Bard College at Simons Rock
84 Alford Rd, Great Barrington, MA 01230
School Description
Provided by Bard College at Simons RockNo other college in the country does what we do.
We’re a small, selective, supportive, intensive college of the liberal arts and sciences in the middle of the Berkshires, one of the nation’s cultural and natural treasures. All of our 400 students come to us after 10th or 11th grade in high school. We give them a broad-minded, paradigm-shifting education; faculty trained in the country’s best universities; inspired and inspiring classes; first-class facilities for the sciences, the arts, and athletics; and an astonishing range of opportunities for conducting specialized research and gaining hands-on experience. We offer 43 concentrations, many of them interdisciplinary; our academic program leads to an AA or a BA.
Simon’s Rock was founded by Elizabeth Blodgett Hall in 1966. In 1979 we became part of Bard College (established in 1860), one of the country’s outstanding (and most innovative) liberal arts colleges, located 50 miles away, in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
We offer an education with immediate practical value and lasting implications for our students’ minds and hearts and hands: their intellect, their imagination, the work they’ll do in the world.
We’re a college of the liberal arts and sciences. What does that mean? At Simon’s Rock, it means our students become conversant in the languages of science and math, the humanities, the social sciences, and the arts. It means they’re able to translate from one language to another, to find commonalities, connections. We also expect our students to write (and write, and write) in every class, tangible proof of their ability to think clearly and coherently and to develop a complex, persuasive argument. Finally—and crucially—we ask our students to take responsibility for the shape and scope of their education, working with advisors and professors to choose (or design) courses, independent projects, and off-campus opportunities.
Our education, in other words, isn’t just a series of isolated classes; it’s part of the fabric of our students’ daily lives. Wrestling with unfamiliar and complicated ideas, dreaming about improbable solutions, finding a new language to describe the human condition—this is the kind of thing we do at a seminar table, in the dining hall, in the meadow, and in a friend’s room in the darkest hours of the morning.
Bard College at Simons Rock
From Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaBard College at Simon's Rock, more commonly known as Simon's Rock and previously as Simon's Rock College of Bard (see below), is a small, residential, selective four-year liberal arts college located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The foremost of the many unusual things about Simon's Rock is that it is an "early college", designed for students to enroll immediately after completing the tenth or eleventh grade, rather than after graduating from high school. Students who attend Simon's Rock rarely earn a high school diploma, and matriculate, on average, at the age of 16.
The college's founder, Elizabeth Blodgett Hall, had formerly been a private girls' school headmistress at Concord Academy. She concluded from her experience, and that of her colleagues, that for many students the latter two years of high school are wasted on repetitious and overly constrained work. Many young students, she thought, are ready to pursue college-level academic work some time before the usual system asks it of them.
While Simon's Rock is the only accredited four-year early college to date and still the singular college or university to take this approach with all of its students, it is now one of a number of early college entrance programs that provide opportunities for students to enter college one or more years ahead of their traditional high school graduation date.
Because Simon's Rock provides this accelerated program, it also attracts many students who might not consider a "liberal arts" education if they had to wait two more years. Computer science, pre-med, and math students read Plato, Dante and Nietzsche, alongside dancers, artists, and literary students. A majority of students transfer to larger institutions after receiving an Associate of Arts degree degree after two years, although many stay for four to receive a Bachelor of Arts.
Quick Facts
- Location:
- Northeast
- Setting:
- Small Town Setting
- Type:
- Private
- Size:
- Small (Under 2,000 Undergrad)
Students & Campus Life
- Undergraduate Enrollment:
- 410
- On Campus Housing:
- Available
- Full Time Students:
- 100%
- Athletic Programs:
- Unavailable
Degree Programs at Bard College at Simons Rock
Associate's Level Programs
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Arts & Humanities
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General Studies
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General Studies
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Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
A program that is a structured combination of the arts, biological and physical sciences, social sciences, and humanities, emphasizing breadth of study. Includes instruction in independently designed, individualized, or regular programs.See more schools with programs in Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
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Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
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General Studies
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General Studies
Bachelor's Level Programs
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Agriculture and Natural Resources
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Natural Resources and Conservation
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Natural Resources and Conservation
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Environmental Studies.
A program that focuses on environment-related issues using scientific, social scientific, or humanistic approaches or a combination. Includes instruction in the basic principles of ecology and environmental science and related subjects such as policy, politics, law, economics, social aspects, planning, pollution control, natural resources, and the interactions of human beings and nature.See more schools with programs in Environmental Studies.
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Environmental Studies.
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Natural Resources and Conservation
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Natural Resources and Conservation
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Arts & Humanities
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English Language and Literature
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English Language and Literature
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Creative Writing
A program that focuses on the process and techniques of original composition in various literary forms such as the short story, poetry, the novel, and others. Includes instruction in technical and editorial skills, criticism, and the marketing of finished manuscripts.See more schools with programs in Creative Writing
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English Language and Literature
A general program that focuses on the English language, including its history, structure and related communications skills; and the literature and culture of English-speaking peoples.See more schools with programs in English Language and Literature
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Creative Writing
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Film and Theater
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Film and Theater
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Acting
An acting program instructs individuals in the art of communicating dramatic information and ideas in a natural and believable fashion. This program includes instruction in voice and acting speech, stage dialects, movement, improvisation, acting styles, theatre history, script interpretation, and actor coaching.See more schools with programs in Acting
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Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts
A program that focuses on the general study of dramatic works and their performance. Includes instruction in major works of dramatic literature, dramatic styles and types, and the principles of organizing and producing full live or filmed productions.See more schools with programs in Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts
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Playwriting and Screenwriting
A program that focuses on the principles and techniques for communicating dramatic information, ideas, moods, and feelings through the composition of creative written works for the theatre and/or film. Includes instruction in creative writing craft, scene writing, script development, stage and/or camera instructions, line and moment analysis, script reading, script editing, and the creation of full productionsSee more schools with programs in Playwriting and Screenwriting
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Acting
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Foreign Languages
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Foreign Languages
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French Language and Literature
A program that focuses on the French language and related dialects and creoles. Includes instruction in French philology, Metropolitan French, Canadian French, African and Caribbean Creoles, French regional dialects, and applications in business, science/technology, and other settings.See more schools with programs in French Language and Literature
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Linguistics
A program that focuses on language, language development, and relationships among languages and language groups from a humanistic and/or scientific perspective. Includes instruction in subjects such as psycholinguistics, behavioral linguistics, language acquisition, sociolinguistics, mathematical and computational linguistics, grammatical theory and theoretical linguistics, philosophical linguistics, philology and historical linguistics, comparative linguistics, phonetics, phonemics, dialectology, semantics, functional grammar and linguistics, language typology, lexicography, morphology and syntax, orthography, stylistics, structuralism, rhetoric, and applications to artificial intelligence.See more schools with programs in Linguistics
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Spanish Language and Literature
A program that focuses on the Spanish language and related dialects. Includes instruction in Spanish philology, Modern Castillan, various Latin American dialects, regional Spanish dialects, and applications in business, science/technology, and other settings.See more schools with programs in Spanish Language and Literature
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French Language and Literature
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Music
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Music
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General Music
A general program that focuses on the introductory study and appreciation of music and the performing arts. Includes instruction in music, dance, and other performing arts media.See more schools with programs in General Music
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General Music
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Performing Arts
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Performing Arts
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General Dance
A general program that prepares individuals to express ideas, feelings, and/or inner visions through the performance of one or more of the dance disciplines, including but not limited to ballet, modern, jazz, ethnic, and folk dance, and that focuses on the study and analysis of dance as a cultural phenomenon. Includes instruction in technique, choreography, Laban notation, dance history and criticism, and dance production.See more schools with programs in General Dance
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General Dance
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Philosophy
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Philosophy
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General Philosophy
A program that focuses on ideas and their logical structure, including arguments and investigations about abstract and real phenomena. Includes instruction in logic, ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, metaphysics, symbolism, and history of philosophy, and applications to the theoretical foundations and methods of other disciplines.See more schools with programs in General Philosophy
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General Philosophy
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Religion/Religious Studies
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Religion/Religious Studies
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General Religion/Religious Studies
A program that focuses on the nature of religious belief and specific religious and quasi-religious systems. Includes instruction in phenomenology; the sociology, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, literature and art of religion; mythology; scriptural and textual studies; religious history and politics; and specific studies of particular faith communities and their behavior.See more schools with programs in General Religion/Religious Studies
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Philosophy and Religious Studies
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General Religion/Religious Studies
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Visual and Performing Arts
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Visual and Performing Arts
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Visual and Performing Arts
A general, undifferentiated program that focuses on the visual and performing arts and that may prepare individuals in any of the visual artistic media or performing disciplines.See more schools with programs in Visual and Performing Arts
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Visual and Performing Arts
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Visual Arts
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Visual Arts
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Art History, Criticism and Conservation
Students of Art History study of the historical development of art as a social and intellectual phenomenon. Art History programs include the analysis of works of art, and art conservation, art history research methods, connoisseurship, the preservation and conservation of works of art, and the study of specific periods, cultures, styles, and themes.See more schools with programs in Art History, Criticism and Conservation
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Fine Arts and Art Studies
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Fine/Studio Arts
A program that prepares individuals to generally function as creative artists in the visual and plastic media. Includes instruction in the traditional fine arts media (drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, CAD/CAM) and/or modern media (ceramics, textiles, intermedia, photography, digital images); theory of art; color theory; composition and perspective; anatomy; the techniques and procedures for maintaining equipment and managing a studio; and art portfolio marketing.See more schools with programs in Fine/Studio Arts
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Art History, Criticism and Conservation
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English Language and Literature
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English Language and Literature
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Communication & Media
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Film/Video & Cinematography
Learn to communicate dramatic information, ideas, moods, and feelings through the making and producing of films and videos. This major includes instruction in the theory of film; film technology and equipment operation; film production; film directing; film editing; cinematographic art; film audio; techniques for making specific types of films and/or videos; the , use of computer applications to record or enhance images, audio or effect and the planning and management of film/video operations.See more schools with programs in Film/Video & Cinematography
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Photography
A program that focuses on the principles and techniques of communicating information, ideas, moods, and feelings through the creation of images on photographic film, plates, digital images and that may prepare individuals to be professional photographic artists. Includes instruction in camera and equipment operation and maintenance, film and plate developing, light and composition, films and printing media, color and special effects, photographic art, photographic history, use of computer applications to record or enhance images and applications to the photography of various subjects.See more schools with programs in Photography
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Film/Video & Cinematography
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Health & Medical Services
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Health/Medical Preparatory Programs
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Health/Medical Preparatory Programs
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Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies
A program that prepares individuals for admission to a first-professional program in medicine, osteopathic medicine, or podiatric medicine.See more schools with programs in Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies
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Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies
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Health/Medical Preparatory Programs
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Health/Medical Preparatory Programs
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Interdisciplinary Studies
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Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies
A program that focuses on the dynamic social relations between and among majority and minority groups and different minority groups, and ways to promote mutual tolerance, inter-group cooperation, and the leadership and management of diverse groups and diversity issues in family, educational, recreational, and work settings. Includes instruction in ethnic and cultural studies, group psychology, sociology, anthropology, conflict resolution, human services and resources, and applications to various functional environments.See more schools with programs in Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies
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Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies
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Life Science
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Biology
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Biology
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Biology/Biological Sciences
Students in this program study general biology at an introductory level. This major provides students with a broad overview of biology and includes instruction in general biology and programs covering a variety of biological specializations.See more schools with programs in Biology/Biological Sciences
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Ecology
A program that focuses on the scientific study of the relationships and interactions of small-scale biological systems, such as organisms, to each other, to complex and whole systems, and to the physical and other non-biological aspects of their environments. Includes instruction in biogeochemistry; landscape and/or marine/aquatic dynamics; decomposition; global and regional elemental budgets; biotic and abiotic regulation of nutrient cycles; ecophysiology; ecosystem resilience, disturbance, and succession; community and habitat dynamics; organismal interactions (co-evolution, competition, predation); paleoecology, and evolutionary ecology.See more schools with programs in Ecology
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Biology/Biological Sciences
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Biology
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Biology
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Mathematics and Statistics
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General Applied Mathematics
A program that focuses on the application of mathematics and statistics to the solution of functional problems in fields such as engineering and the applied sciences. Includes instruction in natural phenomena modeling continuum mechanics, reaction-diffusion, wave propagation, dynamic systems, numerical analysis, controlled theory, asymptotic methods, variation, optimization theory, inverse problems, and applications to specific scientific and industrial topics.See more schools with programs in General Applied Mathematics
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General Mathematics
A general program that focuses on the analysis of quantities, magnitudes, forms, and their relationships, using symbolic logic and language. Includes instruction in algebra, calculus, functional analysis, geometry, number theory, logic, topology and other mathematical specializations.See more schools with programs in General Mathematics
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General Applied Mathematics
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Natural Sciences
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Chemistry
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Chemistry
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General Chemistry
A general program that focuses on the scientific study of the composition and behavior of matter, including its micro- and macro-structure, the processes of chemical change, and the theoretical description and laboratory simulation of these phenomena.See more schools with programs in General Chemistry
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General Chemistry
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Physics
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Physics
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General Physics
A general program that focuses on the scientific study of matter and energy, and the formulation and testing of the laws governing the behavior of the matter-energy continuum. Includes instruction in classical and modern physics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, mechanics, wave properties, nuclear processes, relativity and quantum theory, quantitative methods, and laboratory methods.See more schools with programs in General Physics
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General Physics
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Chemistry
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Chemistry
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Security and Protective Service Careers
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Human Services
A program that focuses on the general study and provision of human and social services to individuals and communities and prepares individuals to work in public and private human services agencies and organizations. Includes instruction in the social sciences, psychology, principles of social service, human services policy, planning and evaluation, social services law and administration, and applications to particular issues, services, localities, and populations.See more schools with programs in Human Services
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Human Services
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Social Sciences
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General Social Sciences
A program that focuses on the general study of human social behavior and social institutions using any of the methodologies common to the social sciences and/or history, or an undifferentiated program of study in the social sciences.See more schools with programs in General Social Sciences
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Anthropology
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Anthropology
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General Anthropology
A program that focuses on the systematic study of human beings, their antecedents and related primates, and their cultural behavior and institutions, in comparative perspective. Includes instruction in biological/physical anthropology, primatology, human paleontology and prehistoric archeology, hominid evolution, anthropological linguistics, ethnography, ethnology, ethnohistory, socio-cultural anthropology, psychological anthropology, research methods, and applications to areas such as medicine, forensic pathology, museum studies, and international affairs.See more schools with programs in General Anthropology
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General Anthropology
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Area, Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies
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Area, Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies
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American/United States Studies/Civilization
This program studies the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of the United States and its Pre-Columbian and colonial predecessors, including the flow of immigrants from other societies.See more schools with programs in American/United States Studies/Civilization
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Asian Studies/Civilization
This four year program focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of the peoples of the Asian Continent. Asian Studies programs include the study of Asian diasporas overseas.See more schools with programs in Asian Studies/Civilization
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East Asian Studies
A program that focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of one or more of the peoples of East Asia, defined as including China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Taiwan, Tibet, related borderlands and island groups, and including the study of the East Asian diasporas overseas.See more schools with programs in East Asian Studies
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European Studies/Civilization
A program that focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of one or more of the peoples of the European Continent, including the study of European migration patterns and colonial empires.See more schools with programs in European Studies/Civilization
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German Studies
A program that focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of Germany, the neighboring countries of Austria and Switzerland, the German minorities in neighboring European countries, and the historical areas of German influence across Europe and overseas.See more schools with programs in German Studies
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Other Ethnic, Cultural Minority, and Gender Studies
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American/United States Studies/Civilization
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Geography
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Geography
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General Geography
A program that focuses on the systematic study of the spatial distribution and interrelationships of people, natural resources, plant and animal life. Includes instruction in historical and political geography, cultural geography, economic and physical geography, regional science, cartographic methods, remote sensing, spatial analysis, and applications to areas such as land-use planning, development studies, and analysis of specific countries, regions, and resources.See more schools with programs in General Geography
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General Geography
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International Relations and Affairs
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International Relations and Affairs
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General Political Science and Government
A general program that focuses on the systematic study of political institutions and behavior. Includes instruction in political philosophy, political theory, comparative government and politics, political parties and interest groups, public opinion, political research methods, studies of the government and politics of specific countries, and studies 0f specific political institutions and processes.See more schools with programs in General Political Science and Government
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General Political Science and Government
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Psychology
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Psychology
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General Psychology
A general program that focuses on the scientific study of individual and collective behavior, the physical and environmental bases of behavior, and the analysis and treatment of behavior problems and disorders. Includes instruction in the principles of the various subfields of psychology, research methods, and psychological assessment and testing methods.See more schools with programs in General Psychology
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General Psychology
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General Social Sciences
Students
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| Percent of Students International: | 0% |
Housing
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 96% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 33,334 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 32,834 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 500 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 2,725 | 34% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 1,213 | 12% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 14,779 | 78% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 3,417 | 65% | |
Any Aid: |
78% |
Selectivity (Undergraduate Only)
| Acceptance Rate: | 77% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 53% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 580, Math: 530 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 700, Math: 690 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 10% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 22, Verbal: 21, Math: 20 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 28, Verbal: 26, Math: 27 |
Application Requirements (Undergraduate Only)
| Application Fee: | $ 50.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Recommended |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Not Required |
| High School GPA: | Not Required |
| High School Rank: | Not Required |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Recommended |
College Advice |
Best AnswerActually you could. Most kids will be about 16, but you absolutely can. I know they have an upper college to which most kids are 18. I would call and ask if the requirements are the same for you. I would also check out Live Journal (simonsrock2) for more info and you should ask questions. I am thinking of applying this fall and I would be 16 if I end up going.You may also check Bard College (one in NY) and you may feel like their more kids your on age. Good Luck! |
Question: Simon's Rock College at Bard? Anybody know anything about it ? PLEASE HELP!?if u know any info or anything about this college or if u go there please tell me! It's very important to me!37 months ago
Best AnswerIt's geared towards high school students who finish a few years earlier (16 and 17). They have really small classes and seem to have a lot more time to devote to each individual student. The curriculum also looks pretty intense. |
