How to Write the Bard College Essay 2025-2026
Located just over 2 hours outside of New York City, Bard College is a small liberal arts school with a ton to offer. This year, Bard has one optional supplemental essay prompt about students’ interest in attending the college. Your essay is one of the main parts of your application where you can set yourself apart from other students with similar grades and test scores, so we recommend you submit an essay even though it isn’t required. Keep reading to find out how!
Bard College Supplemental Essay Prompt
Optional: Why Bard? (250 words)
Ah, the classic “Why this college?” supplement. With prompts like these, the key is to identify specific offerings on Bard’s campus that speak to your unique interests and aptitudes. Make sure to mention several logistical characteristics, professors, courses, extracurriculars, etc., and relate them directly to your personal goals.
Perhaps you want to conduct research through the Bard-Rockefeller Semester in Science program that will allow you to work in labs at Rockefeller University in NYC on a niche topic you are interested in. Maybe you want to help plan the annual Democracy Days in preparation for your political career. Whatever your passion, the key to this part of answering the prompt is thorough research. Don’t speak about academic offerings in broad terms or name-drop professors for the sake of it. Rather, figure out what is unique to Bard’s offerings, and tie it back to your own goals and interests.
For example, you want to avoid something as simple as the following:
“I want to attend Bard because they have a good biology department, and I’m interested in the more scientific aspects of medicine.”
This is not a good response because it says little to nothing about Bard’s actual biology department. While it tells admissions readers a bit about you, it doesn’t indicate that you cared enough about the school to look deeply into its offerings. Instead, try something like:
“I look forward to taking Ecology of Infectious Diseases, where I will not only explore the science behind harmful pathogens, but also the broader social and environmental contexts that allow diseases to spread into epidemics and pandemics. After losing two of my grandparents to the devastating effects of the Covid pandemic, it’s my mission to prevent future diseases from growing into deadly pandemics.”
This is better because it shows not only that you’ve looked into Bard’s offerings by citing a unique class, but also that you’ve thought about how that relates to your interests and drawn a clear connection between the two. Additionally, this provides more specificity and substance.
With 250 words at your disposal, you should be able to discuss 3 or 4 Bard resources that intrigue you and connect them back to your interests or goals. We don’t recommend going much above this number, as the more resources and opportunities you include, the less space you have to elaborate on each of them.
Also, keep in mind that while you definitely want to focus on academic aspects of Bard that you’re drawn to, you should also include extracurricular or social opportunities as well. This might look like wanting to join the Economics Society to apply the economic theories you learn in class to case studies and real-world businesses. It might mean getting involved with the Caribbean Student Association to find a community of students with a similar background as you. Or maybe you love that Bard allows you to create your own themed learning community as an upperclassman and you are looking forward to living in a community of people who love to cook and bake like you.
Remember, as much as this essay is about Bard, it’s also about you, so you want to share who you are both academically and personally with the admissions officers.
At the end of the day, the key to a strong “Why This College” essay is the research you put into it. If you spend the time looking for unique opportunities at Bard, your genuine enthusiasm for the school and its fit with you should come across naturally.
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