Bard College Top Questions

I would emphasize to students the importance of an overnight visit and your gut reaction to a school. DO YOUR RESEARCH!

There are no exact matches and no such thing as the perfect school. Every school has its drawbacks. It is important to find a school that you could see yourself comfortable in. If you aren't comfortable , you won't suceed academically or socially. Decide if you want a big school or a small school. Big schools offer more variety but don't have the same closeness as a small school. Do you want a school that will make you think deeply or do you want a school that will let you graduate bar minimum? Remember that you can always transfer and that the school you choose is not a reflection of you. College is what you make it. There is no one holding your hand guiding you along. If you want to change something, go and do it. Dont' get too stressed out, enjoy your senior year, allow yourself to feel infinite for a while. In your adult life it really doesn't matter what your SAT scores were or if you got a 5 in AP Calc. That is not to say, be a slacker. You should work hard but find a balance between stressed and apathetic.

I would advise looking for a school that feels comfortable not only in terms of academia but in terms of the social environment. A school that is socially accepting and friendly is often more nourishing than one that is strictly challenging all the time.

Your college experience is about finding the right place for you. The name isn't going to matter if you aren't going to be happy there. Find a place where you can see yourself succeeding. If cities make you uncomfortable, consider the fact that at an urban university, you would be living and working in a metropolitan area during some of the most stressful times of your life. Or, if you constantly need activity buzzing all around you, maybe a rural campus isn't the way to go. College is certainly about expanding your horizons and trying new things, but you also have to be able to live with the college you choose-- for a long time. If you can't see yourself there, maybe it's not the place for you. And really, don't worry too much about practicality-- picking the most practical major or lucrative degree. Unless you're looking to be a doctor or engineer, few employers are going to care where your undergraduate degree is from or what subject it's in, as long as you have one. Pick a place where you can excel and make the most of those four years.

College should be a place that makes the individual aware of the vast potential they have. It should also provide a space where the student can comfortably unfold and explore this potential. When I fist visited my future college I had what I could only refer to as the "summer camp experience". It was a feeling of comfort paired with excitement, I felt overwhelmed with possibility. There seemed to be so many choices to make, from the types of friends I could make to the areas of study I could engage in. Ultimately what made my college experience the life changing and enriching thing it ended up being was my choice to be there. Sure, the college provided me with a unique and amazing array of options, but the experience of any college largely has to do with what you make of it. Choosing a college does not stop with a deposit, you make a choice everyday to be there, to take full advantage of the opportunities put before you, and to be who you are.

When I was in high school applying to colleges, I bought college guides, I talked with my counselor incessantly, and asked everyone for advice. I had no idea what I wanted out of college, and could have seen myself anywhere. Given the descriptions of colleges that were given, all of them seemed just right in their own way, and I ended up narrowing my list down to the 19 colleges to which I ultimately applied. But what actually decided the right college for me was visiting all of the schools I applied to. One by one, the decision got easier--meeting other students, meeting faculty, seeing the way the campus was set up for the students--to the point where I was worried that I would have to settle for less than perfect. But I got to Bard, and saw everyone smiling, saw the student art and the nature and the quirky buildings, and new immediately that I was decided, and that no Ivy-League school could come anywhere near Bard in how perfect it felt--and still feels--for me.

Don't worry about the name of your school, worry about where you will be happy

Make the most of the professors. They have office hours, GO TO THEM. They are all incredible people. Talk to them outside of class.

College is what you make it. Although schools can be easily lumped into various stereotypical groups, they are not necessarily a good representation of the college experience that you will have. People chose what college to attend for a variety of reasons, so although you may not think you "fit in" to the stereotype that college is known for, a lot of other people probably feel the same way! The key is to be yourself, and you will find friends that respect you for who you are. That being said, there are some very important factors to consider when choosing a college, including academics, money, locations, class size, etc. They key is to figure out which of those things are most important to you, and base your decision on which colleges fit those criteria.

Go with your gut.