Bard College Top Questions

No, no, kinda, no, kinda, maybe twenty years ago but no, kinda.

yes

This stereotype has some truth to it but is mostly false. Most Bard students are not hipsters. It would be incredibly challenging to stereotype Bard students accurately.

Professors around campus have noticed the significant change of attitude from the "Old Bard" (the seniors) to the new bard, this year’s freshman class. It’s developing a new reputation.

Drug culture is big at Bard. It's a fact. However, if you want to avoid it, it's totally possible to. Nobody will force you to do something you don't want to. And yes, drugs are still illegal here just as they would be anywhere else in the US. There are still hippies and flower children, just not as many as before, and they don't always appear as stereotypical hippies. Hipsters are everywhere, and almost everyone smokes. Again, though, the smoking is definitely avoidable if you so choose. Bard is very liberal with many alternative and almost radical views, but everyone has their own opinion and Bard encourages individuality. I think there might be some Republicans on campus somewhere, I just haven't met them. It's quite artsy and artistic, which is just really fun. It's also got some pretty awesome science departments and labs and professors and such. And it's got some great international programs. Most people who go to Bard, however, do want to save the environment and recycle and stuff like that.

Yes and no. We have many clove-smoking, birk-wearing hippies. Lots of people smoke pot, but at the same time, it's not difficult to avoid pot. Like any campus, it's easy to find other kinds of drugs. We don't have too much heavy stuff on campus -- mainly hallucinogens, coke, and weed. The only thing readily available without effort is weed. We have a lot of skinny-jean-type hipsters, and yeah, Bard can get a little cliquish. At the same time, I'm a fairly friendly person and have a very large network of friends. Though sometimes it's difficult to get to know another upperclassman who I've never met before, I find that people are for the most part friendly. I mean, hey -- it's a step up from New York City -- people actually smile at me when I pass them on the path. Campus life isn't going to be like NYU. I feel like students applying to Bard should already know this, but some apparently don't. Clearly, since we live in the woods, our options are fairly limited. There's only one bar in the surrounding area, no concert halls until you get to Poughkeepsie, etc. You can't rely on other people to amuse you. Many weekends, there are club or school-sponsored parties where many people go and drink and dance, but most times, I have get-togethers with twenty or so friends where we all smoke, talk, drink, dance, and play games. If you're a big clubber, Bard isn't the place for you.

When making general statements about Bard as a college, it is important to remember that for every person who comfortably fits the stereotype in question, there is at least one other who does not fit it at all. Many students have come from habitats not quite as urban as many would think and there are a good number who focus on sciences or mathematics instead of integrated arts or creative writing. When it comes to queer students, there is definitely an unprecedented shortage, and a good number of those who do choose to explore their sexuality shy away from common labels. Additionally, the campus is virtually devoid of any formidable pushes of political activism.

When you run into these people, they leave a lasting impression which can make it seem that their numbers are greater than they actually are but it would be incorrect to slap the entire student body with these generalizations.

The fact that some of us are obscenely wealthy does contribute to some students being rude and elitist in thier tastes. Bard students themselves complain about this on a daily basis. However, many Bard students are compassionate and prolific. So many of us just want to constantly explore ideas, learn and evolve.

no

No. 1. Social life at Bard is hardly centered around drugs or alcohol. Both exist, but are easily avoided by those who choose not to partake. 2. Bard is the opposite of clique-y. Everyone gets to know a wide variety of people, and most us float freely between different groups of friends. 3. The hipster scene exists, because it's trendy, but not all of us wear skinny jeans and bandanas. 4. The school itself actually has a very small endowment (comparatively), and over 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students receive financial aid of some sort. It's an expensive school. Not the same thing.

somewhat

Only in the most superficial sense. Bard students are certainly hyper-intellectual, but only because they seek to understand the world and because they are encouraged from their first day of college to push the envelope and expand their perspectives and ways of thinking and approaching problems. They are all artists in the sense that it is rare to meet a Bard student who doesn't appreciate art, but it is equally rare to meet a Bard student who doesn't appreciate political discourse, history, the sciences, math, foreign languages, or literature...all at the same time. Certainly Bard students have a tendency to epitomize the hipster aesthetic, yet dressing differently never meets an odd glare in the stacks of the library.

We are very liberal. Political debates are a joke around here, what with the complete lack of conservatives. There is a lot of pot smoking and drinking, but plenty of people choose to avoid it and still manage to have a good time. Partying is a good way to socialize but by no means the only way. The Princeton Review labeled us as "dodgeball targets", and this may be true. We certainly are not a "Football rules!" kind of school, but the athletics here are actually quite fun. Just a little less competitive than your average state school.

To an extent. The people here are often shy and socially awkward, but in a comfortable way. I have found most people to be very friendly, especially if you show you are interested in getting to know them. A lot of kids do smoke cigarettes. A lot of kids are not extremely hip, snobby rich kids. A lot of kids are. There are a good deal of extremely intelligent kids, and mostly it is a bunch of students who are uncertain if they even really want to be in college at all.

I've never smoked pot in my life. A lot of people do smoke pot - but I'm not sure that is entirely different from everywhere else.

Pretty much, yeah. The amount of cigarette smokers at Bard is insane, and while I am not a prominent part of the drug culture, I know that it exists. The school is also incredibly liberal-minded, and it takes a certain type of person to fit in here. Not that it's a bad thing.

Yes, most of the students are those kids you knew in high school who never really fit in. Chances are, if you're at all "mainstream" you'll have a hard time finding your place here. There really are all types of people here though, it's just difficult to find them. You pretty much are only friends with the people you live with. It's hard to socialize outside your dorm, especially when the weather gets bad. For such a small school, it seems even smaller since there are so many little cliques. And no, not everyone is a pothead. But at times it can really seem like it. A LOT of kids at Bard smoke pot. There's not a lot of pressure to do it, but chances are you won't go the whole four years here without at least trying it.

In fact, Bard is fully of hipster scum and fashionistas.

Though there are a lot of pretentious artsy students at Bard, there are also a lot of really studious people on campus. Bard has been cracked down on recently and its really not a party school, at all.