MLEVINE07

Who went? I went and I thought it was great. I met up with the Rugby team and hung out with them for a while, they are a great group of guys. I thought the student panels were very helpful.

Proud Dad

I went and, as a parent, I'd follow Leon Botstein anywhere. I'd be proud to have my child attend Bard, but in the end it is her decision based on what she perceives as a good match for her wants and needs. I'm not sure yet that Bard is the best for what she's looking for but I know it's a great school lead by a great man and a caring and talented faculty---beyond any school we've visited over the search history of two children and over four years. And if you saw the TV show 60-Minutes story on the Bard prison initiative, how could you not be proud to be associated with such an inspiring school, faculty, and student body?

ghettoboxrancid

Loved it. (10 char.)

visualthinker

I also was impressed by everything I experienced at accepted students day and am thrilled that my son was, as well.......they won him over and we left his deposit. He'll inevitably have a transformative experience over the next four years.

MLEVINE07

What are your son's stats?

Proud Dad

Stats at Bard? Who cares?

MLEVINE07

Haha, what do you mean Proud Dad? I was just wondering what kind of stats the people who were admitted this year had.

Proud Dad

What I meant was that since Bard makes SAT's optional, it's apparent they look beyond the stats to an individual's record and achievements. Therefor it would seem a prospective Bard student might not be as interested as many on CC would be in compiling or comparing stats. That's all. But then Bard probably has the lowest participation on CC of any school, which I also find encouraging as a parent. The best to you!

visualthinker

Even though my son is uninterested in grades, stats and testing, his scores qualified him as a national merit finalist....he tests well but doesn't dwell on it or prepare for it...his focus is on divergent and individual thinking and inventiveness. Before our Bard accepted students day visit, he was favoring Hampshire. But after an overnight spent there he was able to compare the two schools and Bard won in a landslide on Saturday.

Skie

Where did you students (or your kids) stay overnight? We had planned to fly S by himself to Bard for Accepted Day and to sit in on some classes on Friday. But they said they couldn't host students overnight and that there was no guarantee he could get in to a class on Friday. So we decided to forgo the Accepted Day visit. S is visiting the other schools to which he was accepted this week and will do a Bard trip later in the month when perhaps they can be more accomodating.

visualthinker

The overnight was at Hampshire- we stayed in a hotel to see Bard.

Skie

Anyone else?

Proud Dad

Same here. We showed up on Saturday. In talking with members of the administration, the Friday session wasn't all that much anyway. Like most colleges, there are few (if any) classes on Fridays and those who visited that day and found someone to share their room were treated to reasonable facsimiles of actual classes but not the real thing. Either day we'd have probably found faculty from the departments my D was interesting in talking to missing in action, which left her with some still-unanswered questions about Bard and how it fits her.

I don't think you'll find Bard's policy on overnight stays changes outside the accepted-student event. You'll still be on your own.

Skie

I think you're right, ProudDad. Too bad. My son is very independent, but I don't see him staying in a hotel by himself. We're hoping that finding a student to host him overnight will be easier when it's not Admitted Day. Then again I might have to spring for another plane ticket and come along. Or maybe he'll decide on another school and we can forget all about visiting Bard.