@SnowyJoJo My D26 is looking at Bard, but is concerned about it not being particularly well known for STEM (she’s leaning towards biology). Any insights on Bard for science majors?
Bard would seem to be fine for the study of biology. However, with respect to the sciences generally, its curriculum is pretty narrow. For example, if your daughter might like to explore electives in topics such as, say, meteorology, geomicrobiology, paleontology, or volcanology, I believe she’d be unlikely to find them at Bard.
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I just asked my daughter. She has friends who are majoring in Biology and other sciences. In fact, her friends are at Bard right now for their summer research program. At least one of her friends has plans to go to medical school after Bard.
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How many LACS or large research universities have a volcanology major? I don’t think too many. Bard’s reputation in the sciences is as good as its reputation in other fields no?
I defer to those with current firsthand experience, but I am a Bard alum and we went to an open house and accepted students day with my son in the past couple of years. I was not a science major but took premed courses and had friends who were science majors. It was a long time ago, but my professors were great. They were very accessible and knew me well, which helped with letters of rec. Classes were rigorous and small. My largest class at Bard was Bio 102 and it was 30 students. People were not happy about how big it was :). Some people I know did lab-based senior projects (senior project required for all Bard students) and at least some had their own labs. It is fantastic preparation for graduate school. I remained a social science major, but I did very well on my MCAT and in medical school. From what I hear through my alumni channels and from our visits with our son, they have increased science offerings and now have a science building that was not there when we went. As a small LAC with a large arts presence, it may have fewer science course options than some other larger schools or schools with more science focus, but the approach to learning and teaching there is really fantastic. On a side note, I fully credit Bard and my psychology advisor for me becoming a physician. I was first gen and rarely went to the doctor due to lack of health insurance, so medicine was not on my radar at all, but my advisor knew me well and suggested it, which I am forever grateful for.
Best of luck!
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So my two cents is what Bard calls their Division of Science, Mathematics, and Computing actually has a pretty good reputation in my circles, but it is viewed as a type of alternative approach. You could look into the details but consistent with the description above, as I recall there is a lot of focus on research and other hands-on stuff, and a general expectation you will likely go on to grad or professional schools (like health-related schools).
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Thank you so much!
Please note that I was referring to elective courses with those examples. A student interested in biology might appreciate the opportunity to study ancient biology through courses in topics such as geomicrobiology and paleontology, for example. In turn, exposure to such courses could lead to a major, second major, or minor in geosciences at colleges that offer such a path.