Bard College - Off-Campus Housing

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College Prowler Take

Living off campus is the logical step for many returning Bardians who are trying to save on housing costs. Scoring a moderately-priced house or apartment might not make a huge financial difference, but it can help to put a few extra bucks in your pocket each month. Making the move isn’t really about saving money, though, it’s more about getting out on your own and having fun. Most students tend to live either in Red Hook or Tivoli, renting homes no more than a 10-minute drive from campus. Because both towns are relatively small, the off-campus community is tightly knit. Groups of friends living on the same street often end up convening in order to drink and hang out.

Most off-campus residents also come to enjoy a sense of freedom they didn’t experience on campus. Having your own space—especially in the case of artists and musicians, who might require extra room for equipment and workspace—can be reason enough for leaving the dorm scene in the dust. Of course, once off campus, some people actually end up missing the dorm scene, when you have your own house you can no longer simply walk down the hall to visit a friend, or meet up at Kline for a cup of coffee. Some Bard kids, especially those who choose to live in more remote locations, might even have to deal with a sudden sense of solitude.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

I pay barely anything for my... I pay barely anything for my apartment in Tivoli. Sure, it’s a dump, but it beats paying three times as much for a tiny room on campus. 12345 Off-Campus Housing Report

Anonymous says:

We made the mistake of living 20... We made the mistake of living 20 minutes off of Bard campus last year. We were in the middle of nowhere—‘bear country’—and we became pretty reclusive. Going to parties or to the bar meant a heck of a drive. When it snowed we had to plow our driveway. Living in the country might be nice for the summer, but it sucked trying to go to school and have a social life at the same time. Plus, my gas bill was outrageous. 12345 Off-Campus Housing Report

Anonymous says:

Finding a house or apartment up... Finding a house or apartment up here is easy—you just have to look early enough. Rent doesn’t exceed a few hundred dollars, if you find the right place. It’s far less expensive than Bard housing. 12345 Off-Campus Housing Report

Anonymous says:

My housemates and I ended up... My housemates and I ended up spending a lot of money on cable TV, Internet, and phone charges, but in the end it was worth it. Having a TV in the house was distracting, but valuable. Also, keeping your own house clean might be harder than you think, especially when you have to pay $2 for each bag that’s picked up. Our kitchen turned into one big dumpster by the end of the year—it was filled with months of garbage. By the end, we had a few mice living in it. 12345 Off-Campus Housing Report

Anonymous says:

Mostly, upperclassmen live off... Mostly, upperclassmen live off campus. It’s the natural progression: on campus freshman and sophomore year, and off campus junior and senior year. Once you move off, you can’t go back, even though lots of seniors still prefer living on campus. 12345 Off-Campus Housing Report

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