Q & A
Snapshots of our social media channels
The College’s student-authored group Tumblr blog, TappedIn, has become the go-to for Bennington’s prospective students (and a growing number of alumni). The blog has had more than 119,000 visits since it launched two years ago and has gained nearly 700 followers so far. TappedIn is authored by a group of rotating interns (approximately five percent of the student body) who respond to questions posed by (predominantly anonymous) prospective students. The questions are what you might expect, but the answers are decidedly not.
When will the Common App Supplement be posted???
I have some good news.
This is the moment you have all been waiting for.
No jokes. No lies.
No small print.
The Bennington College supplement is back. And it’s better than ever. It will make your dreams come true. It will take your dreams and replace them with new ones. Better ones. It will teach you a new language. It will show you the proper way to fly a kite. It will show you the way your soul looks at night. It will wrap you in its warm, supplementary embrace and whisper softly in your ear, “graded analytic essay.”
—Tommy ’16
What is the best way to get from Bennington to NYC?
I don’t know about the best way to get from Bennington to NYC, but this is what you could do:
1. Drive.
2. Make someone drive you (hey, you deserve it)
3. Get a ride to Albany > Take a train to NYC
4. Get a ride to Albany > Take a bus to NYC
5. Take the Yankee Trail to Albany >
Take a bus/train to NYC
6. FLY (like Superman).
—Carlos ’14
What is the best hidden gem at Bennington?
Sherry Kramer.
—Parke ’15
Yes, but also Peter Jones.
—Alan ’15
Also, Andrew Cencini.
—Glennis ’14
Nobody’s mentioned Betsy Sherman?
—Evan ’13
Would you describe the kids who study acting to be typical thespians? How are they different?
There are the kids you would expect: the actors who talk like they are always on stage (this isn’t a Tennessee Williams scene, we are just having lunch) and the stage managers and tech people who are dedicated beyond belief (you will never have lunch with these people because they’ve convinced themselves they don’t have time and that the show is more important than individual concerns like their own well-being), BUT you’re also meeting students of other disciplines in theater classes. Disciplines/communities are very fluid and permeable so any group or “label” attracts a wide range of folks. So, they’re different because they also have a passion for, say, physics. —Alan ’15
Nobody at Bennington is typical. The actors here are no exception. —Tommy ’16
Hey, so I got an email from one of you around May, but I didn’t respond because my cat was dying and then I had finals. By the time it had blown over I figured you guys would be on break so I didn’t respond and I feel SO bad about it because I am really, really interested in Bennington but I’m afraid it looks like I just didn’t care.
Sorry to hear about your cat and I hope finals went well. It’s really not a big deal. We’re bad at email too. To help you figure out who emailed you, we compiled a list of everyone who was working in May that is also working here next fall with a couple of things each person probably would have mentioned (just to jog your memory)…
Anushka—Video games, Texas, and being a sweetie
Liam—Working out, Taylor Swift, binge eating vegetarian cuisine
Sarah G. —Television, mid-century modern furniture, otters
Alan D. —The ’70s, cult TV and slasher movies, existential crises
Julia—Elegance/being perfect, alternative medicine, tarot cards/astrology
Glennis—Buckminster Fuller, gluten-free life, Alaska
Parke—Hello Kitty, Russian literature, Silver Springs by Stevie Nicks
Rachel—Women’s rights, The Bennington Free Press, ’90s clothing
Selina—Conflict resolution, Argentina, baking and ice skating and biking and knitting and spinning
Michael—Prank-calling Selina during work, Iceland, fixing the world
Alana—Maine, queer politics and the like, dancin’!
You can always strike up a correspondence with us.
—Alan ’15
I read candles are not allowed in dorms... how strictly is that enforced?
I had a friend who was fined $1,400 for a smattering of tiny tea candles that had been previously lit and were no longer lit. They had dripped some wax onto the desk.
$1,400.
Here are some things you could purchase for $1,400:
1. 1–4 Pedigree, Title-Winning, Award-Worthy Goats (according to Yahoo answers, that is)
2. 4 of these modern gramophone-lookin’ dudes
3. And, last but not least…roughly 200 medium-size choose-your-own-topping Domino’s pizzas.
So don’t bring candles, okay. Light as many as you want now, get your kicks out, have a whole séance if you like…it’s not worth it in the long run.
—Parke ’15