Bard High School Early College

For bright motivated kids, Bard is probably the best high school in NYC. The student body is as, if not more, accomplished academically than Stuy, Lehman, or Bronx Science. The faculty are, as a rule, superb. The resources available to students in the arts, travel, languages, tutoring, specialized classes, college placement, and so on are amazing and without parallel. Most kids leave Bard with 1 to 2 years of transferable college credit. The only downside is: Bard is not for everyone. It's true that kids are treated more or less as college students the day they walk in. Like most good colleges, the burden of keeping up and doing the work is put on the student. Being bright isn't enough at Bard, you also need to work hard and be motivated enough to take responsibility for your own eduction. Bard does not hold student's hands or hand out credit for trying hard or give brownie points for school spirit. The focus is on academics and individual student growth. It's much like attending a small highly selective liberal arts college. A hands down wonderful place for the right kid, tricky at best for an average or unmotivated kid.
—Submitted by a parent

I AM A FRESHMAN HERE. To be completely honest with whoever is reading this, I do not even know why I got into this school. My middle school was so easy its just looked good on my report card. Coming to Bard everything has started to change. Our first marking period came and I got my report card or what the teachers call "progress reports" and for the first time in my WHOLE entire school life, I got something under a B+. It was not a terrible thing but I just did not like it. The worst part about this is that, although I am still in school, I do not feel like I am learning anything AT ALL. The grades are really just grades and are nothing to me. Whats most important is that you know what you are learning. The workload is stressful and although you can have a "social" life, its hard to maintain your hobbies with the work. The teachers are helpful, but I just don't have the time to be going to homework help every after school! Now for those of you wondering whether this school is the right choice. If you are a very "smart" and "capable" person, come here ASAP. It will benefit you. Those who are ehh average like me. Dont even bother putting this school on your list. Its just not good.
—Submitted by a student

BHSEC has been the largest challenge of my life. I have worked incredibly hard, but that does not always show up in my report cards. I do know, however that I have learned an incredible amount and although there are days when I hate it I have no idea where else I would have gone. It's hard because I am still experiencing it right now so I do not have great perspective, but I know in a couple years I will be so grateful to have gone to BHSEC. Every student spends at least a semester hating the school, but I'm pretty sure every high schooler experiences that. The teachers are pretty great, students are very independent, and everyone is smart in their own way. The administration is very against BHSEC having anything that is like a normal high school, so no dances, or pep rallies, or even school bells. This is probably my least favorite part of BHSEC other than the amount of work (i get at least 4 hours of homework on an easy night). We have almost no school spirit. It sucks, but thats because we all spend so much time doing school work.
—Submitted by a student

Freshman at Bhsec and it only took the school the first 4 days to amaze me. Bard is a good challenge. We're different. #Bard: A Place to Think!
—Submitted by a student

In answer to some reviewer's comment, we have a great singing program! I took chorus at BHSEC for 2 years and loved it more than words can express. Every semester I felt challenged, and by my final semester I spent over an hour every week with the chorus teacher, working in a group of 2 or 3 students or working on my solos with her.

As an alumna of this amazing school (Class of 2009), I can confidently say that the education BHSEC provides is world class. When I matriculated to a prestigious liberal arts college in New England, I was ahead of my peers because Bard made me solid writer, eloquent speaker, and a critical thinker. My four years at Bard were challenging. I cried many nights from exhaustion because of my long commute and never-ending homework. However, the challenge that Bard provided me strengthened me. It is not a place for everyone and please believe that not everyone makes it to Year One or to commencement day, but if you do, you will feel great pride and finally realize it was all worth it. If you are thinking of going to Bard, make sure you are committed to seeing it through and always remember your hard work certainly pays off. And if you want to send you child to Bard, make sure you are supportive of your student because they will need your help and your assurance.

this school isn't as perfect as it seems but its still a wonderful school. I am a year 2 and I've grown soo much in the past four years, intellectually and socially. I've met all types of people here and the friends that I have made, we are very close. I love how all of the teachers are very dedicated to their students and their work. A teacher is rarely absent here and they often stay after school to help their students. I wish that there was more school spirit here and I wish that we had more social events although some people do try to foster a sense of community. Academics are important but at the end of the day, we are still teenagers and it would be nice to have some of the typical high school experiences (dances,etc). Overall I enjoyed my time here and I wouldn't change my experience for anything in the world. The pros definately outweigh the cons. But think hard before you come to bard because it is not your typical high school experience. A lot of kids that started out with me in 9th grade transferred or were asked to leave because they struggled to adjust to the environment, academically and socially.
—Submitted by a student

I love acedemics, but I also like the arts (singing, acting, etc.) Is Bard a good school for me? Is there any programs for, say, singing? Is there time to do stuff out of school? Thanks!!

I attended BHSEC Queens. Was I overworked? Yes Did I enjoy the workload? Absolutely. Very rarely in one's life can one admit he/she is happily enjoying writing 8 page papers on Frued, reading political philosophy, and reviewing the elasticity chapter in your microecon textbook. While admissions counslers from other colleges might not see it, we are college students. We are treated as such, expected to deliver as such, and embrace ourselves as such.We are transformed into these "social nerds" who don't care about the stigma because we actually enjoy what were learning and develop amazing ways of maturity and can hold hour long conversations with our peers and professors about any topic. Our work ethic and character become immensely different. I currently attended Haverford College in Pa, and I love it here. Quite a few of my classmates are stressed and a little disillusioned, but once you've done year 1 and year 2 at bhsec, everything else becomes manageable (or even a little simpler!) I have friends from both bhsecs that have gone of to Williams, Brown, Vassar, Pomona, Carelton, and Rice that I'm sure they would agree with me.
—Submitted by a student

Best School Ever. Competitive but amazing! I will have free classes, cool teachers and many more students!
—Submitted by a student

I went to this school a couple of years ago and although the classes are challenging and the students are dedicated to their work it has it's faults. Most teachers don't care if you suceed. There isn't a great support system for the students who are struggling and I would say about 15% of students transfer out before their junior year. There also seems to be a huge divide in students interactions. Most students hang out with their own races and thats all. Overall I wish my experience at bard was better but I was in that 15 % that suffered. Bard wants to be so inovative that they forget to pay attention to the needs of it's students.
—Submitted by a student

i just started going to bard and so far i LOVE it! i love the people, i love the classes, i love (almost) all of my teachers, i love the enviornment, i love the way we're treated, i love that we have free periods, i love that school starts at nine, i love the class sizes.... im just so happy! i rave to all my out of school friends about it and they're all really jelous. yes, there's plenty of homework but we get plenty of time. i feel like everyone really knows what they're doing and it's SO nice to be challenged for a change.
—Submitted by a student

My daughter graduated from Bard High School Early College and loved her time there. It's just a really great academic environment that prepares kids to do anything they can dream of.
—Submitted by a parent

All three of my kids have attended BHSEC and challenged each year to develop critical thinking and their own goals that extend beyond grades. BHSEC is not an easy school, but it is an excellent one.
—Submitted by a parent

BHSEC is the BEST school I've ever attended. The teachers really know what they're doing and I actually learn so much everyday.
—Submitted by a student

Everything. the teachers are great, the kids are great, and the environment is great.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are amazing and the work is great. We get two years of college free.
—Submitted by a student

I don't think I've ever met people as intelligent as I have at Bard. Everybody is so friendly and the atmosphere is great. The work is challenging and the curriculum is rigorous, but it prepares us for later work and we're taught so much in such a short amount of time. By the time I leave, I would expect to have learned a great deal.
—Submitted by a student

I found great people, great teachers and great academics. I fit in and it seems as if almost anyone could.
—Submitted by a student

I love BHSEC because it offers a rigorous education in a non-competetive setting. The administration is dedicated to offering innovative learning opportunities, and to keeping class size small.
—Submitted by a parent