October 15, 2013

Anonymous asked: Hi! :D I'm applying for Bennington this year for Fall 2014, and I visited the school and I loved it and everyone in it. But one of the things I was concerned about was the fact that there isn't much of a town close by, and it was quite small. Is there enough for you to do on campus that makes up for the lack of a town? And was it easy to make friends?

I would say yes to both, but also point out that the town of Bennington is not entirely inaccessible from the campus, and there are definitely things to do there. My interests in the town of Bennington (or Benningtown if you’re feeling lazy) tend to be food-based (the best diner food ever), but there’s also a bookstore along with other shops, and the Bennington Monument and the Bennington Museum if you want a little history. We’re also reasonably close to other towns like Manchester, Williamstown, and Brattleboro.

Bennington is full of communities - your year community, your house community, etc. You’ll immediately get to know people as soon as you get to campus because of orientation at least, and I also think that it’s important to remember that everyone is just as nervous/new as you are. So, don’t sweat not knowing who to eat with in the dining hall because chances are, the people that you choose to sit with don’t know either. Just be confident (at least a little bit - coming from someone who’s a little shy herself), and you should have no problem.