Bennington College Top Questions

Bennington sports a student body of less than 700, and an impressive student/faculty ratio, so one has to one wonder: What's the catch? Situated miles from town on acres of idyllic Vermont hills, the campus is self contained and self maintaining (kind of like a well designed fishtank). Life at Bennington is rarely dull, with performances starting within a few weeks of the start of term, projects to work on, official themed House parties nearly every weekend, and events sponsored in various locations around campus. In fact, with everything available to students, it's hard to determine just why students are so focused on one another's lives and dramas. The easiest way to steer clear of this is, of course, not to date anyone and not to sleep with anyone. But let's get real. This is college, and you came for the sex as much as you came for the classes. As my favorite teacher once told me, "You're living in a fishbowl, kid." Welcome to Bennington.

Bennington is a place that selects you. You have to want to live and breath your studies. You have to want to be very involved and self driven to push your limits of how you learn and what you learn. If you want this you will flourish at Bennington. I love all of the different kinds of student work that I have seen during my first year at Bennington. For example, there are always student productions to see... for example, one night I saw this great animation/sound/opera piece. We all sat in the dark in the corner of a black box. Wonderful electronic sounds played on either side of us as we watched a beautifully done animation. Interspersed within the electronic music was a singer. One light would turn on to light her face as she sang from a balcony. It was really beautiful. That is just one example of the many completely student driven performances that happen all the time. There is really a lot of creative energy at Bennington.

Okay, so the coolest thing about Bennignton is going to be the students. The students are what makes it all worthwhile. Because they will do amazing things. I've been astonished time and again by what my colleagues were doing.

What I love most about Bennington is that there seems to be an unspoken rule that everyone must be invested or curious in SOMETHING. This might be ceramics, this might be dance, this might be feminist literature combined with an interest in chemistry. Whenever I think of my friends who are just in school to get a degree and get it over with, Bennington seems so refreshing, as everyone is interested in learning. However, this can also mean that students tend to be self-focused because they are so caught up in their work. (I was hoping for classmates who were a lot more interested in community service, politics, the environment, etc.) There's something for everyone at Bennington. There are the hipsters from LA and New York, the hippies who NEVER shower, the larper population, and people like me who don't fit into any of those categories, but we all feel at home, spread out in our little houses around Commons Lawn. Because almost every student lives on campus and there's not much going on in the town of Bennington, this means that there is ALWAYS something going on on campus. This might be a visiting band, a gallery opening, a visiting historian, a play, and a hiking trip all going on in the same night... and you can only do three things. We are a small school-- this is good and bad. With only 600 of us, we have close relationships with the people in our houses, (dorms), and our professors. This also means it's hard to avoid people. Bennington has something very special in addition to its unique system of declaring a major. Field Work Term began in the 30's because the school didn't have enough money to heat the houses during the winter; it was decided that all the Bennington girls would go off and get experience in the working world for two months, and the tradition continues, (even though we now can afford heating throughout the winter). Field Work Term is invaluable; every Bennington student completes a seven week internship for every year he is enrolled at the school. This internship usually relates to what the student is studying, but not always. There is a helpful Field Work Term Office on campus, where you can go to look up suggestions in our internship database, get help writing a cover letter or resume, and most recently, get career counseling. Students do all kinds of things: I know people who have taught disabled how to ski, helped young women in Rwanda, worked for production companies, sculptors, greenhouses, museums, architects, schools... It's an amazing feel to graduate from college already armed with an impressive looking resume. Bennington is a magical place-- there is a strong sense of community that unites us all in feeling pride for our little school. No one really can understand what it's like to look up from studying to hear firetrucks come through campus with their sirens going at the end of every term, announcing our biannual Midnight Breakfast, and watching the shadows of your friends move across the lawn towards the Dining Hall, where our professors serve us pancakes and tater tots and eggs. You'd have to be there to understand, watching our history professor move up and down the stairwell, offering doughnuts to students waiting in the long line to get inside. I've had the best and worst times of my life there; every friend I've made is unlike any person I've ever met. I've had great support and advice from my teachers and the staff, and always can't wait to go back as soon as I leave.

Don't let the fact that Bennington is small deter you. That's the best thing about this place, in my mind. Everyone knows each other and the entire environment is really welcoming. It's a really, really wonderful community, and we all share a deeper understanding of each other. It's kind of nice to be somewhere where you can be on a first name basis with almost all the students, and with the faculty as well. It felt weird at first, but now I can't imagine calling any of my teachers "Professor [fill in last name here]". I spend a lot of time in my house, because I have a really great house dynamic and love the people who live here. The only problem with Bennington is that people sometimes get a bit negative. There is a tendency to notice problems on campus, or in the world, but often a lack of initiative in dealing with the problems at hand. So sometimes, people will complain a bit. But it's really easy to take action if you want to get something done, at the same time. If you really care about something, people will usually join up with your cause, which is wonderful. Everyone's very supportive.

Bennington has a great atmosphere, you form great relationships with your professors and meet a ton of amazing people. There is so much freedom here, you can even "design" your own concentration. The school is pretty small which has its advantages and disadvantages. The administration has been pretty good in my time here, but I have heard some horror stories. People here(ESPECIALLY) administration don't have a concept of time or deadlines, and also have a nasty habit of informing you about something even mere hours before it's supposed to happen.