They are interesting, creative people who want to learn.

intellectual, academically driven, east coast culture, well traveled, worldly, well read, liberal.

My classmates are extremely intellectually intelligent (and at the same time, real-world airheads--totally naive and pollyanna-ish), creative, depressive, appearance-oriented, too idealistic, and often hypocritical.

I've had some intermittent involvement with the Queer-Straight Alliance. It was a very valuable resource for me as a first-year, and to some extent still is. Bard has generally been very queer-friendly, but the place is a lot straighter than its reputation. If you're working-class or nonwhite, be aware that you're going to be around mostly people who don't have backgrounds like yours. People wear whatever to class, from pyjamas all the way up to the occasional business suit. Nobody cares what you wear to class. Trying to be fashion forward is a big thing here. (If you don't know what "fashion forward" means, you may also feel out of place.) Most Bard students are from the Northeast, but there's a lot of people from all ov..er the country, really. And at least 14{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are international. The overwhelming majority of our parents went to college and most make a lot more than the median income. It's rare to find someone who's apolitical, but it's not quite the hotbed of activism it's sometimes imagined to be. Bard was very strong Obama territory from early 2007--the faculty and administration more than the student body, if that's possible.

new york hipster heaven

Bards student body is very eclectic. Strange is a relative term at Bard because everyone is at least a little weird. But the oddities tend to be a good thing. Most students are interesting well developed people with a broad range of interests and tastes.

Bard is great and frustrating for homosexuals. A majority of people here are "bisexual." This means they're ready for the pickin'... but at the same time it means there's the whole drama of "I'm just curious," or "well, I'm not really acting on it, but I'd like to stay openminded." Apart from hooking up, though. the LGBT community is extremely well recieved at Bard. The biggest dance party of the year is hosted by the Queer Alliance. Each student at Bard is completely unique and motivated. You are always surprised with the well of knowledge and interests all around you--you dont even need to go far. Everyone is motivated, smart, and good-humored; if the teachers dont inspire you, your fellow students will.

Most of Bard consists of white, upper class students. There is a very large Jewish community, as well as a large agnostic/atheist community. There are students of all sexual orientations. There are also a fair bit of international students and a few racial minorities, but most students are white. Most Bard students are from the Northeast region, particularly New Jersey/New York//NYC/Connecticut, but there are also a lot from California as well. Almost all students are politically aware, and many are politically active as well. It's a REALLY liberal campus: Democrats, socialists, etc. Most kids joke about how little they'll make one day because of their lit/music/art/theatre major. It's probably true.

-our diversity comes primarily from an international background rather than a racial background. Read: this campus is very white. -We have very, very, very few conservatives on campus; even these "conservatives" are probably more moderate than conservative. THAT is how liberal the student body is. -You will probably feel uncomfortable if you are a devout Christian, whether or not you consider yourself right-wing. I know several uncomfortable liberal Catholics on campus. -LGBT: you'll have no problem here, but there isn't quite as much of a community as there is a general acceptance of any gender orientation or sexual preference. In particular, while being transexual anywhere isn't 'easy', it may be less difficult at Bard simply because of the accepting atmosphere. Additionally, the Trans-Action initiative is in the process of pressuring the administration to create all unisex bathrooms and change freshman housing preferences to account for those people who physically project a different gender than they are, or who feel gender ambiguous. -Do not wear sweats and uggs to class on this campus. Everyone dresses up, even if we do like 1500 people who have been transplanted from the LES of NYC. -Yes, different types of students interact, although LARPers and students of common ethnic/racial identity tend to hang out with one another. -There are four tables of students in the dining hall. Two students at one table are furiously doing homework. Another table is having a loud conversation about Batman comics. A third table is gossiping about last night's party while playing a very animated game of cards. At the last table, a loud political debate is happening. Then, a member of the surrealist training surface runs into Kline in a costume, jumps on a table, juggles, then leaves. No one looks even moderately surprised.

Because Bardians represent a small minority of the greater 18 to 22(ish) population of America and elsewhere, their outward appearance definitely reflects that as well. Fashion trends that are nonsensical to others can easily be found here. Examples of this include oversized and ugly glasses, thin and breathable apparel at unsuitable temperatures, ragged and worn out items for the sake of irony, and anything that was obviously obtained from a thrift store or secondhand in general. These choices have nothing to do with one's socio-economic situation; it all depends on the impression that one seeks to make. Speaking of financial status, Bard gives away a good amount of financial aid and scholarships to those who seek them, but it is fair to guess that most people come from fairly well-off families. You need to be, to afford the nearly $50,000 tuition fee each year. The majority of the college is Caucasian, and it is normal to see minorities exhibiting a fair amount of exclusivity, but there is a growing amount of racial sensitivity and awareness of potential problems that arise when race is ignored. There are some anarchists but you must look hard to spot them.