Bard College
- 4 Year
- ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, NY
CollegeGrad School
Bard College Reviews
Rating 3.63 out of 5 687 reviews
Great experience overall. Very welcoming environment in an absolutely gorgeous campus. Highly recommended!
Bard is an amazing Liberal Arts college. I really learned to be happy and confident in myself more here because everyone is so friendly and different. Because everyone is so different, it makes living life a lot easier and it also creates a judgemental free community.
During my freshman semester I encountered the richest meanest people with absolutely no moral compass. These students came here to chain-smoke and pretend to be artists until they eventually live off a trust fund. Bard counseling services is actively unhelpful. There is a massive housing shortage on campus and many students are assigned trailers or dorms with intense mold problems. The dining hall is disgusting and unsanitary. Party scene is really terrible. There is really no sense of community and the campus center is foreboding. The transportation services across the Hudson are non-existent. Also, Freshman students are required to spend 3 weeks in the summer and 3 weeks in the winter at boring on campus programs that create an intense feeling of burnout during finals and foster isolation from family.
Bard College provides the small liberal arts school experience and offers awesome classes and professors. They also have a somewhat wide range of unique majors. It is not for everyone, however. The social scene is pretty homogenous and therefore cliquey. The student body consists of mostly wealthy "artsy" city kids really milking the lower-middle class aesthetic. Cigarette use in dorms especially is out of control, unless you are able to get substance-free housing. Food is another issue entirely, which I know students are trying to change right now. Important to note: there is ONE dining hall. Prepare to wait a while on line. Most of my other qualms with my experience can be linked to lack of reliable transportation (Bard is rural), lack of proximity to anything, really, and the dreary upstate NY weather. I think Bard can provide a really good experience for specific people, but generally it's problems are majorly exacerbated by unhelpful, dispassionate administration, and its size.
Bard College is the perfect place for a liberal art's education. I found it easy to fit in, and the environment was very easy to learn in.
I really like the environment and the community but lack of resources makes it really hard to survive here. Even a grocery store on campus would help but there's none. There's always issues with the dorms but love the classes and professors here.
My experience at Bard, so far, has been wonderful! Bard takes a unique learning approach for first years. We get to campus 3 weeks before all other students to do a Language and Thinking work shop. These three weeks together allow first years to really bond.
If I could see something change, on top of these wonderful required courses like Seminar, Citizen Science, and L&T; I would love to see a mandatory financial literacy course for first years on campus. It would set Bard farther apart from other liberal arts colleges and also give much education to my current majority finically illiterate generation.
Over all I have had a wonderful experience at Bard, have made so many friends and have had so many opportunities in just a few months. Never a dull moment at Bard and there is always some club, band, concert, or event to attend on campus!
If I could see something change, on top of these wonderful required courses like Seminar, Citizen Science, and L&T; I would love to see a mandatory financial literacy course for first years on campus. It would set Bard farther apart from other liberal arts colleges and also give much education to my current majority finically illiterate generation.
Over all I have had a wonderful experience at Bard, have made so many friends and have had so many opportunities in just a few months. Never a dull moment at Bard and there is always some club, band, concert, or event to attend on campus!
Students are passionate and academically oriented, ambitious, and set on the stars. There's a huge Humanities focus here- if you're interested in literature, philosophy, classics, music and art- you have a place here.
There are great opportunities to seize on campus- be it teaching or research. The campus is gorgeous though some older dorms need renovating. Sports and party life aren't like at a state school- the school is centered around academics- anything else is secondary.
Make connections and seize the opportunity around you.
There are great opportunities to seize on campus- be it teaching or research. The campus is gorgeous though some older dorms need renovating. Sports and party life aren't like at a state school- the school is centered around academics- anything else is secondary.
Make connections and seize the opportunity around you.
The experience at bard college is outstanding, beautiful environment. I recommend bard college to everybody.
Bard college is a wonderful university with so nice students. professors at bard college are very helpful to the international students . I recommend bard college to everyone.
Bard College is amazing and the tutors are very welcoming. The students at Bard college are so friendly and easygoing.
Bard is a wonderful school full of amazing faculty and beautiful views. The dining here is awful tho! But overall a great school with lots to offer.
Due to the events related to the COVID-pandemic my "Bardian" experienced has been severely limited. Yet, without prejudice of these limitations, I would categorically affirmed that I´ve had a positive experience.
The motto of Bard is "a place to Think," and both the faculty and the students abide by this rule. Bard students are knowledge-seeking individuals - although sometimes they can be a little-to inquisitive regarding this endeavor - they are always there to discuss the ins and outs of class materials. Simultaneously, the professors are constantly looking to spark the flame of discussion in the classroom, and they often celebrate this dialogical process.
This quality is what makes me attracted to Bard, i.e., to not be afraid to think and to have a community that is as passionate about knowledge as you are. It is through this lens that I understand my Bard experience, one of a constant sharing of idea between my pears and my professors.
The motto of Bard is "a place to Think," and both the faculty and the students abide by this rule. Bard students are knowledge-seeking individuals - although sometimes they can be a little-to inquisitive regarding this endeavor - they are always there to discuss the ins and outs of class materials. Simultaneously, the professors are constantly looking to spark the flame of discussion in the classroom, and they often celebrate this dialogical process.
This quality is what makes me attracted to Bard, i.e., to not be afraid to think and to have a community that is as passionate about knowledge as you are. It is through this lens that I understand my Bard experience, one of a constant sharing of idea between my pears and my professors.
Bard was an amazing place to be - I learned so much and was able to open my mind to so many new ideas, cultures, people, languages, and career paths. I wouldn't choose any other college!
One of my favorite aspects of Bard college is the class sizes and relationships built between students and teachers. The small classes allow for stronger discussions and participation, creating more room for growth amongst all students. Getting to take advantage of 1 on 1 time with professors is also extremely helpful. In addition to the academics, Bards extracurricular life is very rich and allows students to feel like there is a lot going on, even while being in an isolated part of New York. In terms of seeing things change, I would say that sometimes it is difficult for students to feel safe and protected on an open campus with minimal security cameras. Being a Peer Counselor (RA) gave me a lot of insight on how additional cameras could be helpful, while still keeping many places private.
Bard is a unique school. It embraces the value of a liberal arts education. Classes are small and the professors know you and are generally happy to help you. There is a major housing shortage and overall student infrastructure and support is lacking. The campus is beautiful but pretty isolated and you probably need a car if you want to leave campus. Very LGBTQ+ friendly. Overall, the student body is incredible but the institution itself could be improved.
It was hard at first as a transfer student to make friends, but with time I was able to find my group and truly love Bard. There is something for everyone here, and there is so much opportunity on campus