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Other than location, what are the primary differences? Both are labled as the new "non-conformist" institutions. Hampshire is nice, it's just unfortunate that one of the nicest schools I've ever seen is four miles away. any ideas?

Thanks.

By Rxb (Rxb) on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 01:25 pm: Edit

bump

By Jamimom (Jamimom) on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 01:35 pm: Edit

There are similarities among these schools, but historically Sarah Lawrence was a female school with an avante guarde reputation. It is now coed but still primarily female. Academically, it is very strong in the liberal arts and more traditional in its fare than the other two. Hampshire is a relatively new school set up with the intent of being an alternative school under the auspices of that school four miles away along with other members of the consortium. It's entire way of operation is quite different from a traditional LAC and is more project oriented. My best friend from college transferred there after difficulties at a rigorous traditional school. She is brilliant, but her modus operendum in college was not traditional and it was difficult for her to function in a traditional academic setting. Her thinking out of the box was not appreciated there, and she was most unhappy as well. At Hampshire, she soared, and went on to graduate school and got her phd. She is currently a professor at a major university and is well respected in her field. For her Hampshire was a life line. I remember visiting her there many years ago and feeling lost in the way the school functions as I was much more traditional in my learning approach. I do not know much about Bard first hand, though I do know that it is quite strong in the arts.

Other schools of this sort are Antioch in Ohio, and Oberlin. Goucher is more like Sarah Lawrence. A bit more traditional are Vassar, Skidmore and Wheaton.

By Collegeparent (Collegeparent) on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 03:53 pm: Edit

Ditto Jamimom. Bard is an exceptional school which is now shifting to a balance between the arts and the sciences. It has an excellent reputation in academia and its new Frank Gehry building is the talk of the Hudson Valley. A couple of schools in the west to consider are Reed and Lewis & Clark.

By Anglophile (Anglophile) on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 08:29 pm: Edit

The only thing I know about Bard is that it is very community service oriented. Sarah Lawrence has the loveliest admissions rep I have ever met, and a fabulous study abroad program to Oxford. My Dad called it The Hobbit College because it's so small, and the guys there looked like hobbits (to my Dad at least-- but he's a jock). It is very small, well landscaped, and has adorable tame squirrels. The student run coffee shop is a great place to pick up inside info that is not in the brochures while munching a vegan brownie. In general it is a VERY liberal campus, with a lot of emphasis on drama and creativity. The down sides that I heard from talking with students there was that the teachers give little praise, you study all the time, there is nothing to do in Bronxville (it is a very lame town), and the dating scene becomes insestuous after a couple years since the school is so small. There are a lot of gay/bi/lesbians, but everyone knows everybody else, so you just have to ask around if you are interested in someone. The girls at the Tea/coffee shop said that news travels fast on campus, so if you sleep around everyone will know! Being one of the most expensive schools in the country, I expected the lucky students to be deliriously happy with their school. They weren't. The ones I met seemed to be somewhat unnappreciative of their priveleged position and kept jabbering on about the "real world" outside their sheltered campus. Frankly, I've been in the "real world" my whole life, and it ain't that great.

By Travelr (Travelr) on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 01:05 am: Edit

I would take a look at Skidmore. The scene is quite "liberal" (depends on your definition of the word-the student body is still largely upper-middle class/wealthy North Easterners) and the town of Saratoga has a lot to offer.

ps-The two people I know who went to Sarah Lawrence had an utterly miserable experience. They both transfered!!!