Posts tagged bennington students

What kinds of things do you look for in admission essays? — Asked by Anonymous

The reason I’m not asking a counselor to answer this question is that I think they would all say different things. There are just too many ways for an essay to be good. Having said that, I read applications when I was working here over FWT in preparation for phone interviews (though I really had no say in anything at all). The ones that were the most fun to read and the most engaging, were always the ones that were the most sincere. Saying “be yourself” is tacky, but like…….*-~*~-be yourself-~*~-*! If you act like you are someone you aren’t then you’ll start to look the same as everyone else. And you aren’t the same as everyone else. You are cooler than them.

In terms of the academic essay, show us that you’re a thinker. Research papers are helpful, too, but that only shows us how you compile and organize. Give us an argument for something; something with a thesis that you argue for or against.

-Alan ‘15 

Does Bennington offer double majors? — Asked by Anonymous

Bennington doesn’t offer majors, much less double ones. Because of the ‘plan process’, each student develops their own unique program, as it were, specific to his or her own interests. A lot of times these are questions that can be explored through multiple disciplines; its like looking at the same thing through two different vantage points. Other students choose to do something that might be more similar to a ‘double major’ — they right their plan in two different disciplines and choose to keep them separate. If you are worried that you won’t be able to explore all your interests, don’t be. The freedom we have here, in my experience, prevents us from getting too boxed in. (The best way to understand the plan is through examples — check these out)

-Alan ‘15 

While I was visiting Bennington, I found some plants in the sink of one of the Swan house bathrooms. No one around at the time knew why they were there, has anyone since learned? — Asked by Anonymous

If they were little pots of grass, they belonged to Michaela and she was letting the water drain out of the bottom. If not, then I’m glad your tour raised some questions.

-Alan ‘15 

I saw that Freshmen can have cars, but are they really helpful to have? Are they necessary if you want to go somewhere off campus? Or is there a bus/easy way to get places? — Asked by Anonymous

There are a couple services at our disposal that can take us in to town—there’s a Green Mountain Express bus service, which is a public bus that serves the whole area, and there’s also the college shuttle, which runs during some of the hours when the GME doesn’t. BUT, it’s great to have a car here. You can get lots of stuff that you might need just by walking up to North Bennington, or by using the shuttle or the Grn Mtn Exp, but there’s lost of stuff that’s fairly inaccessible without wheels of your own. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t, but if you’ve got a car, I’d say you should bring it. It just makes life way easier.

But don’t worry if you don’t have a car! I promise you’ll meet people who do, and who will drive you places if you ask really nice, and maybe will even let you borrow their keys? (No promises there!)

-Eric ‘13

The best part about cars is that they’re great song material!

Thanks for posting cat videos when I'm feeling anxious, Bton. Tell me, though: how is your population of tea drinkers? Are they able to fare well and live in harmony with the coffee population? — Asked by Anonymous

We love tea. I’m a big fan of dragonwell green, jasmine oolong and moroccan mint, but you’ll find plenty of complicated chamomiles and such in houses across campus. Being offered tea while studying with friends has become an expectation for me in a way that is perhaps slightly unhealthy. Regardless, I have never sensed a rivalry between team coffee and team tea (and it should be noted there are plenty of people who swing both ways), though at times, as a tea drinker, I have been frustrated with the abundance of free coffee which makes the tea offerings seem minimal. Although, admissions has got the right idea with celestial seasonings.

-Alan ‘15 

Is there a distaste for Bret Easton Ellis at Bennington? When his name is brought up to people cringe? — Asked by Anonymous

I just checked and seventeen of my friends follow him on twitter. What’s not to love!?

-Alan ‘15

I'm looking at different colleges, and this one looks amazing, but the website confuses me... so, is there a good commercial/advertising art program? social work? legal studies? how is the art department? just curious :) — Asked by theyllconvincey0u

Hi! Another admissions intern just answered a question similar to this one, so I’m going to link you to their post. Hope this is helpful!

-Eric ‘13

P.s. As far as “commercials” go, BC has a nifty Youtube channel that makes us look pretty good:

http://www.youtube.com/user/benningtoncollege

And here’s some more propaganda for your viewing pleasure:

-David ‘13

Hey guys. Where would you say that the majority of Bennington students come from? Would you say that most of them come from the East? Are there any pockets of the country where 'a lot' of kids come from? — Asked by Anonymous

I would say the “majority” don’t come from anywhere, as we definitely don’t have more than half the Bennington students hailing from one place.  As would be expected, many students are from the New England area, and for some strange reason we have a rather large population from California, but truly, Bennington students come from all around the US and ze world.

~Michael ‘15

House Themes

The House Chairs pick a new theme for the House they live in each term; we make door signs to welcome people, as well as some other little signs around the house. Here is a list of what’s happening this term, I think its a testament to the diversity of our housing communities.

Swan - Swan Does it Doggie Style (dog puns)
Woolley - Where the Woolley Things Are
Stokes - Stokesophelia
Franklin - Maps
Canfield - The Bible
Dewey - Spirit Animal Petting Zoo
Booth - Famous People Almost Named Booth
Kilpatrick - Gone Fishin’
Welling - Well L. Bean
Bingham - Bingham Gets Hitched
McCullough - McCullough Goes to Pre-School
Leigh - Elder(leigh)
Fels - House Theme
Sawtell - Promplicated
Noyes - Empowered Female Vocalists in the Digital Age
Perkins - Cash Cats
Merck - Merck Zoo Jailbreak
PB - 90’s Cartoons

-Alan ‘15

Hey, is it worth taking my AP exams at the end of the year? I know they won't really transfer into anything. — Asked by Anonymous

On the contrary! They will! I just learned this yesterday myself. Our AP credit policy has recently changed. Bennington offers 4 credits for scores of 5, but we do cap you off at 12 credits. The whole thing is laid out here. (That link includes AP, IB, A-Level and French Baccalaureate)

-Alan ‘15

POSTAL ANGST Pt. 5
Box of Letters - Wilco
In the last, say, 4 years I don’t think I’ve made a playlist that didn’t have one Wilco song. They are so good! I never tire of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but this ‘postal angst’ thing got me to dig through some of their older stuff — their early albums are definitely worth checking out.

-Alan ‘15

Please please please try not to sugar coat your answers but I've been reading the Bennington Free Press online and basically every recent article in some way mentions that Bennington is falling apart whether because of the retiring staff or by the more-of-a-burden FWT. I know it's easy to complain about things because it bonds people or whatever but should these complaints by students pose a valid concern for those of us joining the Bennington community in the fall? What are your takes on it? — Asked by Anonymous

I think students here hold the school to an incredibly high standard and thus have some strong opinions. Personally, I think the language that the school is ‘falling apart’ is melodramatic, but not everyone would agree with me. These posts, I think, speak more to the seriousness of our students than they do to the state of the school. Bennington will always be going through changes because we are always trying to get the school as close as possible to the values that drive it. In a sense, if you join our community, you should be concerned: Bennington students get involved and engage in discussions about these issues. But you shouldn’t be worried.

As for FWT, I would say you are getting a pretty fair portrayal between this blog and some of the articles on the BFP. We all make judgement calls regarding money going into FWT — balancing realism and idealism is a real world lesson, too.

-Alan ‘15

Also, I think it’s important to note that these “burden FWT” articles aren’t reflecting any change in the nature of FWT. Not everyone has 4 amazing FWTs. In fact, I don’t know if anyone has ever had 4 straight FWTs that met every one of his/her expectations. However (and I think that we only realize this after FWT is over), we can always learn something about ourselves and our aspirations during an internship, even if the internship is not great, or even awful.

And I will happily second Alan’s point about “falling apart” being an overstatement. Yes, President Liz Coleman is leaving, but she is staying on for the next 2 years as Director of CAPA, and will definitely continue to have input re: Bennington’s direction well into the future. Apparently, she’s apartment-hunting in North Bennington, but that might just be a rumor. Also, we have no idea what the Office of Student Life will be like without Eva.
As long as Bennington College is full of students, faculty and staff who are invested in nurturing and following the values and ethos of this institution, it will not fall apart.

-Eric ‘13

A link to another current student’s response can be found here.

Alan mentioned earlier today that he had just taken some early action acceptance letters to the mailroom. Does that mean that I (an early action applicant) could find out if I am admitted to Bennington before February 1? — Asked by Anonymous

I know I’m a bit late (it is Feb. 4), but I’m going to answer your question with a question. This was in our inbox a few days ago from a fellow prospective student.
——-
LIARSSSS!!!! It’s January 30 and I just got acceptedddd!!!! I’m sooo happypyy, im on a Crazy Happy High. i have no idea why i used that expression. anyways, im sooo excited and i can’t wait to enter my 4 year relationship with Bennington! I won’t cheat! okay, it’s in all of our best interests if you don’t post this. I just wanted to share how excited i am.
—— 
-Alan ‘15 

Deferred? Waitlisted?

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about deferrals, so I just sat down with a counselor here and asked your questions. Rather than make a million tiny posts, here is one super-post. One super-helpful post.

If you were deferred it is probably just because we need some more time with your application. Don’t think we love you less, there’s probably just some circumstance that makes us want a little more time. To give ourselves that time, we move your application over to the regular decision pile and give it another gander. If we want additional materials, we will contact you and ask for them, but otherwise you do not need to worry about providing anything else.

Much of the same stuff applies if you were waitlisted, but I would add this: we do not know the ‘chances of being admitted’ off of the waitlist simply because the statistic changes so much that it wouldn’t even be helpful (sorry). Any waitlisted student will still be eligible for aid and will still receive a package; the fact that you are hearing later than other students will not affect the size of the package, though you will probably looking mostly at need-based aid. If you were waitlsted as an Early Action applicant, you should be hearing any second about this, or you should have already heard. Regular Decision folks can expect to hear the last week of March or First week of April.

Questions like this are a fantastic opportunity to talk with your counselor about your specific case (these things tend to vary person to person) and to express your enthusiasm and interest in the school. We love conversations!

-Alan ‘15

thank you, i love you, i got in, thank you, i love you. — Asked by Anonymous