Marlboro College
Reviews

Very Challenging

Classes are hard and you will be worked extremely hard but the education you receive is incredible.

Small Dorm Life

The dorms at Marlboro are pretty small, around 20 or so to a dorm. Not every dorm has a common room, but this is a good thing. With so few people, it's better that they congregate in fewer spaces. A quick breakdown - Happy Valley- the common room has the only indoor smoking space, Happy Valley throws a lot of parties and drinks a lot. Howland- Two dorms smashed together with a large shared common room. Howland's bathrooms are shared. (but you could walk for 30 seconds and find a single) Random North- no common room, nothing to talk about. Random South- smells funny. Schrader is cooler than the Trailer, and Half-Way doesnt seem to do much. Pretty much every dorm is 2 minutes away from everything so really pick any dorm but Random South

Potash Hill

Marlboro College is on Potash Hill, which is about 20 minutes from the town of Brattleboro. Going to Brattleboro is too much of a hassle for much of the student body, and in winter, pretty much everybody stays on the hill, all the time. That said, it's a beautiful campus with acres and acres of forest and miles of trails.

As Good as It Could Be

At Marlboro, their are usually fewer than ten students to a class. If there are more, they probably wrote to the professor to get into the class. People take their academics seriously, and the professors are great. And if you aren't impressed with the curriculum, you can design your own classes and coursework, and it can be one on one with a professor or you can invite all your friends.

It's Ok

It's ok. That's really kind of it. If you want to take a class, chances are, as long as you're a junior or senior, they'll design a tutorial. You'll have to work really hard, but you'll definitely learn lots. There's not much variety here, though. Everyone acts very individual and like themselves, but we all kind of tend to be similar selfs. There can be tons of drama, especially if it snows and everyone's trapped on campus. It's a small campus, with a small student-body. Everyone on campus either loves or hates Marlboro, so it's kind of difficult to have the 'it's ok' opinion.

One thing that is fantastic is that you WILL be accepted for whatever you are, and you'll be loved for it. So long as you put yourself out there, others will take you in and be fantastic friends. It's all about being yourself in the truest sense of that, not in some who-can-be-weirdest kind of way. It gives you a great way of looking at the world.

One not-so-fantastic thing is that it is very difficult to actually see the world from inside Marlboro. It's extremely isolated, and it's difficult to get away. there's a different mindset that happens on campus, where cabin fever is definitely present and drama is thick in the air and something of a competition is taking place. You will hear everyone's drama, and many people seem to forget that there is a whole wide world outside of this school and, well, themselves. It's the kind of isolated place that forces you to reflect on yourself. Constantly.

There Is No Greek Life

or no official greek life, anyway. There are unofficial clubs, I suppose.

Not Really Existent

Unless you want to go down to Brattleboro, which you can really only do with a car unless you want to stay for odd hours (either five hours or about half an hour for walking around town- those are the times the vans allow). If you do get into Brat, it has a few fair places to get food. Coffee shops and bakeries are your best bet, and if you have the money, Fireworks is AMAZING.

If you can't get a ride, there is no off-campus dining. There is literally no where you could feasibly walk off campus that would give you food.

Not Much

If you're into athletics you shouldn't come here. You can start any kind of club you want but there is no competition.

Marlboro Students

Students at Marlboro are interested in and participating in a wide variety of things. They can party but it is not the main event. People are focused on their education.

Parking

Parking is free in one of the three lots that are adjacent to campus, but if you're lazy enough to try to park on campus you may get a ticket, that you probably wont have to pay.

Make Your Own Decisions

I don't want to make it seem like we're a bunch of hoodlums, but Marlboro will allow you to do what you want. There seems to be the official policy of treating people like adults with the less talked about policy of not getting in people's way. If you're going to make a mistake, it's on your head, the administration doesn't care too much if you're not bothering other people; that is, security guards aren't sent out to find drug users and party-goers. The college is there to provide a place to study and live, not to force you to make the right decisions. If you're forced, how are they decisions?

Safety & Security at Marlboro College

well is supper safe, we are on a mountain. accidents do happy when people are intoxicated, and it seems like it is much more of a big deal then it is because of the small amount of students hear. every one keeps there doors unlocked, and things don't get stolen. you can also just leave your things around and its fine. sometimes there will be petty theft, but everyone gets very angry about it and it ends shortly after it begins.

I love Marlboro, but I sometimes...

I love Marlboro, but I sometimes think it has less to do with the school and more to do with me. If I had come here straight from high school, I would’ve hated it. I would not have had the discipline or vision the school requires for success. I took four years off to travel, experience life, and work in the nonprofit/community-service sector, which made all the difference.

The van schedule is fairly regular...

The van schedule is fairly regular and timely. It’s always nice having your own car or having close friends with one, though.

We have Moooo-ver vans and...

We have Moooo-ver vans and Marlboro vans. They both make frequent runs and are on time, but only one has cow spots on it.

Brat has very little public...

Brat has very little public transportation, but it’s small enough you can walk just about anywhere. There are regular van runs between Marlboro and Brat that are pretty convenient.

On the whole, I feel that drugs...

On the whole, I feel that drugs and alcohol are very openly used at Marlboro, but I imagine that the policy may become much stricter over the next few years. People seem to have the impression that Marlboro is so far out in the middle of nowhere that everything that happens here passes under the law-enforcement radar. This is far from the case, though, and I’ve sensed a certain amount of fear among the administration that it’s only a matter of time before the police decide to put their foot down. There’s been some talk of an effort to at least make drug use more inconspicuous and possibly less prevalent altogether.

Our policy is ‘please, don’t do...

Our policy is ‘please, don’t do anything stupid.’ The penalties for underage drinking and so forth is a slap on the wrist. It’s in the bylaws that the police aren’t allowed on campus unless specifically called for. It’s (for now) a perfect example of how much freedom can be allowed if people take it upon themselves to not abuse that freedom. The future is uncertain. Although the student body is, for the most part, a little older and more mature than your average college student, outbursts of careless behavior may cause the policies to be more draconian in the future.

We have an intense five-dollar...

We have an intense five-dollar fine if you are busted with pot. There was a small campaign last year to get it bumped down to $2.50.

We don’t have campus police. RAs...

We don’t have campus police. RAs don’t police you either. The idea is you should be able to go to your RA if you have a drug or alcohol problem, so they aren’t going to turn you in. There are only two people on campus whose job it is to enforce our drug and alcohol policy (the SLAs). If you get caught drinking underage, it’s a five-dollar fine. Just don’t get caught.

I know that last year a friend of...

I know that last year a friend of mine was studying Greek history in art and dance. I, however, don’t know Greek. I think there was a toga party once.

If that’s what you’re looking for,...

If that’s what you’re looking for, go to a different school. The word ‘sports’ is not in our vocabulary.

Sports? Ha ha ha ha!

Ha ha! Seriously, though, if...

Ha ha! Seriously, though, if competitive athletics are your thing, Marlboro may not be the place for you. We have a soccer team composed of students and professors that has won about two games in the last 10 years. We do have an active fencing community, though.

The girls rank much higher than...

The girls rank much higher than the guys. The girls are in a different class at Marlboro. I’ve never met such an astounding group of women as I have at Marlboro. You have an entire spectrum—shave, don’t shave. You have to have an open interest. They are all very unique.