Bard College at Simon's Rock Reviews

347 reviews

At Simon's Rock, there is a community for some but not all. It is a unique environment that is both isolating and inclusive depending on who you are; there are many issues with the on-campus culture regarding the way administration, faculty, and the student body respond to interpersonal harm and systemic problems like discrimination, racism, and sexual assault. There is a high drop-out rate and few students from each class stay on to complete their Bachelor's degree, let alone finish their sophomore year. It is not all bad and I made some beautiful and life-long friendships- unfortunately, some of those bonds were forged in the shared trauma of our experiences at the school. For a campus that caters to teens, and a wide age-range at that, it is not safe enough for me to recommend. I hope to see drastic improvement because I think the early college opportunity is incredible for many, as it was for me, and I don't regret going there. It was life-changing, in many and not all good ways.

I attended Simon's Rock from 2008-2012. My academic experience was excellent, with an unparalleled level of personalized attention from faculty; seven of my courses were one-on-one tutorials. The coursework was demanding— by the time I was writing my senior thesis, I was working over 95 hours a week—but deeply intellectually fulfilling. Simon's Rock was also enormously socially enriching for me. It's where I met my husband and formed all of my closest friendships. I loved the beautiful and rural setting of the campus.

However, there was very little in the way of career services, with the expectation that most students will attend graduate school. I observed that there were inadequate supports for students struggling with mental health/substance use, which was especially concerning given that the majority were legal minors. Most troublingly, the school did not respond appropriately to a classmate who stalked me, until the student ultimately attacked a faculty member.

I have really enjoyed Bard College at Simon's Rock because of the support systems for students that are in place. These support systems focus mostly on academic support, i.e. students will meet with an advisor once every two weeks in order to make sure that they are on the right track. An advisor will also help students find out their interests, and will guide first year and second year students towards that interest in an academic setting. For instance, students who like politics and economics will be guided towards the political economy major. The class schedules are also pretty flexible, allowing students to explore various different interests of their's if so desired. On top of this, Simon's Rock has a good leave to study away program, which includes schools like Oxford, Qingdao University, as well as the London School of Economics. The diversity of leave to study away programs permits students to explore areas of interest beyond Simon's Rock.

Review Bard College at Simon's Rock

I chose to go to Simon's Rock because I needed more freedom to grow as a person and a more challenging course load than high school was providing me. The teachers there care and take their jobs with pride, when questions are asked they do their best to answer and oftentimes if they cannot answer they will make sure to help find it. The community works to create a inclusive and uplifting environment for all students, no matter their skin color, sexual or gender orientation, or socio-economic status. While the campus is full of people from all walks of life, it is very difficult to get around, especially if you have any physical disabilities, though current students are trying to get this remedied. Overall I love going to school here.

Simon's Rock is an innovative and unique experience that I've found to be priceless. There are notable cons to SR such as poor administration, very few students, and an isolating campus. The dorms are nothing to be excited about and there aren't many parties; weed is pretty common, alcohol less so. It's academics are more challenging than one would expect and tends to stimulate growth in ones thinking. I found the small class sizes to be very engaging and comfortable. It's important to keep in mind that it is what you make of it and some students find it difficult to find their people. If you are thinking of coming and are worried about finances, SR provides an extensive amount of aid compared to the tuition; very few students pay that much. I can genuinely say that SR has allowed me the freedom and safety I needed to discover and develop the person I am. I love SR and have found a place in the world here. If you feel it may be the place for you, it's worth applying.

Simon's Rock provides an opportunity that no other college covers, and they do it brilliantly. After graduation, I went on to a graduate program at a prestigious university and was by far one of the most well-prepared students in my class thanks to my experience at Simon's Rock. It's not everyone's cup of tea socially, being so small and isolated, but the faculty and staff are truly supportive and invested in every student.

TL;DR: Don't come here till something changes. 5 stars for excellent bonds with professors, horrific assault and sexual harassment management (in addition to management of racism, though I am less knowledgeable about that so I won't say more)- see recent news on student sit in protest.

Before I say more, I love studying here. I consider myself incredibly lucky to be so well acquanited with such smart, cool, accomplished professors and peers who share my passions.

However, I have lost essentially all respect for the administration who continues to not only try to silence the voices of sexual assault survivors on this campus but also belittle the good faith efforts of students working hard to peacefully protest the status quo. I am furious that the names of the people I so admire here are tied to such a horrible institution.

I have worked multiple student jobs advertising the school and its values, but I don't think I could anymore without being a hypocrite.

Simons Rock was an escape. I am grateful for that escape, however I can say now as an almost 25 year old SRC was unbelievably damaging to my development. There is not enough structure and safety measures set in place for people who are so young. When I began to truly struggle with my mental health and told an SRC counselor, they did nothing to procure me more resources or inform my parents. There was heavy drug and alcohol use amongst my peers, even with lack of a ‘party’ scene. Several of my close friends were victims of sexual assault cases, that felt barely handled at best. I’m grateful for the academics and the travel opportunities SRC gave me, but that’s it. Transferring is harder than they say and the options for a 4 year degree can be slim if you haven’t built relationships with your professors. Campus is on the older side even if location is beautiful. And you are paying a pretty penny for it, even with financial help.

Good education. It takes a certain person to fit in there. Teachers are personable and caring. Campus is beautiful.

Simon's Rock has amazing academics and borderline abysmal quality of life. The food is practically inedible (food poisoning multiple times) and it's isolating. Additionally, the culture is incredibly toxic at times. However the academics usually make up for it. If you aren't fairly dedicated to your academics, I don't think you will gain much from going here. Just finish high school, it's not worth it.

Our daughter is just finishing up her first year as a "rocker" - and it has been so amazing to see how this college has transformed her life. She has always been into thinking and making - and cared so much about ideas and how the world works. Her very "good" and "competitive" high school in New York full of students striving towards elite University and exceptional test scorces just shuit her down completely. She was getting fine grades but the love of learning was being ground down and away.

At Simon's Rock its a completely different story. She's connected with amazing faculty who treat her like an adult - and wildly high and exciting expectations about what she can do. The reading lists are fantastic and the ability to pursue the amazingly diverse things she cares about (phenomology, natural building techniques, botany, Finish symbolist painting) has been unmatched.

This is a campus where everybody knows the provost and the maintainece crew. It is a place for humans.

I think the first thing you have to evaluate when Simon's Rock is an option is why are you coming here? Are you running? A good proportion of people here are bored of high school, another taking off from troublesome situations back home. My experience here is a mixed bag, now having received by Bachelors elsewhere, Simon's Rock has by far a superior education. But the disclaimer to that is the campus has a serious drug problem when I was there due to a lack of mental health support, and there was an inability by the administration to do something about it without alerting parents of the situation. I've seen people get a lot out of here, and others none.

As a student of color, the scene is iffy. Some professors are extremely nice and others are blatantly racist. When going to admin they are just removed from that class and come back after that semester is over.
There are genuinely amazing staff and some classes are easier that most other colleges.

Glad I escaped hs but Simon's Rock just isn't the place to further my education. They severely up-played their film and writing departments.

Good school academically but very hard outside of academics. Coming here at 16 makes you lose perspective on how young you are and Simon's Rock does almost nothing to ease you into adulthood. Your parents leave on the first night and you are on your own. I do not regret it though. Just sometimes getting out of the bubble for a reality check is good.

Simon's Rock is definitely a mixed bag. Some of the professors are amazing, generous, talented, wonderful people who I will miss when I go, some of the professors are just weird and racist and bad at their jobs. Same goes for the people - I've met some of my closest friends and tons of really interesting, smart, kind people at Simon's Rock, but I've also had to deal with so many immature and mean kids and it gets really tiring. It's similar to a bigger college in that as long as you know who to avoid (in terms of faculty and students) you won't have that big of an issue, but because it's so small, if there's a weirdo on campus you almost 100% will have some sort of encounter with them. A lot of interpersonal issues that generally go unnoticed by the student body at a larger college get blown way out of proportion at SR because everyone knows everyone else. I definitely think SR was the right decision for me, but I'd recommend careful consideration of your high school compared to SR.

Simon's Rock is a place where my child immeditely felt like she belonged. She was able to fit right in and find like minded students. Her journey began in the academy and now she is enrolled in the college. The professors are caring, dedicated and make time to meet one on one with students. She has found classes interesting and with lots of options for development and creativity.
Thank you Simon's Rock.

Review Bard College at Simon's Rock

My experience at Simon's Rock has been fine thus far. The academics are very good-- especially in comparison to the traditional high school experience. The social experience, however, leaves much to be desired. Overall, though, the experience is quite decent.

I came to Simon's rock as a 9th grader in the Academy and just matriculated into the College last semester. I had an absolutely wonderful experience here at Simon's rock! The community is so warm -- we are just like a family together and everyone helps everyone (during the pandemic I wasn't able to go back home and got so much care from the school and the community!) I'm also so grateful for all the support Simon's rock gives, especially financially. I come from a lower-middle-class family and got almost a 50% scholarship! Almost everyone I talked to(I would say more than 80% ) gets financial support and I've just never seen a school that does this. We are located in a pretty rural area with beautiful nature around which I think is great for studying. But of course, we can still take the shuttle and get to town to buy groceries and stuff. The dining hall food is average college food, but very nutritious and with a wide range of choices for students who have different needs.

Bard College at Simon's Rock is fit for any passionate student. It expands horizons both academically and socially, offering a countless amount of opportunities. The faculty and staff are wholly dedicated to the students, and campus life comes up with some pretty great stuff to do. Great Barrington sucks, but Simon's Rock is worth attending anyway.

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