Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Bard is too desolate, consider checking out Skidmore. Saratoga Springs is lovely!

Great suggestion. Saratoga Springs is an over the top spot for a school.

Except the nice downtown is not walkable.

Anonymous wrote:My senior applied to Bard, but chose Oberlin. They loved the people they met through admissions and we both liked the Hudson Valley.

My senior also applied to Bard, but chose Swarthmore. DS really liked Bard, strong writing program, 3 week orientation when only freshman are in campus, beautiful campus, well funded with the recent increase to a $1B endowment. It seems academically rigorous but without the stressful environment. Proximity to NYC is great. He was all set to go there but made a late change.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Bard is too desolate, consider checking out Skidmore. Saratoga Springs is lovely!

Have you ever been in the area? It’s far from desolate. It’s 7 miles from Rhinebeck with an hour and 45 min train ride to NYC.

Bard is a fine school. I know 2 families that have a dc there. Both seem to be having a great experience.

Yes, I know the area. It’s picturesque but these are teeny tiny towns spaced apart among a lot of land and open space. It’s naturally beautiful but doesn’t compare to Saratoga Springs in terms of access, culture, amenities, etc.

I think a lot of people agree it’s fairly remote for students. Again, a great school for the right kid but not by any means a bustling college town.

It is indeed isolated and remote. I HIGHLY recommend a tour. My daughter had it near the top of her list but removed it altogether after visiting. There really isn't a campus as such, but rather some run-down buildings spread far apart, and you actually have to hike through woods to get from point A to point B the quickest way. (The one big exception to run-down is the Frank Gehry building, which you will see on all the brochures. This is far from everything else and a total outlier.) Really, really odd kids led our tour too. You need to take a shuttle or have a car to run any errands.

My senior applied to Bard, but chose Oberlin. They loved the people they met through admissions and we both liked the Hudson Valley.

Anonymous wrote:If Bard is too desolate, consider checking out Skidmore. Saratoga Springs is lovely!

Have you ever been in the area? It’s far from desolate. It’s 7 miles from Rhinebeck with an hour and 45 min train ride to NYC.

Bard is a fine school. I know 2 families that have a dc there. Both seem to be having a great experience.

Anonymous wrote:If Bard is too desolate, consider checking out Skidmore. Saratoga Springs is lovely!

Great suggestion. Saratoga Springs is an over the top spot for a school.

If Bard is too desolate, consider checking out Skidmore. Saratoga Springs is lovely!

To clarify the above, Bard is notable for fine and, of course, performing arts . . .

I believe the nearest commercial district to Bard is that of Red Hook, which is 3.1 miles away. This separation gives Bard the atmosphere of a country estate.

Academically, Bard may be most similar to Sarah Lawrence, although Bard also shares some attributes with nearby Vassar. Bard's strongest programs appear to be in fine arts, humanities and some social sciences. Offerings and facilities in natural sciences and computer science are narrower. Such relative strengths are more related to its chosen emphases than to its overall size.

Of historical note, Bard was once an undergraduate division of Columbia University, in a sense similar to that of the current Barnard.

My neighbor’s son attends- plays a sport and is a musician- and absolutely LOVES it.

And Lawrence and St Olaf

Look at Oberlin too

There are several recent threads on Bard already here

There is not much in the nearby area. To us, it felt quiet and remote. NP.