Bennington College Top Questions

Do what scares you and what you feel incapable of: You will be rewarded with a new perspective, and you will discover there was no reason to be afraid in the first place. For example: become a leader of a club; befriend someone you feel intimidated by. Do not hesitate to meet new people, no matter how intimidating or how innocent appearing. Apperances are deceiving. Do not be afraid to talk to upper classmen, they are college students just like you. Do not be afraid to be yourself. Spreak from your heart, and let your opinions be heard and be proud of who you are and where you come from. You may assume that your peers or teachers are expecting certain actions from you, but who you are is up to you and you alone. Take care of yourself because you cannot give anymore than you have. Communicate with teachers and administration; they are people just like you. Asking for help when you are lost shows strength and intellect, being lost does not make you incapable or dumb. Develop methods to bring yourself to concentrate, and trust yourself because every moment can be made to be wonderful.

Don't worry about names and reputations when you're applying to school; find what you're interested in studying and go from there. Rejections and wait-lists will fade with time's passing. When you actually get to college, it will be intense. Don't fear it- brace yourself for the impact, absorb it, and learn from it. You will make mistakes and you will feel upset from time to time; that's okay too. But more importantly, you're about to enter a world filled with opportunities. Don't be afraid to explore and follow your heart and your passions. Meet new people, go on adventures, take advantage of the opportunities your school has to offer. There are no accidents in the universe. So even though you may feel disheartened to be where you are at first and you might even question whether you should be in college- don't. You are meant for a higher education and you are going to do just fine. Believe in yourself, remember to take deep breaths, and get ready for the best ride of your life. College is one of the best investments you'll ever make. Good luck!

When I was in high school, eleven and a half years ago, I was confused and angry going through one of the hardest periods of my life. I had to take care of my mother single-handedly, a bi-polar patient, hallucinating and paranoid, who was manic and sometimes refused to wear clothes. I began to work right after graduating from high school, earning for us. I acted on stage and television and taught Art in a school part time. In Pakistan, earning from either profession is not lucrative at all. I earned up to a $1000 from acting and less than $500 from teaching. However, these years of working and earning taught me a lot about myself. I learnt who I was and what I wanted; I feel this is essential to college learning. However, being older has it's disadvantages in a small college. If I could redo it, if things were different, I might have tried to leave only a few years after graduating college.

Bennington is a unique instutition offering students the ability to work closely with successful practiotiners in their field and to form long-lasting, important relationships with those mentors. While I was in school, I was one of a handful of science students that pursued independent research study with my chemsitry faculty advisor. This experience set me up for a career that I may not have been prepared for without a higher degree. Additionally, Bennington requires students to get field work experience every winter. This helps in many ways, but most importantly it gives graduates of the small institution a leg up when they enter the workforce. We have a realistic understanding of resume writing and the job-interview process and we have already added a significant amount of experience to our background, making us competitve applicants in a variety of industries. In particular, Bennington is known for its successful arts programs. But the nature of the curriculum and the high faculty:student ratio (1/10) make for a uniquely fulfilling science education as well. Five years after graduation I am still in close touch with my chemistry faculty and I still feel like an important part of theHey Bennington community.

Sitting down for a chat with my college self would have made that last year of high school far easier. My anxieties about college were abundant, and ranged from the important ("What if I'm not up to par with the other students?" "What if Bennington doesn't offer the courses I want?" "Will I lose discipline without a rigid academic structure?") to the inane ("Won't it we awkward to share a bathroom with eight people?"). Knowing what I know now, I can tell Little Me that the college environment has pushed me to both compete with and benefit from my talented and insightful classmates, and that my school anticipates the need for new courses and gives students the freedom to create their own classes, and take charge of their academic experience. This level of control has given me the confidence to take risks with my education and explore my interests, and rather than flounder without a framework to adhere to I'm instead becomming the chief architect of my own unique curriculum. If I knew all this then, I could have slept a little easier. ...And yeah, sharing a bathroom with eight people is a little weird.

Bennington's a good place for doing your own thing and making friends; therefore a good place for you. Plan ahead better.

If I could go back in time and advise my high school self about college life, I would counsel both open-mindedness and courage. Going to college is a major change, a big step forward, and it can be frightening, but it is also an adventure, and I would tell my high school self to enjoy every minute of it, as much as she could. I would tell her to take full advantage of all available opportunities for learning and for financial aid, for if she didn't, she would regret it later. I would tell her to talk to different people, and to take as many different classes as possible. I would warn her not to get stuck in an academic or emotional rut, or to perform the same activities over and over. Most of all, I would tell her not to be afraid: college can be frightening and challenging, but it is one of the most exciting periods of a person's life, a great opportunity. Seize it.

Talk to your guidance counselors about what you want to do after high school and after college; figure out if you're career oriented, trade oriented, or if you just want to explore your options. Start making a list at the beginning of your junior year, and put down any school that catches your interest. Don't worry about narrowing it down until the start of your senior year, when you should bring the list down to around 10 schools. If you want to apply to more, go ahead, but don't over burden yourself with applications, as it may become stressful going into midterms and finals if you're still writing application essays. You should visit as many of your final schools as possible, and talk to alumni whenever you can. Talk to your parents and teachers before you make a final decision, and remember, you can always transfer if the school doesn't fit. Most importantly, dream big. Don't be afraid to apply to expensive or competitive schools, and don't sell yourself short. Many schools offer financial aid, and a great essay is just as valuable as good test scores; it can't hurt to apply.

I would wholeheartedly suggest a student begin her college search by considering not going to college. Finding an academic home is nothing, if not daunting. And the result can be confounding. In some cases, an unthinkable amount of money is required for a student to engage in a process whose only physical yield is a piece of paper. If the document is the ultimate goal; if the evidence, and not the experience, is what she ultimately values, that is a problem. College students enter an environment so experientially volatile that almost all those who earn a degree encounter some sort of disaster, tragedy, or malady during their time in school. And, during the time it takes to earn this scrap, her very sense of self will questioned, obscured, or changed completely, guaranteed. That said, you will be beguiled. Colleges will beckon to you with majestic white pillars, with open fields of bachelor buttons and buttercups, with high towers in the heart of the city. They will call you with shouts of joy, smiling faces, and soft grass. But the right college will know you before you arrive. The right place already likes you. Your job is to learn why.

I'm done. I don't need a scholarship. I just like surveys. But if you want to give me the money, go right ahead. My advice to students looking for colleges (it should be the students perogative and choice0 is to look at mission statements, talk to students of the college, and ask questions. I personally think the best question a student can ask is "What makes this college special? How is it different?