Bennington College

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Students Say - Academics
Bennington caters to students who want maximum control over their academic endeavors; all students here participate in the Plan Process, "which allows students to create their own course of study." Here's how it works: "Either a student devises his own personalized set of requirements, or [the requirements] are recommended by a 'plan committee' of usually three faculty members personally assigned to each student." The idea is to "leave up to the student the chance to connect ideas and classes that would normally be left out of a core curriculum," and unsurprisingly, students here love it-for many it is the primary reason they choose to attend Bennington. The Field Work Term internship program is another compelling factor. This "seven-week internship term in the winter" gives students "the ideal opportunity to connect with professionals in our areas of interest and learn what you are (and what you aren't) interested in pursuing" while also building a resume. The social sciences, humanities, and performing/creative arts are strongest here, but students insist that the hard sciences are also "strong...and more popular than one might think for a small 'alternative' liberal arts school." Bennington professors "range from being very available to ridiculously avail- able," and "most are extremely active and respected in their fields, and all are willing to meet outside of class and help a motivated student find professional connections."

Students Say - Campus Life
Bennington undergrads are "very focused on work. All students share a pas- sion for what they are doing," to the extent that "The class doesn't end when we leave the classroom. Discussions often continue, and people are always talking about their classes and their work." Because Bennington is a small school "people are generally friendly and very interested in one another and their work," and because the campus "is a little isolated" "there isn't much to do off- campus," so students must be "good at entertaining themselves." Fortunately, "There is always plenty to do on campus. Sometimes there are too many events to choose from: dance concerts, plays, readings, themed parties, art openings, and many more events, on campus and off." Some party intensely "to blow off some steam" because "we all work so exceedingly hard," but most here agree the situation is under control; students can't ignore academics for too long because "with the way our academic system works, you can be kicked out for getting too many C's." When they need to get away, undergrads "are most likely to take day trips to nearby Brattleboro and Williamstown, each of which are very close and offer all sorts of diversions."

Students Say - Student Body
Self-motivated, voraciously curious, and open to growth, the typical Bennington student "is very devoted to his work and personally invested in creating something meaningful with [his] time. A stereotype for the general student body could be 'indie kid,' but that doesn't quite fit because the students here have a broader awareness of disciplines and interests outside of their own due to the cross-disciplinary nature of [the] studies." To some, it seems that "Everyone here is a total nerd: art nerd, science nerd, lit nerd, language nerd, math nerd, drama nerd, dance nerd. Nerds of all shapes, types, and aesthetic genres." They are "the type of people who would rather dance in polyester or read a book than go to a basketball game." There are "probably fewer than a handful of republicans on campus, and there are definitely no Abercrombie & Fitch sweatshirts around."

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