Final colleges of the trip
Aug. 18th, 2006 10:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedusorAunt Amanda and I took off bright and early to get to Sarah Lawrence for the ten o'clock tour. Our tour guide was a bit over the top, but I really liked the college. They don't do tests, and instead of finals, you have to write a 15-20-page paper for each class. Also, we were warned that standardized test scores are disregarded entirely in the admissions process. Not that my scores are bad, but I like that attitude. The college in general reminded me quite a bit of Reed.
We had to leave the tour a few minutes early to get to Vassar. I didn't get to spend nearly as long as I would have liked to spend there, and we only went to an info session, not a tour. It was enough to give me the sense that I would like the school, but not enough that I could write a "Why Vassar" essay or anything. And their financial aid doesn't look good.
Then came Bard. Holy crap. I admit that after a few tours, colleges start to seem a bit alike, but not Bard. The most unique thing about it is the Learning and Thinking workshop, which is two weeks before the beginning of official classes that the freshmen spend reading, writing, getting to know each other, and getting used to campus life before being dumped into the semester. It was going on while we were there, and the students all looked happy. There were a lot of other things I liked about it, too, not least of which was the flexibility shown by the admissions representative (as opposed to Columbia, where they practically threatened to throw my application in the trash if I include any kind of supplemental information whatsoever).
After the tour, we ate dinner at the Roasted Garlic Restaurant. The food was awesome, and I talked to a Bard sophomore who gave me his e-mail address. Then we drove all the way back to Long Island, where I discovered that Drew (the dog) had gotten into the chocolate I bought on Wednesday. Most of it was white chocolate, so he shouldn't get too sick, but I'm annoyed with myself for leaving it where he could get it. It was good stuff.
All three campuses were absolutely breathtaking. I never knew that New York was so beautiful.
We had to leave the tour a few minutes early to get to Vassar. I didn't get to spend nearly as long as I would have liked to spend there, and we only went to an info session, not a tour. It was enough to give me the sense that I would like the school, but not enough that I could write a "Why Vassar" essay or anything. And their financial aid doesn't look good.
Then came Bard. Holy crap. I admit that after a few tours, colleges start to seem a bit alike, but not Bard. The most unique thing about it is the Learning and Thinking workshop, which is two weeks before the beginning of official classes that the freshmen spend reading, writing, getting to know each other, and getting used to campus life before being dumped into the semester. It was going on while we were there, and the students all looked happy. There were a lot of other things I liked about it, too, not least of which was the flexibility shown by the admissions representative (as opposed to Columbia, where they practically threatened to throw my application in the trash if I include any kind of supplemental information whatsoever).
After the tour, we ate dinner at the Roasted Garlic Restaurant. The food was awesome, and I talked to a Bard sophomore who gave me his e-mail address. Then we drove all the way back to Long Island, where I discovered that Drew (the dog) had gotten into the chocolate I bought on Wednesday. Most of it was white chocolate, so he shouldn't get too sick, but I'm annoyed with myself for leaving it where he could get it. It was good stuff.
All three campuses were absolutely breathtaking. I never knew that New York was so beautiful.
