Anonymous asked: I was wandering, as an International student I think I can't work in the US for the first 9 months of my stay. What does that mean for my FWT? I've read that quite a lot of international students go back home for that period of time but "back home" is quite far for me... Any similar experiences in the past?
Not all who wander are lost, eh?
… Sorry.
There’s a variety of ways to get around this. You don’t have to register a paying job for FWT, so you’ll probably be able to set something up with your employer that won’t give the USCIS conniption fits. The rule is that you can’t get compensated for the work you do - no $$ for anything, including housing stipends. So you can get unpaid internships, which is what most students do anyway.
Last FWT a group of International students dealt with this by getting housing together in NYC. None of them had housing stipends, so they pooled their resources to make living more affordable. I’d recommend figuring out what you’re doing as early as possible, because you’ll have so many extra pieces to take care of before January.
- David ‘13
P.S. The lovely FWT Admissions Intern Alison (and international student) would like to add this: “Another popular option for International Students that want to stay in the US for FWT is working in Bennington. There are great job opportunities in the Bennington town area and it’s a chance for you to get engaged with the Bennington community outside the college and also enjoy the Vermont winter at its fullest. Living in Bennington is definitely cheaper than going off to places like NYC, and with the campus housing that’s offered over FWT, its definitely a realistic option when you can’t get paid. Also, there are FWT grants available which are definitely helpful wherever you decide to go!” - Anushka
Happy Tuesday.
#thepeoplehavespoken
#dogGIFsforever
- David ‘13
Anonymous asked: Who reads the housing questionnaire and assigns us to a house/roommate?
This guy.
No, actually it’s staff in the Office of Student Life. Otherwise it is confidential.
- jason ‘13
Anonymous asked: Hi! For the registration of classes, roommate questionnaire, etc - is that done solely online, or should we be expecting something in the snail mail as well? Thanks!
Just online!
-Selina ‘15
Anonymous asked: trying to finish high school senior year before i pre-register for first term @ bennington...one more week! should i pre-register asap? are courses first come first serve? or are all requests looked at beginning june 1?
No worries! I think it’s a great idea to finish High School before launching into all things college. As long as you get your registration form in on time it’ll be entered into the lottery along with everybody else’s.
See you next year!
-Selina ‘15
You guys. So much is happening right now. So much. It’s one of the most EXCITING, STRESSFUL, and INSANE times of the year right now…because all of the projects we’ve all been working on all term (or year…or…more) are being showcased. Like every freaking day. And night. And in between. Seriously, each second I’m not frantically scrambling (I mean…casually adding some finishing touches…ahem) to finish my own work, I’m running around getting my fill of my peers’. Here are some of the things that have been happening:
1. Invisible Cities, directed by megasenior Sarah Matusek — a devised piece based on the novel by Italo Calvino (and performed at a wonderful space, the Vermont Arts Exchange!)
2. Barak (grateful), a final dance performance rocked by the beloved dance faculty member and MFA student, Souleymane (Solo) Badolo. He ended up getting everybody in the audience to bust a move on the floor. (read about him on the NY times! http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/arts/dance/souleymane-badolo-and-cynthia-oliver-at-new-york-live-arts.html)
3. Coming up on Monday — Abreactions, a movement piece created by the Admissions Office’s own Jessieh Ruth Averitt (Johnson-Cunningham); it explores movement characteristics between Charcot’s hysterics from the late 1800s, contemporary depictions of deliverance from the Pentecostal church, and fashion ads.
4. The Visual Arts Senior Show, opening Tuesday in the Usdan Gallery. There’s a sneak peek outside the space already, with work produced by Floryn Honnet:
5. Psychonaut, a narrative song-cycle championed by our very own Riley Skinner. 17 students performed. It was insane…let’s just say she KILLED IT.
Jason Moon’s got a show coming up on Friday, we have Directing I performances on Tuesday, 5 Approaches performances Thursday, more senior work…dear god…but most importantly….
I got this tshirt in the mail. Oh. And did I mention I have walking pneumonia?
— Parke ‘15
I love looking up pictures of the authors I’m reading. This is one of my favorites. In 1895 Gustave Le Bon wrote the founding document of crowd psychology, a slim book called La Psychologie Des Foules or The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind. He’s one of those people who’s had an influence on the way everyone thinks, even if very few people have heard of him.
He wrote about the characteristics and psychology of crowds in the French Revolution, describing them as irrational, unruly, and needing to be controlled. His writings opened up the door for 20th-century mass manipulators, including Mussolini, Hitler, Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, and public relations/propaganda genius Edward Bernays.
Le Bon’s speculations about crowds turned out to be accurate in a profound way. They’re timeless truths about what crowds are and how people in them are vulnerable to influences that come from within and without the crowd.
(My guess is that Gustave was doing his best to stand out from the crowd with that facial hair.)
I think everyone should read his book. But maybe that’s just because it inspired my thesis.
- David ‘13
Leah D.: If you could write a book about anything what would you write about? -
Leah ‘13 - Biracial American Identity (I’m half-Japanese and did a paper about this my junior year. It was personal to me, and I learned a ton. People need to know about this!!)
Holly ‘13 - Italian-American Food Culture and/or the History of Pugs
(“Did you know that pugs originated in ancient…
Our Napkin Note board in the Dining Hall is a place where we can leave notes for the Dining Hall staff. Food from student farm is starting to appear in the Dining Hall. Yummmm!
-Glennis
Anonymous asked: how would i go about writing for/ working for the BFP???
It’s so easy to get involved! I’ve been a voices writer for the BFP for about two years, and I went about it by just sending a facebook message to one of the editors at the time. In general, though, the BFP editorial and writing staff have meetings every four weeks or so, usually about two weeks before the next issue is set to be published. The meetings are open, and anyone with an interest in writing, taking photos, copy editing, or helping the production in any way is invited to attend! The meetings are laid back, and anyone who has any story ideas is welcome to share them with the staff.
I’ve had a lot of fun writing for the BFP. Most of my articles have been political in nature (I study political economy and philosophy), but recently I’ve joined forces with another Senior, named Pete, and written articles of a very non-political nature. Here’s a link to our most recent article (published last Friday!), about the good and the bad parts of being a soon-to-graduate Senior. And here’s a link to my most recent political-type article, which is loosely about the Second Amendment.
Enjoy!
-Eric ‘13
PS Pete and I dressed up as Calvin and Hobbes for Halloween last year (photo evidence below) (I’m Calvin; he’s Hobbes)
65 Books You Need To Read In Your 20s -
Check it out - several of these authors are associated with Bennington!
Jonathan Lethem and Bret Easton Ellis both attended Bennington. Joan Didion also wrote the memoir “Blue Nights,” which focuses on her daughter Quintana, who went to Bennington for two years (Didion herself wanted to attend Bennington, but went to Berkeley instead). Nick Flynn wrote this commencement speech for Bennington in 2010. Jamaica Kincaid taught at Bennington, and still lives in North Bennington.
Donna Tartt wrote “The Secret History,” ‘a murder mystery in reverse’ about a bacchanal gone wrong at a small liberal arts college in New England, during her sophomore year at Bennington.
~ Holly ‘13
Anonymous asked: Is there a pool or a basketball court or a squash court? i really want to practice either of the three...
The pool’s in town, and there’s at least one student (Glennis H. ‘15) who goes almost daily.
The basketball court is next to the tennis courts and soccer field, on the west end of campus. There’s a group that plays at a local elementary school in the winter (not against elementary schoolers - they would crush us).
The only “squash court” we have is in the student garden. Summer squash is one of our biggest crops, and we get great squash-based dishes in the fall. D-lish.
- David ‘13
Anonymous asked: so i just pre-registered for my courses and i'm super excited about what i picked! i just have two concerns. first, i signed up for a biology course (2000 level) and a dance course. in high school i was in a lower level biology course but i did really well. am i going to be behind at all in terms of material because i didn't take a higher level course? secondly, i've never taken a dance course! i've never danced in my life! am i going to totally embarrass myself?
Don’t you even worry about dance. Don’t even. I took dance for the first time my junior year (I was too horrified to do it before that) and it was seriously one of the best decisions I ever made. Dancers are really nice people and they will HELP you be more awesome. We all have bodies, whatever.
About bio — also don’t worry. If you are ever in a class that is clearly not the appropriate level for you (way too hard or not challenging enough), you can drop it and add a different class during the first three weeks of school.
-Riley ‘13
p.s. You don’t always get into the courses you pre-register for. Fair warming. :)
Anonymous asked: Are students required to have cameras when studying Film & video? If so, which type should they use?
Hello stranger,
Video students are by no means required to have their own equipment. The college runs ans extraordinarily well stocked “video-cage” in which students can check out anything and everything you might need or want to make work. I’m sure you’ll have a blast exploring it!
Best,
Sarah ‘15
Anonymous asked: Students of color! From what I see in pictures, there's always white students interacting with other white students. Socially, do you non-white students feel left out or excluded? Or do you think your skin color has nothing to with anything and no one could even care less?
I asked my friend Sara Green to answer this one — she’s an expert.
-Alan ‘15
Hey! It’s really neither. Instead what you have is sort of an awkwardness when questions or comments about race are brought up. My experience has been that people would rather not talk about race- students of color and white students alike. Alas, hope is alive! Recently, there has been a small group of students that is creating spaces to talk about race in academic and student-led spaces. I could talk forever about race at Bennington. Email me if you want to keep talking; there are a lot of intricacies in the conversation. (sgreen@bennington.edu)