Bard College / Connecticut College / The New School

I got accepted at the three schools above and would love to hear a feedback: academic level, social life in and around campus… Especially as an international student

They’re all quite difference. Why did you pick them in the first place? Was it for aid for international students, or something about each school which attracted you? What are you planning to study? Will your costs be equal at all three? Do you want to live in a big city, small town, or in the countryside? What is most important to you in a school?

I picked those schools because they’re liberal arts colleges and offer exchanges, internships and interesting programs. I’m planning to study International Relations or Psychology and the cost are similar . The thing is I know NYC but not upstate or Connecticut so I don’t know how life would be that’s why I’m asking for feedback. To me what’s most important in a school is a high academic level.

They’re very different schools. I understand it’s difficult to get a sense of that as an International Student and that to you Liberal Arts College sounds like they should all have something in common. I think you could get a good education in IR and Psychology at any of the three schools. I would recommend you reach out to current students at each of the schools to answer your questions. I’m sure the admissions department would be happy to put you in touch with them.

New School started as an experimental college in NYC: “The New School was founded nearly a century ago in New York City by a small group of prominent American intellectuals and educators who were frustrated by the intellectual timidity of traditional colleges. The founders, among them Charles Beard, John Dewey, James Harvey Robinson, and Thorstein Veblen, set out to create a new kind of academic institution, one where faculty and students would be free to honestly and directly address the problems facing societies in the 20th century. Their vision was to bring together scholars and citizens interested in questioning, debating, and discussing the most important issues of the day.
In 1919, they founded The New School for Social Research. Now formally named The New School, the university has grown to include five colleges, with courses that reflect the founders’ interest in the emerging social sciences, international affairs, liberal arts, history, and philosophy, as well as art, design, management, and performing arts.”

Connecticut College was founded as a Women’s College and started admitting men in 1969. It still maintains a certain slant & strengths from the time it was all women. It is in a small port city, with a Navy background. It is generally more traditional in its approach and student body than the other two colleges.

Bard College is located on the Hudson River in a rural area known as a retreat for the wealthy in the 19th century. Many mansions from that time remain - including some incorporated into Bard College. The college itself probably has much more in common with The New School in terms of its philosophy than with Connecticut College which is a more traditional liberal arts college. It is very well known for its arts & literature programs, but the social sciences are very strong. Bard has always had a large component of international students.

All three will have very different graduation requirements. I would recommend researching which courses would be required for you to take to graduate - how many in your areas of interest, and how many in other required fields, as well as elective opportunities. I would also recommend reading course descriptions, and professor bios.

In addition, The New School, being in the midst of New York City, will present a different living experience than either CT College or Bard, where you would live in dorms on an enclosed campus for much of the time you studied there.

Congratulations on some great acceptances! All three would offer good academics and small classes.

I literally had a discussion at dinner tonight about international students at the New School! A very recent college grad was talking about a couple of international students that they know at the New School. They said they had generally had a good academic experience because the flexibility offered by the school was a very good fit for them. I will add that the New School students are not very academic in a traditional sense (though extremely bright and talented) and are more experiential learners. However, they did find it difficult, especially the first year, to meet other students. There’s really no campus–it’s very much an urban school. So students aren’t really gathered around campus when not in classes. It would not be a traditional US college experience. Now, if you love the idea of being in NYC, then it would work great.

Either Conn Coll or Bard would offer you more of the US liberal arts college experience. Both are very good schools. They are in nice areas. Most US LACs are predominately female, and that is true at both of these, 58% at Bard, 63% at Conn Coll. Bard is slightly larger at a little over 2300, and a little over 1800 at Conn Coll. Culturally, I’d think them very similar. Good luck, have fun, and learn a lot!