lantern5

Looking for feedback from CC participants . My son is applying to Bard under the Immediate Decision Program. He is interested in liberal arts and/or performing arts as major.

S attends a small independent school with no class ranking and an innovative curriculum. He has a 3.5 average (unweighted). No AP classes offered. He is very interested in theatre and has done 3 plays a year for four years, at his school and at a local college. This takes about 12-15 hours per week for about 30-35 weeks annually. His other major EC, at school, is student government and he has a major leadership role this year. S will receive strong support from college counselor and teachers.

Last spring S had SAT-I scores of 640-M, 720-CR and 710-W, and SAT II score of 740-US History. He's waiting for scores on SAT II Literature and Biology. He took the SAT I's once, and choose to stay with those scores. Any reaction? What are his chances at Bard?

Greenmoon33

hey... i am a frosh at bard, and applied under Immediate Decision last november. apparently they give immediate decision a lot of priority because you're showing so much interest. as long as he writes a really good essay and has something to say with passion during the interview, i'd say he's in. it's really an incredibly amazing place here. good luck to him =]

mamenyu

Be sure to visit Bard, and spend a day or two there, including an admissions session and a tour, before you apply, especially for a binding admission option. On a recent visit, I found it to be very different from the place described in the online materials and brochures. Also check out the living facilities -- some of the dorms were in trailers that looked rather iffy -- and the food service.

rgwardrn

The IDP is not binding. The student participates in a seminar with a Bard professor, then has a one-on-one interview with an admissions officer. The Monday after the IDP weekend a letter of decision is mailed. The student does not need to accept until May 1. My son got in under IDP and is a freshman there now. My husband & I just returned from Parents' Weekend and the dorms are not palaces and the food is adequate. Nothing fancy, but nothing horrible, either.

Bard is opening up a new Sciences & Computer building in January which looks fantastic. They are trying to build up the science department, so if your child has any interest in science, you should emphasize that.

Bard is a great school for the right type of student. They encourage the students to taken classes in a variety of topics. It is the perfect place for a student who doesn't really know for sure what they want to major in and who wants to explore different intellectual topics.

wmgan

"My husband & I just returned from Parents' Weekend and the dorms are not palaces and the food is adequate."

The food service does pull out all the stops during Parents' Weekend (especially at lunch on Saturday — though I have no idea why that meal should be any more special than the others that weekend). But even in a normal week, the food isn't as bad as many students make it out to be. They do have good stuff at times.

I'm not in the theater program, but I know from my active involvement in the musical theater company that we have an extraordinary pool of talent here.

Bard doesn't require SATs — they do look at scores if you send them, but their SAT-optional policy probably says something about how important the scores are (though strong scores are never a bad thing).