I recently had a tour at Bennington College and I also attended an information session. The impression I got was that Bennington College offers students an amazing education for several reasons:
1. Students learn what they want to learn: Students are not required to take a certain number of general education classes. Rather, students take classes that they know they like, along with classes that they are not sure they like, classes they do not particularly like or do well in, and classes they have always been interested in taking but haven’t taken before. This allows students to really get to explore.
2. The faculty really helps students figure out what they want to do: Students work closely with advisors to figure out what drives their inquiry. I can't stress how important this is.
3. Field Work Term: Each winter, every student is required to complete a seven week long internship, known as a Field Work Term. The purpose of the Field Work Term is to give students the chance to test out what they are learning in college in the real world; that way, students don’t graduate from college and then find out that they hate their job. A Field Work Term is a great opportunity to learn about yourself, become more independent (students have to find a place to internship at and set it up. Although there is a Field Work Term Office to provide some guidance, students are mostly on their own), travel (you can go anywhere in the world!), develop skills in the workplace, and add to your résumé. Through a Field Work Term, students also learn how to make a résumé and a cover letter, both valuable skills to know.
4. You don’t have to get traditional grades: If you don’t want to receive traditional letter grades, you don’t have to. Instead, you can get grades in the form of written evaluation statements. If you want to receive both regular grades and written statements, you have that option, as well.
5. The classes are very small: classes range anywhere from 7 to 2...
Will enjoy being here
If I was a student at Bennington College, I’m pretty sure I would enjoy being there. The academics and the faculty are great, plus there are a lot of opportunities for social and recreational events: there are clubs, there is a biannual roller disco, you can rent a bicycle at the library using your library card, you can go downtown and shop, you can cross-county ski on the fields in the winter, you can work on some art in VAPA (which is open 24/7), you can go to some events happening in VAPA (such as dance shows), you can relax and just read outside, etc.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
The tuition/fees and room/board costs of Bennington College are expensive; however, I think it is probably worth it. The academics, the resources, the guidance offered to students through the advisors, and the campus (very beautiful, by the way!) exceed many colleges. Additionally, the on-campus living situation at Bennington College is very nice: there are nice co-ed houses that house about 20-30 students each. Most freshmen and sophomores have either one or two roommates that they share their bedroom with, but most upperclassmen have their own room. In these houses, there are two small kitchens, several bathrooms, and a common area.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
-If you are interested in Bennington College, visit! Schedule a tour and information session and sign up to sit in on a class.
-Bennington College is a selective school, so make sure your grades are good, you take challenging high school courses, you do well on the SATs and/or the ACT (sending these scores to Bennington is optional, however), and you are dedicated to some extracurricular activities and volunteering.
-If you don’t know what you want to major in, that is perfectly fine! You will get a lot of guidance from an advisor and a team of faculty members if you attend Bennington.
-If you are going to apply, you can send Bennington some supplemental materials along with your application, essay, and letters of recommendation if you would like to. These supplemental materials could be a piece of artwork you made, a poem you wrote, a boardgame you made, or anything else that is your original work and that you think expresses you and your abilities.
-If you apply, you should have an interview with someone from admissions. Interviews are strongly encouraged. If you live too far away to have an interview, you can contact Bennington and ask them to contact you if their representatives are ever in your area.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
Students who:
-are very interested in the arts
-are creative
-are introspective
-are laidback
-are independent
-care about the environment (there is a new building at Bennington called CAPA, which stands for Center for the Advancement of Public Action. CAPA was built using local materials and it is very environmentally-friendly. Additionally, the food served in the dining hall is locally grown. As you can see, Bennington College is very “green”)
-are motivated and determined
-love learning
-are intelligent
-like country/rural places
-want more of a non-traditional college experience
I recently had a tour at Bennington College and I also attended an information session. The impression I got was that Bennington College offers students an amazing education for several reasons: 1. Students learn what they want to learn: Students are not required to take a certain number of general education classes. Rather, students take classes that they know they like, along with classes that they are not sure they like, classes they do not particularly like or do well in, and classes they have always been interested in taking but haven’t taken before. This allows students to really get to explore. 2. The faculty really helps students figure out what they want to do: Students work closely with advisors to figure out what drives their inquiry. I can't stress how important this is. 3. Field Work Term: Each winter, every student is required to complete a seven week long internship, known as a Field Work Term. The purpose of the Field Work Term is to give students the chance to test out what they are learning in college in the real world; that way, students don’t graduate from college and then find out that they hate their job. A Field Work Term is a great opportunity to learn about yourself, become more independent (students have to find a place to internship at and set it up. Although there is a Field Work Term Office to provide some guidance, students are mostly on their own), travel (you can go anywhere in the world!), develop skills in the workplace, and add to your résumé. Through a Field Work Term, students also learn how to make a résumé and a cover letter, both valuable skills to know. 4. You don’t have to get traditional grades: If you don’t want to receive traditional letter grades, you don’t have to. Instead, you can get grades in the form of written evaluation statements. If you want to receive both regular grades and written statements, you have that option, as well. 5. The classes are very small: classes range anywhere from 7 to 2...
If I was a student at Bennington College, I’m pretty sure I would enjoy being there. The academics and the faculty are great, plus there are a lot of opportunities for social and recreational events: there are clubs, there is a biannual roller disco, you can rent a bicycle at the library using your library card, you can go downtown and shop, you can cross-county ski on the fields in the winter, you can work on some art in VAPA (which is open 24/7), you can go to some events happening in VAPA (such as dance shows), you can relax and just read outside, etc.
The tuition/fees and room/board costs of Bennington College are expensive; however, I think it is probably worth it. The academics, the resources, the guidance offered to students through the advisors, and the campus (very beautiful, by the way!) exceed many colleges. Additionally, the on-campus living situation at Bennington College is very nice: there are nice co-ed houses that house about 20-30 students each. Most freshmen and sophomores have either one or two roommates that they share their bedroom with, but most upperclassmen have their own room. In these houses, there are two small kitchens, several bathrooms, and a common area.
-If you are interested in Bennington College, visit! Schedule a tour and information session and sign up to sit in on a class. -Bennington College is a selective school, so make sure your grades are good, you take challenging high school courses, you do well on the SATs and/or the ACT (sending these scores to Bennington is optional, however), and you are dedicated to some extracurricular activities and volunteering. -If you don’t know what you want to major in, that is perfectly fine! You will get a lot of guidance from an advisor and a team of faculty members if you attend Bennington. -If you are going to apply, you can send Bennington some supplemental materials along with your application, essay, and letters of recommendation if you would like to. These supplemental materials could be a piece of artwork you made, a poem you wrote, a boardgame you made, or anything else that is your original work and that you think expresses you and your abilities. -If you apply, you should have an interview with someone from admissions. Interviews are strongly encouraged. If you live too far away to have an interview, you can contact Bennington and ask them to contact you if their representatives are ever in your area.
Students who: -are very interested in the arts -are creative -are introspective -are laidback -are independent -care about the environment (there is a new building at Bennington called CAPA, which stands for Center for the Advancement of Public Action. CAPA was built using local materials and it is very environmentally-friendly. Additionally, the food served in the dining hall is locally grown. As you can see, Bennington College is very “green”) -are motivated and determined -love learning -are intelligent -like country/rural places -want more of a non-traditional college experience