Bard College Top Questions

people are snobby and pretentious hipsters. they don't make eye contact with you. ever. everyone is really cliquey. It's kinda hard to make friends and find a "group," especially if you're not friends with people in your dorm.

There is a lot of underground racism at Bard. Every once in a while it comes up, people print copies of articles called "The Jewsnake" and swastikas have been painted in bathrooms and on walls. Its really upsetting.

The students that feel most left out are those who don't want to engage themselves with other. All different types of students interact, there is only slight cliquing in the "LA hipster" kids. The four tables would all be similar. Kids come from all over the world, but I'd say most are upper-class. Predominantly left, but I've noticed that everyone is aware and active.

A consevative student would feel out of place at Bard. Students dress in all different ways. There are a large number of normal college students but also a quite high population of "hipsters" whose fashion sense will always suprise you. Many students are wealthy, but not all are. Most students are from New York or LA. I have never heard a student talk about earning money.

It'd be nice if the athletes meshed more with the hipsters. Like – everyone knows if you're an athlete or if you're a hipster. The athletes don't wear skinny jeans and dirty shirts, you know? The hipsters should try wearing a basketball jersey once in a while. Just for kicks. But, I think things are changing a little bit. The freshman class gets more diverse each year which is cool. I mean – I love my friends, but things are still very cliquey at Bard, probably moreso than most liberal arts schools.

1) I don't have much firsthand experience with these issue-focused clubs, though the International Student Organization and Queer-Straight Alliance do throw some great parties. 2) Republicans. But, of the two or three I knew, all felt comfortable but one. 3) Asking me to describe what a Bard student wears to class is like asking me to describe what a typical New Yorker looks like. 4) Yes, different types of students interact, generally. There is a large group of Chinese students who attend Bard for its conservatory program. Many speak little to no English, so they tend to stick together. Otherwise, yeah. 5) Table 1: LA hipsters talking about that band that like, you like, so wouldn't know about. Table 2: Vegans discussing the merits of biodiesel fuel. Table 3: Preppy freshmen discussing their upcoming organic chemistry exam. Table 4: The LARPers (live action role-playing clique) rambling about the dark knight's sword. 6) Most Bard students are from the Northeast (New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts) or California. There is also a large population from Bulgaria. 7) Most students seem to be upper-middle-class, though there is some variety. 8) I don't think our generation is generally politically active or aware, but for those students who are interested in politics, there are a number of venues through which to explore it. 9) LEFT. 10) They only time students ever talk about how much they'll earn is when they're jovially complaining about their impending poverty as necessitated by their starving artist career paths.

What a student body it is. It's my personal oppinion that this campus really is covered with 'hipsters', but then again, I barely understand what that term means, I'm too midwestern for my own good sometimes. The kids are either trendy or too care free to dress all the way. But it's rare you'll find someone in sweatpants and a ponytail, more likely leggings, boots and bed head. You might feel out of place here if you're used to homecomings, football games, and popped collars. I know I miss a good old super bowl party, personally. While there are distinct groups of friends who hang out with only people who can match their hardcore-ness, whatever that is, at Bard, your core group of friends will likely be a mismash of kids who are like you and people you avoided in high school. You couldn't likely pick out one group of kids from another in a lunch room, unless dressed in Bard athletic gear, they stick out like a sore black thumb (Bard's colors are deep red and black). Most kids are wealthy and have places to 'summer' but you wouldn't know it from how they act, it's just assumed, trust me. I'm not well off though, and I don't feel bad joking about having to run to financial aid every two minutes to afford books. Sporting events aren't highly attended by anyone else but other athletes (we kind of stick together here) but that's changing! The student body is starting to look more mixed, less the typical art student or starving writer. There are athletes and there are hippies and they all seem to mesh happily.

The bard community could be a little bit more diverse, it seems like every kid here is rich and white. But the minority population still has a very strong foundation and is very involved on campus. The campus is roughly 99.9999{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} democrat.

Our campus is for the most part extremely excepting of people of any race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. We have a decently sized International Program, though there isn't a huge amount of racial diversity. We have a fairly large number of LGBTQ students on campus, and many groups which are targeted to these students. Some of these clubs are more political, while some are more for throwing parties and having a good time. The Queer Alliance throws some of the biggest and best parties on Campus. You'd be hard pressed to find a republican here. We don’t have frats or sororities or even a football team. We do however have a rugby team.