amuldow

Hi there,

I'm the very proud mom of a senior who is trying to decide between Bard and Hampshire. The two school's accepted students' days fall on the same day! We're attending Hampshire's because when we visited the school was not in session. He wants to get a feel for the kids and classes. He's interested in creative writing, political science, history and screenwriting. He's a great kid who is neither a hippie or hipster, very verbal, loves to debate issues (was on the high school debate team), and eager to become fully engaged, stretched and challenged in school.

Please help with any information that would inform his decision.

Thanks!

allthosethings

Both Bard and Hampshire are great schools. Did you visit Bard also? I think it will come down to how your son feels on each campus. My only thought would be that I think Hampshire is in a better location in terms of not being as isolated as Bard, and because of the five college consortium. Generally, I think that the students will be very similar. There is a lot of overlap in applications between the schools.

mtngoat1

Warning! I am about to introduce some very rash and jaded, but mostly true, generalizations about either school:

Hampshire consists almost entirely of hipsters who subsist on trust funds and money from their parents; smoke weed all day, and pretend they're broad-minded intellectuals because of it; and perform the most embarrassingly stereotpyical stoner tableaux you've ever laid eyes on.

Bard is basically the same thing, except the student body is, for the most part, marginally more intelligent.

They're both excellent schools, however.

danas

By the numbers, Bard enrolls stronger students. But Hampshire has the 5 college agreement. Bard and Hampshire attract very similar students. A co-worker had daughters attend each of them.
The one who attended Hampshire got a 1600 on her SATs. She reported after 2 weeks that Hampshire was "like summer camp with homework". She ended up taking many courses at the other 4 colleges.
Hampshire in particular has no endowment of note. Be prepared for many fellow students from wealthy families.

Kiwikimmi

Go to Bard

mythmom

I think Bard's program is much stronger academically. Both kids looked at both; both nixed Hampshire and applied to Bard (though neither attends, they would have been happy to had other choices not materialized.)

Bard is pushing science, economics and business initiatives in addition to its more artsy focus. It is offering a five year business/arts program.

Hampshire has an interesting program, and I don't think it's a bad school, but the kids I know at Bard vs. those I know at Hampshire are more academic and scholarly.

In addition, Hampshire lacks many majors and relies heavily on the consortium, not always a good thing IMO. For example, there is no real program in classical music, languages.

However, if the student wants a strong interdisciplinary and VERY innovative approach he would find it at Hampshire, especially if he has an idea in advance of what he wants to pursue.

I also think that although Bard is more isolated, its campus is much prettier and inspiring.

lantern5

S and I visited both Bard & Hampshire. S applied (and was admitted) only to Bard. He felt that the Hampshire campus was very run-down and somewhat depressing. The D of a close friend spent two years to Hampshire and then trnsferred to UMASS because she realized that she was taking all of her classes at UMASS anyhow.

danas

I think the demographics (a decline in the number of affluent white applicant from the Northeast) in the near future, coupled with a lack of money, will challenge Hampshire severely. Bennington almost went out of existence under the same circumstances. Antioch more recently apparently has gone belly up.
A poster named interestedad has recently questioned Bard's lack of transparency in its finances, although it appears that Bard has a meaningful endowment.

Ricebunny

I visited both schools a couple of weeks ago, and was very surprised about them. I was expecting the type of students mtngoat1 described in her post and was pleasently surprised that while most of the students I saw were very verbal about their ideas, the majority were not nearly as weird as I expected. Saying that Bard had more of an intellectual atmosphere, and if it was me I would choose Bard. One warning about Bard-apparently the housing is terrible. Good luck!

mike41zero

I had thought about applying to Hampshire, but it's really not on the same level as Bard. Bard is a much more serious school, all around; the classes, kids, everything. I didn't even apply to Hampshire and wasn't expecting to get into Bard, but now I'm enrolled there. good luck with the decision, I say go with Bard.

amuldow

Thanks one and all on your helpful messages. My son has a clear idea of what he wants to do. He's passionate about writing and wants to study screenwriting and develop a film while in school--more of a documentary. He attending very selective, top, public middle and high schools and I think is tired of the more traditional approach to education. A high school friend is enrolling in Hampshire and has been talking to my son about how he'll be able to delve into his work more creatively and independently at Hampshire and has seriously turned his attention there.

We are visiting both schools this week again. His father and I prefer Bard -- appears, anyway, to be more academic, closer to home, pretty campus, more familiar to us -- it's more traditional in its approach than Hampshire, although they are similar too. There's a lot of overlap in kids who apply.

Yet, on the other hand I'm real proud to have a child who would "put himself out there" I imagine that you can't hide as a student at Hampshire because of the close collaboration and scrutiny of professors. A lot of thought and interaction goes into narrative evaluations rather than grades, plus they will have a transcript w/grades from the other schools in the consortium. Our son said that he'd like to go to either Columbia or NYU for grad school and their students go on to top grad schools.

Boy, this is an interesting journey for parents. Letting go, accepting that it's not your life or education that you're talking about, allowing for and supporting choices that you may not pick........and trusting that it all works out anyway!

mythmom

Well, in the end it will be his decision. That's really the good part; we don't have to decide. They do.

And just to warn you, neither kid picked "my preference." Each was right; I was wrong. I was right for myself, wrong for them. And I got to see more of who each was and how s/he operated by seeing them become more themselves in an environment that really suited them.

So, you'll see. And the student you describe would do well in either environment and might even find Hampshire more supportive.

partyhippie

Im a junior in highschool and though I do not have my "top" colleges picked out yet, Hampshire and Bard are ones that I'm going to be looking at (both this week, actually)
Im pretty much looking for a liberal arts education, and was drawn to these school because of their 'artsy demenur'. Although I havent a clue what I want to major in, I am looking for schools with as strong (and non-traditional) art/design program, as I want to persue studio art / design.
The thing that drew me to Hampshire was its very nontradtional program, which I think I would very much benefit from since I am pretty independent and learn better in a non-structured enviroment. Though I am very into art, I am an intellectual, very liberal person and have an overall "activist" mindset.

any suggestions on how Bard/Hampshire would be a good fit for me?

amuldow

Thanks, MythMom. I found your words comforting. We're visiting each school again this week. I'm working at keeping my anxiety at bay. Telling myself to trust, respect, and support his choice.

mythmom

You're welcome. Feel free to PM me. We visited both schools and my kids considered both.