Bennington College
- 4 Year
- BENNINGTON, VT
CollegeGrad School
Bennington College Reviews
Rating 3.52 out of 5 224 reviews
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All of the professors I had (in my short time at Bennington) were amazing. They were well-versed and passionate about their subjects and taught wonderful classes. They could make me interested in strange subject areas (for example, dance-related fields) that I never knew existed.
The students, on the other hand, were drug addicts who were not engaged in classes. People took smoke breaks during class. Dorms frequently smelled like cigarette smoke and weed.
Food was fine at first, but it went downhill after the first month. The menu was composed of a lot of gourds. They technically have vegetarian and vegan options, but it's mostly vegan meat-substitutes and the like.
Campus is safe, but it is not well-lit at night.
The students, on the other hand, were drug addicts who were not engaged in classes. People took smoke breaks during class. Dorms frequently smelled like cigarette smoke and weed.
Food was fine at first, but it went downhill after the first month. The menu was composed of a lot of gourds. They technically have vegetarian and vegan options, but it's mostly vegan meat-substitutes and the like.
Campus is safe, but it is not well-lit at night.
The school's a sham. Everything that they advertise as their strength is a bogus hustle.
1. We have plans instead of majors: the translation would be we don't have resources or the teacher to teach that area of study. Imagine finding out the area of study you came to study has no classes offered at all despite it being advertised by the school.
2. Staff and teachers are very underpaid without any tenure and they are massively understaffed
3. FWT: what started as a clever solution to saving on heating cost by kicking students out of college hasn't evolved much. Almost all fwt are unpaid and students $3-5k in additional costs. You hear people working two jobs to afford FWT. There is no support from the school in finding or funding a FWT, and the only involvement of school is to penalize student who can't afford fwt. A disgusting disregard for those without privilege and a solid gatekeeping measure.
4 The cost: $78000 !!!
1. We have plans instead of majors: the translation would be we don't have resources or the teacher to teach that area of study. Imagine finding out the area of study you came to study has no classes offered at all despite it being advertised by the school.
2. Staff and teachers are very underpaid without any tenure and they are massively understaffed
3. FWT: what started as a clever solution to saving on heating cost by kicking students out of college hasn't evolved much. Almost all fwt are unpaid and students $3-5k in additional costs. You hear people working two jobs to afford FWT. There is no support from the school in finding or funding a FWT, and the only involvement of school is to penalize student who can't afford fwt. A disgusting disregard for those without privilege and a solid gatekeeping measure.
4 The cost: $78000 !!!
I just transfer her this fall and so far things are going well. I can say that have integrated into the community. I have writing the plan essay that helps each students break down how their studies will correspond with future career goals. I big reason I wanted to come to Bennington is because of the field work term period during the winter where all students participate in an internship of their choice. The Bennington education is very student driven and that can be changeling, but with a rich history of artist development behind the school its very exciting be here with a focus in the arts.
Bennington was a great opportunity even before the pandemic. Once the world shifted, the mentors and staff truly made the experience as personal as possible. Even when we couldn't make it to campus they included us in every activity to make the experience better. The professors care and the community is beautiful.
For such a progressive community, this school is beyond closed-minded. The best way to describe the students here is- a bunch of kids with a superiority complex who think the world revolves around them. This school is so isolated with no college town, let alone town at all. I wouldn't even say the "town" in Bennington could qualify as such. As a queer woman majoring in visual arts I felt this school was a perfect fit for me. But here I am, after one year there, having dropped out, and now intend on transferring. There are good people here if you search hard enough, and luckily I found my people. But if you end up at Bennington, get ready to settle for a bunch of superficial friendships with people you probably dont really like. Oh, and I didn't even mention the food. I lost 10 pounds in my first semester and spent probably hundreds of dollars ordering food if that tells you anything. I will say the campus is gorgeous, so that's campus.
To anyone considering applying: please do so! It’s funny; I remember reading these reviews before applying and now am currently writing one. Honestly, some of these comments scared me, but I have had such a beautiful experience at this school. I genuinely love it. Not going to lie, it takes time to find your people, but once you do, you’re home. There’s no comparing the access to faculty and the ample resources available to you. Since class sizes are so small, you’re able to have conversations with professors and get direct feedback. Bennington is also doing a lot better with its approach to mental health and supporting underrepresented students. Our campus and houses (we don’t have traditional dorms, we live in houses!) are gorgeous. Also, the financial aid alone was reason enough for me to attend. Though there are some issues with Bennington, in my opinion, it’s a lot of the same problems you get at other schools :))
It is hard to fit in here, especially during a pandemic. A lot of people here smoke, and I am fine with that, but I am not fine with the amount of people that do it in the dorms with the smoke detectors covered. It seems the school itself does not care as much as it should about this. Through anxiety attacks I had to go to bed night after night there wondering if the dorm was going to burn down and if I was going to wake up in the morning. The college does not allow smoking in any of its dorms, but when I contacted one of my house chairs anonymously I felt unsafe the response was basically, sorry Bingham is a smoking house and we need to help you find another dorm. Basically, saying they would rather kick me out than change and move me to another dorm where people still smoke (there does not seem to be a smoke less dorm) where I can be someone else's problem. It's sad because this was my dream school, and now I feel that nobody there really cares about me.
Bennington is a great place for those who are self-driven and creative looking for a small, unique community. Because of its small size, Bennington is somewhat limited in classes and resources and the social environment tends towards cliquishness.
As a visual arts student, it was hard to translate my classes to an online format. However, I felt that most of my professors were flexible and adaptable.
Online learning has been tough for everyone, but Bennington made the transition really well. However, I think it is tough being a zoom student trying to seamlessly join an in-person class, so unless the entire class is zooming, it doesn't work really well.
Online learning is less than ideal for everyone, however I think Bennington is doing a good job. My professors have taken out feedback and implemented it into the online learning curriculum.
Overall Bennington has been a dream! I am able to study exactly what I want and professors are excited to help me. I do with that there were more 4000 lvl digital arts classes.
Bennington enables students to pursue their passions, learn and practice professional skills, and create close communities both in and out of classes.
Overall it was pretty enjoyable to be here. It's been great so far for me academically, the teachers are super super friendly and approachable. The resources are adequate. Only major downside is the local area is pretty barren, and it can get pretty lonely here during the winter, which is like most of the school year.
They push you to define and explain your thinking and ideas constantly. At times it's very hard, but the payoff totally worth it. Students design their course of study and must constantly reshape and defend their work.
What I like about Bennington College is the ability to combine different areas of study in order to create a major you are satisfied with. The small student body is also advantageous in the classroom where students receive more attention. What I wish would change about the college is that there would be more sports to participate in.
Bennington is an amazing school when it comes to academics and helping freshmen find their way through school. Not only are the professors understanding, but they are also always open to talk to students when they are having trouble. Also, advisers for first year students know how to help with any situation you have or are there if you just need help choosing classes.