Bard

The first and possibly the most important thing you should know about Bard is that it is isolated. What constitutes a 'town' in the area around Bard is if it has a stop light. The nearest city, Poughkeepsie, is 40 minutes away by car (and in the winter car travel is not advised). Bard is essentially besieged by trees and while it is beautiful it can give one the feeling of complete isolation.

Bard, acknowledged as one of the most liberal colleges, has a small but wacky and artsy atmosphere to its student body. A large number of students are from the New York area. A concern is the campus's 'white affluent' image (and in fact diversity is low).

Once you adjust to the surroundings Bard reveals itself to be a stellar academic institution. Bard's freshman curriculum is kicked off by a three week summer program - Language and Thinking - which introduces students to their peers and to a liberal arts education through creative writing. Professors are at the top of their fields and students have incredible flexibility in their schedules.

Bard has excellent stepping stones for students interested in non-profits and traveling abroad.

Bard offers one of the top (if not the top) liberal arts educations in the country.