Anonymous wrote:Is it over the top woke, or could a normal kid who likes sports and finance do OK there? I know Soros made a huge donation, which is great for the endowment and the school's financial stability, but what does that mean for the political climate on campus?

I have a kid there. It’s for quirky folk, creative, intellectual types. Eccentric for sure.

Anonymous wrote:It’s not really a sporty finance kid type of place. More of an artsy creative type of school.

Agreed about importance of touring. My DC attended 3 different progressive and/or liberal private schools over the course of PK to 12, yet found the 3 Bard tour guides too eccentric and quirky. It’s the only school where the tour started with a lengthy land acknowledgment reading by the tour guide, for example. As a parent, I liked the beautiful campus, the excellent art museum, and could see artsy and creative types thriving. I personally preferred Skidmore.

Anonymous wrote:It’s an excellent school. Location is fantastic and the campus/Hudson Valley is so beautiful. Their modern music/arts building is also beautiful and state of the art.

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The campus was really pretty and kind of unique. It is wooded and almost felt like more of a summer camp. Very eclectic buildings. It seems like a great place for artists/creative types. One of their buildings had been designed and built by students.

It was too artsy for my kids but seems like a nice place if looking for that vibe.

if your child is interested n music, first you need to have a trial class with the possible professor to see if it's a good match. Music students have different paths to follow before you pick a school. They will be studying with that teacher for 4 years.

Way too woke.

Anonymous wrote:Is it over the top woke, or could a normal kid who likes sports and finance do OK there? I know Soros made a huge donation, which is great for the endowment and the school's financial stability, but what does that mean for the political climate on campus?

Soros is to the right of “woke”

Anonymous wrote:Artsy, creative vibe with very strong ties to NYC. It’s remote like Wesleyan, not remote like Colgate or Hamilton. Definitely off the beaten path, but it’s 10 minutes from an Amtrak station and less than 2 hours from Manhattan. You do need a car to really be able to take advantage of the area.

Colgate and Hamilton might be considered remote if proximity to New York City is a priority. However, Bard's atmosphere of seclusion is otherwise greater than that of Colgate or Hamilton, in my opinion. While Colgate and Hamilton are both set near authentically rural countryside, Colgate is adjacent to its charming village, and Hamilton, beyond its own village, offers access to suburban amenities.

Artsy, creative vibe with very strong ties to NYC. It’s remote like Wesleyan, not remote like Colgate or Hamilton. Definitely off the beaten path, but it’s 10 minutes from an Amtrak station and less than 2 hours from Manhattan. You do need a car to really be able to take advantage of the area.

It’s not really a sporty finance kid type of place. More of an artsy creative type of school.

Is it over the top woke, or could a normal kid who likes sports and finance do OK there? I know Soros made a huge donation, which is great for the endowment and the school's financial stability, but what does that mean for the political climate on campus?

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.