BARD COLLEGE
Class of 2016
Senior Guide
The Senior Guide is Designed to Provide
Seniors with Useful Information Regarding
the Senior Project,
Graduation Requirements,
Commencement,
Ordering Transcripts,
Applying for Fellowships,
Applying to Graduate School,
and Planning a Career.
The Offices of the Dean of the College and Student Affairs created this guide.
Questions, concerns, and suggestions may be directed to the Dean of Student Affairs Office
at 845-758-7454 or dosa@bard.edu.
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Contents
Greetings from the Dean of the College 3
The Bard College Alumni/ae Association 4
Graduation Requirements 7
The Senior Year – An Overview 8
Planning the Senior Year 8
Registering for Senior Project 8
Selecting a Senior Project Adviser 9
First semester of Senior Project 9
Midway 10
Second semester of Senior Project 10
Preparing and submitting the Senior Project 11
After submission 12
Writing the Senior Project 13
Sample Title Page 19
Applying to Graduate or Professional School 20
Ordering a Transcript 22
Next Steps: Postgraduation Career Plans 23
Commencement 2016 24
The Senior-Year Experience Website 25
Campus Resources 26
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GREETINGS FROM THE DEAN OF THE COLLEGE
Dear Members of the Class of 2016:
I want to underscore the sense of excitement and seriousness of purpose that is about to define
the final year of your undergraduate education. I know that, as you begin work on your Senior
Projects, you will challenge yourself creatively, intellectually, and socially and will engage
thoughtfully with faculty and peers in and out of the classroom.
I am happy to introduce the Senior Guide, a resource for planning your senior year at Bard. This
handbook, the product of a collaboration among the offices of the Dean of the College, Dean of
Student Affairs, Career Development, the Registrar’s Office, and Alumni/ae Affairs, brings
together such necessary information as how to format and present your Senior Project, how to
order transcripts, and apply for fellowships and jobs, and how best to prepare for
Commencement and add your name to the illustrious list of Bard alumni/ae.
The Watson Fellowship and Fulbright Scholarship application seasons have begun and careful
planning, with the advantage of the summer months, vastly improves the quality of your
applications. The Watson is an unusual opportunity, offering graduating seniors $25,000 for a
year of travel to pursue an independent nonacademic project. The Fulbright Scholarship is
supported by the U.S. government and offers students academic research opportunities in a
foreign country. Bard students have excelled in winning these prestigious awards, and we wish
this year’s applicants the best of luck. Other postgraduate opportunities can be found in the
Fellowship & Scholarship Guide available through the Dean of Studies, David Shein.
I look forward to the honor of presenting you to President Botstein at Commencement, when you
receive your degree. Welcome to your senior year!
Yours truly,
Rebecca Thomas
Dean of the College
Associate Professor of Computer Science
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THE BARD COLLEGE ALUMNI/AE ASSOCIATION*
Dear Senior,
Senior year always goes the fastest. It can be the best and the worst at the same time. We here
in the Alumni/ae Office wish you the best of luck and want you to know that we are here as your
official connection to Bard after graduation. The Bard College Alumni/ae Association is a club
of which you are automatically a member the day you graduate. You are joining over 12,000
alumni/ae worldwide, all of whom were where you are now, all of whom were fortunate enough
to have had the opportunity to experience a Bard education. Who else but another Bardian can
appreciate what it takes to do a Senior Project?
The mission of the Bard College Alumni/ae Association is to help alumni/ae maintain a
connection to each other and the College. You can find us most days at the Anne Cox Chambers
Alumni/ae Center busy making introductions, meeting students, planning events, and keeping
you informed about what is happening on and off campus. We are here to help new Bard
alumni/ae to feel part of a group that has experience and resources, and offers networks and
advice for those who ask.
After you leave Annandale you may want to make connections in the next place you are living or
want to find an alumnus/a who works in the field you are interested in. Upon graduation you
will gain access to AnnandaleOnline, our new dynamic social networking community that will
help you to find mentors and network for jobs within the alumni/ae community, keep in touch
with your classmates and much, much more.
As you get out in the world you will see that there are not very many places like Bard. As an
alumnus/a, we hope you will keep in touch with Bard and support the college and the current
students.
Yours sincerely,
Jane Brien ’89
Director of Alumni/ae Affairs
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Office of Alumni/ae Affairs Staff
Jane Brien ’89 – brien@bard.edu, Director of Alumni/ae Affairs
Anna Canzonetti ’84 - canzonet@bard.edu, Associate Director of Alumni/ae Affairs
Mollie Meikle ’03 – mmeikle@bard.edu, Assistant Director of Development, Alumni/ae
Programs
Jennifer Skura – jskura@bard.edu, Program Assistant
Events
Find more details on upcoming events and activities of the Bard College Alumni/ae Association
online at www.annandaleonline.org.
These are just a few of the events in the New York area and other communities where there is a
concentration of Bard alumni/ae:
Holiday Party in New York City in December. Usually over 400 alumni/ae, faculty, staff
and their guests converge in one place to toast the season and catch up with old friends and
professors.
Cities Party each spring in many cities across the country. Organized by the Young
Alumni/ae Committee, these events focus on gathering alumni/ae in various cities including
New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Chicago, Seattle, and
sometimes South Florida, Nashville and Austin.
Other events include barbecues and softball in Brooklyn, private tours of galleries and
museums, faculty seminars at the homes of alumni/ae, dance classes, alumni/ae bands
performance, alumni/ae film shows, and more.
Career Networking
Mentoring opportunities will be posted on the new alumni/ae community AnnandaleOnline.
Alumni/ae will be able to post their profiles and either offer to mentor someone or look for a
mentor themselves.
To search for or post jobs alumni/ae can use the www.collegecentral.com/bard website just as
students can. The Career Development Office is also available to alumni/ae as well as students.
http://www.bard.edu/cdo.
Staying Connected
The Bardian, the College's award-winning magazine, features alumni/ae programs and activities,
and class notes from the classes of the 1930s to last year. AnnandaleOnline will feature both
current and archived volumes of the Bardian.
The Alumni/ae website features information about alumni/ae events and programs. Alumni/ae
can advertise their own performances or exhibitions there by contacting the Alumni/ae Office.
Annandale Online will allow alumni/ae to upload photographs, write instant class notes, create
profiles, “friend” other alumni/ae, and more.
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The Office of Alumni/ae Affairs maintains a mailing list of all alumni/ae. Unless an alumnus/a
requests that their information be confidential, email addresses are available from the Online
Directory, which is open only to alumni/ae. If an alumnus/a wants to contact another alumnus/a
by snail mail, the Alumni/ae Office will forward a letter or card to the other alumnus/a. Bard
does not release contact information of any kind to non-alumni/ae.
So Don't Get Lost
When you leave, be sure to update your address. You can keep your address and e-mail updated
online or by calling 1-800-BARDCOL.
If the Office of Alumni/ae Affairs does not have your address and email, it cannot send you the
Bardian or The Annandale Triangle our monthly E.Newsletter. Don't be left out! You never
know what you’re missing.
Questions?
Need more information? Contact Jane Brien, Director of Alumni/ae Affairs, brien@bard.edu,
ext. 7406.
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GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
—from the Office of the Registrar
Candidates for a bachelor of arts degree from Bard must meet the following requirements:
Completion, by entering first-year students, of the two-semester First-Year Seminar: “Studies in
Human Experience.” A student who enters in the second semester of the first year must complete
that semester of the seminar. A student who transfers into the College as a sophomore or junior is
exempt from the course.
1. Completion, by entering first-year students, of the January Citizen Science Program. A student
who transfers into the College after the second semester of the first year is exempt from
the program.
2. Promotion to the Upper College through Moderation
3. Completion of the requirements of the program into which they moderate
4. Completion of the courses necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements. Semester hours of
academic credit:
• 124, for students who matriculated prior to the fall of 2011
• 128, for students who matriculated in or after the fall of 2011
• 160, for students in five-year, dual-degree programs (156, for Conservatory students
who enrolled before the fall of 2011)
At least 64 credits must be earned at the Annandale-on-Hudson campus of Bard College.
At least 40 credits must be outside the major division; the First-Year Seminar counts for
8 of the 40 credits.
5. Enrollment as full-time students for not less than two years at the Annandale-on-Hudson
campus of Bard College or at a program directly run by Bard College
6. Completion of an acceptable Senior Project
A student who fulfills the above Bard College requirements also fulfills the requirements of the
Regents of the University of the State of New York and of the New York State Education
Department.
All requirements for graduation must be met in order to be eligible to walk in the commencement
ceremonies. For more information, contact the Registrar’s Office at x7458 or
registrar@bard.edu.
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THE SENIOR YEAR – AN OVERVIEW
—from the Dean of Studies
The distinguishing feature of the senior year is, of course, the year-long Senior Project. Detailed
guidelines for writing and submitting the senior project are available elsewhere in this document
(see p 11); what follows are more general suggestions for approaching the senior year and
parceling out your energy over the course of these very exciting 9 months!
Planning the Senior Year
While Senior Project is the dominating element of the senior year, you do have other
responsibilities: you need to satisfy your college-wide and program-specific graduation
requirements (see page 7). Schedule a meeting with your adviser and either the Registrar or the
Dean of Studies before you register for Senior I classes to review your transcript and see what
requirements you have left.
If you have taken a standard (16 credit) course load in the six semesters of your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd
years, you will be able to take a regular course load (3 classes plus Senior Project) in your
Senior I semester and a reduced course load (2 classes plus Senior Project) in your final
semester. Many students do this in order to have more time and energy to focus on the second
part of Senior Project. If you enter the senior year with fewer credits, you’ll have less leeway, of
course, and if you enter with more credits you’ll have more leeway and may be able to be a parttime student for one or both semesters of the senior year. Being a part-time student is often
financially advantageous, but it can affect financial aid and so you’ll want to check with the
Financial Aid office before finalizing your registration. (Note that to be a part-time student you
must be billed for fewer than 10 credits per semester and that, while you earn 0 credits for Senior
Project in the first semester and 8 in the second, you are billed 4 credits per semester.)
Registering for Senior Project
In order to begin Senior Project you need to have moderated successfully into the program in
which you will complete your Senior Project and you need to have earned 92 credits. If you
have fewer than 92 credits, the registrar will contact you shortly after the start of term to review
your options. If you have a plan for making up incompletes, transferring in credits, or otherwise
getting to the 92-credit mark, you may be permitted to remain registered for Senior Project.
You will register for Senior Project just like you register for any other class that does not
participate in on-line registration: by asking the instructor to sign a registration card or drop/add
slip. The course number for the first semester of Senior Project is 401; the course number for the
second semester is 402. (The registrar will automatically place you in 402 if you have been
previously registered for 401.)
You are expected to register for two consecutive semesters of project. Students who wish to
complete Senior Project in non-consecutive semesters must request permission from the Faculty
Executive Committee.
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Selecting a Senior Project Adviser
Most students will ask their academic adviser to serve as their Senior Project adviser. You may
ask another faculty member to advise your project, so long as this person is in your academic
program. In some cases, the person with whom you plan to work is on sabbatical or leave of
absence for one of the two semesters of your senior year, in which case you may have one
adviser for the fall term and another one for the spring term.
Some academic programs assign Senior Project advisers to students in order to ensure that
advising loads are equally balanced among the program faculty. If you are in such a program
and there is a particular person with whom you want to work, be sure to approach that person
early – before the start of the senior year – and ask him/her to advise your project.
Above all else, make sure your Senior Project adviser is someone with whom you are
comfortable working. Project is an intense experience, with high points and low points, and you
want your adviser to be someone whom you will want to talk with even when (especially when!)
you are having trouble generating ideas or producing work. Select a Senior Project adviser in the
same way that you select an academic adviser: choose someone who talks when you need to
listen and who listens when you need to talk. This is at least as important as the adviser’s
knowledge of your intended topic: the adviser is there to guide you in your research but, more
profoundly, to guide you in the process of conceiving and completing a project that will serve as
the capstone of your study at Bard.
First semester of Senior Project
Treat your Senior Project as though it were a tutorial. This means that you should have regular,
weekly meetings with your adviser, at a set day and time. Avoid falling into the trap of
scheduling meetings week by week; it’s too easy for them to fall by the wayside. This is
important especially in the first weeks and months of the project, when you are figuring out what
exactly you will be developing your proposed project into. The process of meeting with and
talking with your adviser serves the same function as seminar meetings, where you work out
questions and answers and puzzle over texts with your instructor and classmates.
The work that is required in the first semester varies from program to program and from adviser
to adviser. As you would in a tutorial, work with your adviser at the beginning of the semester to
develop a schedule of writing or other assignments for the semester. Your plan should be to
have a substantive piece of work done by the end of the first semester, for your Midway review.
As you decide upon your topic, consult the holdings and reference sources of the library’s
collection, including the interlibrary loan system, Connect NY. The reference librarians can
direct you to printed and electronic materials in your subject area. Librarian Betsy Cawley offers
reference workshops to teach students how to use the library’s extensive databases, abstracts, and
indexes, as well as how to evaluate, access, and cite internet sources. Researching your project
should begin as soon as possible. If most of your research will involve material not in the Bard
collection, you should request a letter of introduction from the Stevenson Library to research at
other libraries.
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As you prepare your project, you will need to be familiar with the acceptable forms of thesis
writing. Helpful research materials and guidelines are also available on Stevenson Library’s
“Services for Seniors” page at: http://www.bard.edu/library/other/diy/seniorservices.htm, and the
website for the Bard Academic Resources Center: http://inside.bard.edu/academicresources
offers helpful writing and bibliographic guides.
Midway
Just as moderation takes place halfway through your studies at the college and provides you an
opportunity to reflect back and plan ahead, your Midway will allow you to reflect on your
progress to date and plan for the second semester. You will schedule a meeting with three faculty
members (your Senior Project adviser and two other faculty members, at least one of whom is
from your program of study) and have a discussion about the work you have done to date and
your plans moving forward. In advance of this meeting, you will provide your board members
with the work you have done on your Project; different programs have different expectations and
requirements, but plan to submit at least an outline of the project, a bibliography, and a sample
chapter. In the practicing arts, students may have a studio visit, perform or direct a piece or have
a concert.
Your Midway is an opportunity for you to share your work with faculty members other than your
adviser (with whom you will have been sharing work all semester), to ask questions about how
to approach particular issues that may have arisen over the course of the semester, and to plot a
course of study for the intersession and the next semester.
While the Midway takes place at the end of your first semester of Senior Project, it is not
intended to grade your performance as much as it is intended to provide you feedback on your
work. To this end, it is important to schedule your Midway for the end of the first semester of
Senior Project, even if (especially if!) you feel you are not ready for it. This will allow your
board members to give you advice for using the intersession productively.
Second semester of Senior Project
Continue to treat Senior Project as a tutorial—continue to meet weekly with your adviser and to
submit work regularly. Develop a schedule for submission of drafts of the project and keep to
this schedule. Your work may have taken a few new turns since your Midway and it may be
useful to show work to the other members of your board as well. This is perfectly appropriate,
though you should be sure that everyone involved knows with whom you are speaking so that
efforts and advice can be coordinated.
There is a temptation in the second half of Senior Project to ‘go it alone’ - to isolate yourself and
focus on the production on the final project. (Compare the relatively intense writing of the
second semester with the first semester, where the focus is on the process of brainstorming and
researching - a more obviously collaborative affair.) Resist this temptation: your adviser should
be as involved in your work in the second semester of Project as s/he was in the first semester.
Remember that your adviser expects to receive work from you that requires feedback, editing,
and revising; this is the adviser’s role in the collaboration that is the Senior Project.
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It’s not uncommon to find yourself ‘blocked’ as you start the second semester of Project: for
most students, the Senior Project is the largest and most intimidating academic project they have
undertaken in College, and it’s easy to let it take on mythic proportions, to get ‘psyched out’ by
the magnitude of the undertaking. Break it down into manageable parts: focus on one chapter or
stage at a time and remember that you have accomplished tasks of this length and intensity many
times during your years at the college. Also remember the wealth of resources available at the
college to help you: your adviser and other board members, the staff at BARC and the library,
and the Deans of Student Affairs and Dean of Studies.
Plan to have a complete draft of the Project done and in your adviser’s hands by spring break.
This will allow him/her time to read it through from beginning to end and to provide you with
comments before the submission deadline, which is approximately one month after spring break.
You should aim to have finished writing and revising two weeks before the submission deadline
so you can do final edits and have the project bound and prepared for submission.
Preparing and submitting the Senior Project
Senior Projects are due by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, May 4, 2016 (November 30, 2015 for
midyear graduates) and submitted at the senior table set up outside of Ludlow-Willink Hall (rain
plan: RKC lobby). You will need to bring two copies of your title page (see p 19) and four copies
of your Senior Project, three bound and one unbound. The three bound copies are for the faculty
on your board. (These copies can be printed on both sides of the page, as your board members
allow.) They will be checked in and then returned to you for delivery to the members of your
board. The unbound copy is the library copy, submitted in a 10”x13” manila envelope with your
name clearly printed on the outside. The pages should be loose; do not clip them together or bind
them in any way.
If you are a member of the Arts Division completing an installation, a film, a composition, or a
performance as a senior project, you should bring two copies of a title page (see p 19), a 1-2 page
synopsis of the project (an artist’s statement outlining what you did and what you were hoping to
accomplish), a program or invitation, if applicable, and a 10”x13” manila envelope with your
name clearly printed on the outside.
To bind your Project, you can either use black binders with built-in fasteners, available in the
College Bookstore or at most office supply stores, or you can have them professionally bound;
you can do this at any of the local copy centers (Staples or Copy Cat, for example) or at Bard’s
own Central Services.
All students completing Senior Projects are also expected to submit their projects online at
http://digitalcommons.bard.edu by the project submission deadline. Instructions to complete the
Submit Research Page and upload your project/statement are available at:
http://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2016/
• When you submit the hard copies of your Senior Project you should bring the
confirmation email you receive after you complete the online submission.
• Students in the Division of the Arts are also expected to complete the Submit Research
Page online at http://digitalcommons.bard.edu including the 1-2 page project synopsis or
artist’s statement. [This is the artist’s statement already required by your Program.]
Division of Arts students who are submitting media files representing their projects must
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also upload these as part of the process. ALL DIVISION OF ARTS STUDENTS MUST SUBMIT
AT LEAST THE REQUIRED ARTIST’S STATEMENT ONLINE.
Senior Project Day includes a celebratory festivity that marks the first in many senior events
leading up to Commencement.
After Submission
Some students feel a sense of emptiness after they have submitted the project. Others feel a sense
of elation. All feel a sense of relief; a major hurdle has been cleared and preparations are
underway for commencement weekend - receptions, rehearsals, dinners and parties. There is
more to do, however, before you march across that commencement stage. You need to finish
(and pass!) your other classes, which you may have neglected as the deadline for Project
submission got closer and your work on Project took up more of your time and energy, and you
still need to have a Senior Project Board.
In most cases, your Senior Project Board will involve the same faculty members with whom you
met at the end of the previous semester (in some cases, there will be slight changes if a particular
faculty member has gone on or come back from sabbatical or leave of absence). You will come
together to discuss the project (you will have given them bound copies of your project on Project
submission day and you should bring your own copy to the Board meeting), what worked in it
and what did not, what you would have done differently, etc.
Before the Senior Project Board commences, you will be asked whether you want to have the
Project graded on a letter basis or Pass/Fail. This is something to discuss with your adviser in
advance of the board; you cannot change your mind after the board has finished. Some programs
will let you know at the conclusion of the Board what grade you have earned (they will ask you
to leave the room while they discuss the matter); other programs will let you know only after all
of the seniors in the program have had their boards.
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PREPARING TO WRITE
- from the Bard Learning Commons
The following is adapted from “Elements of the Academic Essay” by Gordon Harvey, Harvard
University.
1. START BY FORMULATING YOUR THESIS. Not to be confused with a topic, which
represents only the subject area of an essay, a good thesis must be arguable, that is, you must be
able to advance your thesis and explain and refute counter arguments. What distinguishes a good
thesis from a fact that is clearly demonstrable in the text, or an observation (an interpretation so
obvious that no intelligent reader would challenge it), is its “arguability.” Although writers often
wish to delay announcement of the thesis, good academic writing generally states the thesis
explicitly on the first page, then returns to a more nuanced and complex form of it later in the
text.
2. OUTLINE THE PROBLEM OR QUESTION THAT UNDERLIES YOUR PROJECT.
That is, explain the intellectual context in which your thesis matters. In academic essays, the
problem usually arises from a current misunderstanding of an important issue. The author of an
essay promises to clarify something that would otherwise remain obscured or mistaken.
Establishing the problem or question is the primary role of an essay’s first few paragraphs. If it
doesn’t promise to illuminate, deepen, or solve a problem, an essay risks irrelevance.
3. EVIDENCE. A useful device at this stage of the writing is to give each chapter a title in the
form of a question. Each of these questions will be a chapter or chapter-section. If you have too
many questions, chapter sections are useful. If your guiding question has four subordinate
questions, and each of those subordinate questions has three subordinate questions, then you
have four chapters, each of which would have three sections. If you still have too many
questions, your project may be too broad. Work with your Senior Project adviser to refine it.
Your research on your topic will produce evidence that has been overlooked or previously
undiscovered that may serve to prove your thesis. Frequently, however, academic writers reexamine evidence that others have looked at before, in which case the evidence is more likely to
suggest or persuade readers that the writer’s approach is a fruitful one. Since a good thesis must
be arguable, academic writers are especially obligated to consider counterevidence, to grapple
directly with facts, patterns, or passages that resist or complicate the essay’s main argument.
Writers must orient readers to the sources of the evidence, which must be cited.
4. RESEARCH (AGAIN). You’ve done some research already in order to define your topic and
formulate questions. Now you want to go back to your research materials again, this time
searching for answers to the questions you have identified. The idea here is to gather material
that will allow you to address your questions, to consider different answers to them, to defend
one answer and reject others, etc. Keep careful notes and bibliographic citations. Make certain
that your photocopies are complete and clean, that your bibliographic information is complete,
and that you note page numbers for quotes. You don’t want to waste time and energy going back
and finding sources you’ve found once already, and you don’t want to confuse your authors’
words and ideas with each other’s or with your own.
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Now That You’re Ready to Start Writing
5. INTRODUCTION. Your introduction—which you may want to write after you have drafted
your chapters—literally introduces your thesis to the reader. It should be long enough to give the
reader some context for your argument and include summaries of the argument outlined in each
chapter and how each chapter relates to the thesis.
6. CHAPTERS. Each chapter should be able to stand alone as a short(er) paper on the question
that guides that chapter. Since a thesis must be arguable, no evidence in a good academic
argument can speak for itself—all of it must be processed by the writer. Typical strategies of
analysis are to highlight significant details of the evidence and to name patterns that might
otherwise be undetected. When working with written evidence, it’s good to observe the rule of
two: the writer should supply at least two words of analysis for every word of a citation, and
usually more.
Analysis generally refers directly to the evidence, while reflection builds upon analysis to
support larger claims. Other strategies that indicate reflection are: consideration of a
counterargument, definitions or refinements of terms and assumptions, and qualification of
previous claims. Reflection is important throughout an essay, but should be especially rich
and full in between sections of the argument and in the essay’s conclusion.
You might think of each chapter as a mini-project. (When you’re feeling overwhelmed by the
idea of writing a complete project, remember this—if your outline calls for four chapters, you’re
essentially writing four essays.) That said, be sure to remind the reader at the beginning of each
chapter how it connects to what came in the chapter before, that is, how it connects to the
guiding question. This will help ensure that the reader follows the overall argument of the project
from the beginning to end. Be sure to employ transitions in your writing: connect one paragraph
to another, one section to another, and one chapter to another.
College essays are frequently organized either by repletion (where each paragraph develops
evidence of the same proposition: “X is clearly present”) or by chronology (where evidence
appears in the essay in the same order that it appears in the text): both of these patterns are
inadequate. Sections of a good argument proceed in a logical way, but also develop the
implications of a thesis more deeply as the essay progresses. The reader should understand how
each new section extends the argument that’s come before and prepares the reader for the
argument that’s still to come. Reflective sentences at moments of transition often guide this
review/preview, and complex essays frequently include one to two reflective sentences in their
introductions or at moments of transition between paragraphs and chapters.
7. CONCLUSION. The conclusion should not simply restate the argument (though it does that,
too), nor should it recapitulate the introduction. Rather, the conclusion should remind the reader
of what you were trying to do in the project and how each of the chapters constructed your
argument. A conclusion should also register caveats, exceptions, and other relevant points that
qualify the project’s accomplishments.
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Now That You’re Done Writing
8. REVISE AND PROOFREAD. You have put a lot of time into this project, and while you
want to be done with it and hand it in, you want the finished project to reflect all the energy and
care you have invested. Do not turn in a paper that hasn’t been carefully vetted for
argumentative, compositional, and mechanical and grammatical errors. (Failing to proofread
might lead your board to ask you to go back and revise it after you’ve handed it in. Nothing feels
worse than walking out of your board knowing that you’re still not done.) Go over the paper
three times. The first time, check for grammatical and mechanical errors, including spelling
mistakes (computerized spellcheckers are unreliable). The second time, check to see if your
sentences are as clear as they should be and excise clichés, slang, and vague phrases or jargon.
Finally, ask yourself if you’ve said everything you want to say. Are your arguments well
formed? Have you communicated clearly the role of each chapter in the overall project? Don’t be
afraid to change what you have written: move things around, delete things, add things, and revise
wherever you see an opportunity for improvement. (Don’t forget, however, to recheck grammar,
spelling, and especially transitions.) Good proofreading takes time and involves revision. A few
tips: (i) give yourself as much time as possible between writing and proofreading; the longer you
wait, the better job you will do; (ii) have a friend (roommate, tutor, etc.) proofread the paper for
you; (iii) read the paper aloud.
Questions?
For more information, contact the Bard Learning Commons at lc@bard.edu or call x7812. Visit
their website at: www.bard.edu/learningcommons/.
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Bard College Library Bibliography of Writing Handbooks and Style Manuals:
Ref. BF 76.7 .A43 1994 American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association. Washington, D.C., American Psychological Association,
1994.
Ref. Z253 .U69 1993 Chicago Manual of Style, 14th edition. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 1993.
Ref. T11 S386 1994 Council of Biology Editors. Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Style
Manual. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Ref. T 11 D33 1998 Day, Robert A. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 5th edition.
Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998.
Ref. LB 2369 .G53 Modern Language Association. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research
Papers. New York: Modern Language Association, 1995.
Ref. PN 147 G444 Modern Language Association. MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly
Publishing. New York: Modern Language Association, 1998.
Ref. PE 1408 .S772 2000 Strunk, William S., and White, E. B. The Elements of Style. Boston:
Allyn & Bacon, 2000.
Ref. LB 2369 .T8 1996 Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and
Dissertations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Online Resources:
• Bard Academic Resources Center: inside.bard.edu/academicresources
• Bard libraries: www.bard.edu/library/index.htm
• Bard Senior-Year Experience: inside.bard.edu/doso/senioryear
• Dean of the College: inside.bard.edu/doc/students
Citations and Bibliographic Guides:
• NoodleBib: Generate, edit, and publish an MLA works cited list or APA references list that
complies with the rules of the current MLA Handbook and APA Publication Manual. To use
NoodleBib, you must first create a personal folder. Click on the New User link and follow
the instructions.
http://www.noodletools.com/login.php?
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•RefWorks: An online research management, writing and collaboration tool designed to help
researchers easily gather, manage, store and share all types of information, as well as generate
citations and bibliographies. Click on Sign up for an Individual Account and follow the instructions.
http://www.refworks.com/Refworks/login.asp?WNCLang=false
• APA Guide to Citations
www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/apa.html
• MLA Guide to Citations
www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/mla.html
• “Columbia Online Style: MLA-Style Citations of Electronic Sources,” Walker, Janice R.Vers.
1.2, Rev. Nov. 1997. (5 June 1998).
www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/idx_basic.html
• Academic Honesty Self-Test and Guides to Citation Styles
Online Research:
• The Internet Public Library’s E-Resources
An exhaustive list of links to online reference works
www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/ref00.00.00
• Stevenson Library’s Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
http://www.bard.edu/library/search/dictionaries.htm
• Online!
A reference guide to using Internet sources
www.bedfordstmartins.com/online
• International Public Library
Links to newspapers worldwide
www.ipl.org/div/news
Grammar Help:
• The American Heritage Book of English Usage
www.bartleby.com/64
• Diana Hacker’s Book Companions Extensive Electronic Writing/Grammar Exercises
www.dianahacker.com/student.html
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Writing Academic Papers:
• Electronic writing assistance, including sections on the various stages, types and style/grammar
of writing
thuban.ac.hmc.edu/www_common/writing/centweb/centstu.html
• Writing Better: A Handbook for Amherst Students
www.amherst.edu/~writing/writingbetter
• Harvard University’s Twenty Tips for Senior Thesis Writers and Worksheets for Senior Thesis
Writers
http://bsc.harvard.edu/PDFs/20_Tips.pdf
Rules of Thumb for Proper Citation:
• Talk with your Senior Project adviser about preferred citation format.
• Consult bibliography and footnote sections of periodicals in your discipline.
• Be consistent, whichever citation format you choose.
Questions?
Need more information? Contact the Bard Learning Commons at lc@bard.edu or call x7812.
Visit their website at: www.bard.edu/learningcommons/.
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SAMPLE TITLE PAGE
Indonesian Vernacular Architecture:
Of Home, Body, and the Universe
Senior Project submitted to
Division of Social Studies
of Bard College
by
Miya Buxton
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
May 2016
19
APPLYING TO GRADUATE OR PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL
—from the Career Development Office
The Career Development Office (CDO) offers programming and resources that support graduate
and professional school inquiry, while Bard’s academic programs and academic advisers provide
one-on-one graduate school advising. Your first conversation about graduate school should start
with your academic adviser. For the specific fields of law and the health professions you may
want to consult with:
Roger Berkowitz, Associate Professor of Political Studies and Human Rights and Pre-law
Adviser (berkowit@bard.edu; x7413; Seymour 102).
Frank Scalzo, Associate Professor of Psychology and Health Professions Adviser,
(scalzo@bard.edu; x7222; Preston 101).
Professors Berkowitz and Scalzo each hosts a listserv for students in their respective advising
areas. If you are interested in being included in a pre-law or health professions listserv, please
contact them.
CDO sponsors several graduate and professional school information sessions in the fall.
A complete calendar of upcoming events can be found at
www.collegecentral.com/bard/student.cfm under Upcoming Events & Programs.
Some of the graduate and professional school related events include: Kaplan Free Graduate and
Professional School Practice Tests, Pre-Law Information Session, Teaching Fair (Teaching
Opportunities & Graduate Programs), International Graduate School Consortium (including
Tufts, Princeton, Georgetown, Columbia, and John Hopkins), and Simon Graduate School of
Business, University of Rochester Information Session.
CDO encourages you to speak with your professors about programs you may be interested in and
request letters of recommendation early, even if you do not intend to apply to graduate or
professional school right away. The Career Development Office will keep these letters on file for
you in our Credential File Service, should you need them in the future. Consult the CDO website
at http://inside.bard.edu/career for information about the Credential File Service, the GRE,
LSAT, and MCAT exams, and more.
These questions may assist your thinking about graduate and professional school:
• Are you able to articulate your reasons for applying to graduate or professional school?
• Are your scholarly interests already well defined, or are they still fairly broad?
• What kind of research have you conducted so far into graduate programs in your field?
• Have you consulted with Bard faculty in your area of interest?
• Have you defined a set of criteria to evaluate individual programs?
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• Have you visited program websites or used Peterson’s Graduate & Professional Programs
guide or another resource to learn about graduate programs in your field?
• Are you familiar with faculty teaching in any of these programs, and do their research interests
intersect with your own?
• What do you want to convey about your academic background, interests, and goals in your
personal essay?
If you are in the initial phase of thinking about graduate and professional school, and are not yet
ready or able to answer the questions above, you may need more information about graduate
school expectations generally, about differences between master’s and doctoral programs, and
about the kinds of professional opportunities that are available with a particular advanced degree
or certification. These types of questions may be directed to faculty and to graduate school
recruiters working at the schools you are considering. Please remember that recruiters are
interested in talking with you about their programs, so you should never hesitate to contact them
with questions about their schools, their requirements or career possibilities following the
graduate degree. You can find contact information for admission recruiters at their respective
graduate school websites.
www.graduateschools.com “is a free website that will help you find your ideal graduate program
and offer advice on every step of the graduate school process.” CDO highly recommends this
website as an excellent resource to search for schools and to learn about programs.
Questions?
Need more information? Contact: April Elisabeth Giglio, Director, Career Development Office,
cdo@bard.edu, x7177, Campus Center 201.
21
ORDERING A TRANSCRIPT
—from the Office of the Registrar
Whether you are applying for graduate school or a graduate fellowship, you’ll need to arrange
for copies of your transcripts to be sent from the Registrar’s Office. Please note that transcripts
of student records must be requested in person or in writing because the registrar must have a
signed release. Accordingly, faxed requests are acceptable, but e-mailed requests are not.
If filing a request in person, you can fill out the transcript request in the Registrar's Office,
Ludlow 201.
Written requests may be submitted by completing a Transcript Request Form or mailing or
faxing a letter to the Registrar's Office.
YOUR REQUEST MUST CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
• Full name
• Student ID number
• Telephone number, or e-mail address
• Dates of attendance or year of graduation
• Address(es) to which the transcripts are to be mailed
• Student signature
• Fee per copy payable by check or money order
SERVICES AND FEES
Fee: $3.00 per copy, payable to Bard College
Processing time: usually within seven days
PLEASE NOTE
Transcripts will not be issued to anyone who has not met their financial obligations to the
College. No transcripts will be released except upon the written authorization of the student.
Send to:
Office of the Registrar
Bard College
P.O. Box 5000
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504
22
NEXT STEPS: POSTGRADUATION CAREER PLANS
—from the Career Development Office
During your last academic year at Bard you will have plenty of time to develop your post graduation
plans if you start in the fall and schedule an appointment in the Career Development Office (CDO) with
Elisabeth Giglio, the designated senior career adviser and CDO director. Please email cdo@bard.edu or
call 758-7539 to schedule an appointment with her to discuss your career possibilities and job search
plans.
The Bard Basic Job Guide is downloadable at www.bard.edu/cdo/. This publication contains sample
resumes, cover letters, and important tips for your job search. Before meeting with April please try to
write a draft of your resume to take with you when you meet with her.
The timetable for starting your job search depends upon the field you want to enter, the type of position
you desire, and when you hope to start work. Most of you will find that starting your job search shortly
after submitting your Senior Project is an appropriate time to look for a job, if you are ready to start work
in the summer. On average, once an employer advertises a job, it takes at least a few months to fill an
entry-level position for a recent college graduate. Keep in mind that government jobs, teaching
opportunities in independent schools, and business and financial positions may have application deadlines
as early as the fall. Postgraduate paid internships at prestigious organizations are competitive and also
have early deadlines. Make sure you are aware of deadlines, if you are considering these employment
fields.
The job search requires focus, commitment, a positive attitude, an ability to articulate clearly the type of
position you want, and the inclination to connect with people and tell them about your career goals. Being
able to describe the type of work you are looking for, including job titles is very important in your job
search. For example, “I just graduated from Bard College and I am looking for an entry-level position in a
nonprofit arts organization as an administrative assistant or coordinator of projects or programs.” People
can better help you in your job search if you are able to express to them a succinct goal. The clearer you
are about what you would like to do, the more likely you are to be successful in getting a job that suits
you and sustains your passion and interest. CDO can help you identify and state your career goals, as well
as coach you through your job search. Networking, although very important to your job search, is only
one way to discover job opportunities. Don’t underestimate the effectiveness of applying for jobs
posted at websites and in the newspaper classifieds of your future hometown. CDO subscribes to a
number of websites that post jobs in specific fields. You can pick up this list of resources in our office as
well as Bard tailored web sheets for particular professions. We hope you will utilize all of our resources.
CDO offers two Bard specific websites:
www.collegecentral.com/bard discover Bard friendly employers with leads to jobs, internships, and
volunteer opportunities, as well as CDO’s online calendar.
www.bard.edu/cdo find the Bard Basic Job Guide with sample resumes, the Vault Online Career Library,
and more.
We hope you will use CDO to support you in your job search during your senior year.
Drop by our office at Campus Center 201 or email cdo@bard.edu to schedule an appointment.
Questions?
Need more information? Contact: Elisabeth Giglio, Director, Career Development Office,
cdo@bard.edu, x7177, Campus Center 201.
23
COMMENCEMENT 2016
—from the Office of Special Events
Mark the date and time! Commencement will be on Saturday, May 28, 2016, at 2:30 p.m. in the
Commencement Tent on Seth Goldfine Memorial Field.
Details will be posted at www.annandaleonline.org as they become available. Check out the
2016 Commencement website for more information regarding the moving traditions that make
Bard’s graduation unique.
Since area accommodations fill quickly, it is not too early to make your family’s hotel or bedand-breakfast reservations. Make them as soon as possible. A list of area hotels, motels, and bedand-breakfast establishments is available at: www.bard.edu/visiting/accommodations/.
Invitations (or announcements) will be available to seniors starting in March. Around that time
both you and your family should receive information about weekend events and meals.
Highlights for the weekend include a senior concert on Friday evening of student compositions
performed by the American Symphony Orchestra, and the President’s Breakfast and Senior
Project Panel on Saturday morning. After Commencement, a reception for the graduating class is
followed by a barbeque with music, dancing, and fireworks. The barbeque is a major event for
the Bard community, bringing together new graduates and their families with alumni/ae
attending reunions, faculty, and staff.
During the spring you will receive information about caps and gowns, baccalaureate, the Senior
Dinner, and other events during your Commencement Weekend. Information will also be posted
on the Senior-Year Experience website, www.bard.edu/dosa/senioryear/. The Commencement
speaker is usually announced just a week or so before Commencement.
Questions?
Need more information? Contact events@bard.edueor x7867.
24
THE SENIOR-YEAR EXPERIENCE WEBSITE
What are your needs for the senior year? This helpful resource provides links that can answer
your questions and concerns, from Senior Project to budget management. Visit
www.bard.edu/dosa/senioryear for:
• Important Dates to Remember
• The Senior Guide: A letter from Rebecca Thomas, Dean of the College, with a link to the pdf
version of the Senior Guide.
• Everything you need to know to prepare for Commencement: Links to information about
caps and gowns, invitations, accommodations for guests, meal tickets, and a detailed schedule of
events during Commencement Weekend.
• Your Guide to Senior Year: Contains links to the following resources:
—Graduation Requirements (just to make sure you have fulfilled them!)
—Writing the Senior Project (a helpful step-by-step guide to how to proceed from first draft to
final revision)
—Senior Project Preparation and Presentation (what it should look like and what to do with it)
—Campus Resources (phone numbers for all the lovely and helpful people on campus)
• Leaving Bard: It is sad, but imminent. Contains links to:
—Personal Finances (some sound advice about money in the real world)
—Moving to a New City (some advice on what to consider when moving to a new place)
• Graduate School, Fellowships, and Job Resources:
—Applying to a Graduate or Professional School (advice from Career Development)
—Ordering a Transcript (how-to from the Registrar)
—Applying for Fellowships or Scholarships (information about possibilities from David Shein,
Dean of Studies)
—Next Steps: Postgraduation Career Plans (more advice, and a timeline from those helpful
people at Career Development—you should visit them at Campus Center 201)
• The Alumni Association: Staying involved after Bard.
• Resources: Helpful links for managing senior year stress.
• Senior Class Representatives: A list of your senior class reps.
25
CAMPUS RESOURCES
OFFICE OF THE DEAN OF THE COLLEGE
Rebecca Thomas, Dean of the College 7421
Mark Halsey, Associate Dean of the College 2336
Nicholas Lewis, Assistant Dean of the College/Community Life Chaplain 4775
DEAN OF STUDIES
David Shein, Dean of Studies 7045
Jennifer Triplett, Director of Academic Advising 7365
Dorothy Albertini ‘02, Academic Advising Associate 7436
Jane Duffstein, Director of Opportunity Programs 7492
OFFICE OF STUDENT AFFAIRS
Mary Backlund, Vice President for Student Affairs 7472
Erin Cannan, Dean of Student Affairs/Assoc. Director, The Center for Civic Engagement 7453
Paul Marienthal, Dean for Social Action/Director, Trustee Leader Scholar Program 7056
Bethany Nohlgren, Dean of Students 7292
Mary Ann Krisa, Assistant Dean of Students/Director, First-Year Experience 7318
Timand Bates ‘02, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs/Director, Sophomore-Year Exp. 7031
Julie Duffstein, Assistant Dean of Students/Director, Student Activities and Bertelsmann
Campus Center 7099
THE LEARNING COMMONS
Jim Keller, Director of The Learning Commons
Jane Smith, Assistant Director of The Learning Commons
Phil Pardi, Director of College Writing 7051
Maria Belk, Director of Quantitative Literacy 7811
Amy Shein, Disability Support Coordinator 7532
CAREER DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
Elisabeth Giglio, Director of Career Development 7177
Sarah Drabick, Assistant Director of Career Development 7137
Maureen Aurigemma, Career Adviser 7189
OFFICE OF INFORMATION SERVICES
Henderson Computer Resource Center Help Desk 7500
Jeff Katz, Dean of Information Systems/Director of Libraries 7501
OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR
Peter Gadsby, Registrar/Associate VP for Enrollment 7457
Diane Smith, Associate Registrar 7459
Mary Ann Barrows, Assistant Registrar 7307
Brenda Bassett, Assistant to the Registrar 7695
Nicole van Zutphen, Transcript Clerk 7458
26
OFFICE OF RESIDENCE LIFE
Ashley Boltrushek, Director of Residence Life 7699
Nancy Smith, Director of Housing 4931
Jodi Andersen, Area Coordinator 7455
Kolrick Greathouse, Area Coordinator 7455
Jordan Bolte, Area Coordinator 7455
OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI/AE AFFAIRS
Debra Pemstein, Vice President of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs 7405
Amy Husten, Director of Development 7505
Jane Brien ‘89, Director of Alumni/ae Affairs 7406
Sasha Boak-Kelly, Director of Bard College Fund 7407
Linda Baldwin, Special Events Manager 7414
SECURITY
Ken Cooper, Director of Security 7461
Don Lown, Assistant Director of Security 7462
ATHLETICS
Kris Hall, Director of Athletics and Recreation 7528
Jim Sheahan, Director of Athletic Communications & Marketing
Bill Kelly, Director of Recruiting
Adam Turner ’06, Assistant Director/SAAC Advisor
Alex Stone, Assistant Director/Facilities
CHAPLAINCY
TBD, Chaplain of the College 7438
Imam Iskandar Atajanow, Muslim Chaplain 7279
Joseph Mali, Catholic Chaplain 7438
Rabbi David Nelson, Jewish Chaplain 7544
Nicholas Lewis, Community Life Chaplain 4775
Tatjana von Prittwitz und Gaffron, Associate Buddhist Chaplain 4619
COUNSELING CENTER
Tamara Telberg, LCSWR, Director of Counseling Services 7433
Jennifer White, LCSW, Assistant Director of Counseling Services 7433
Laura MacDonald, PsyD, Staff Counselor 7433
Rebecca Stacy, LCSW, Director of BRAVE 7557
Larry Cerecedes, Staff Counselor 7433
HEALTH SERVICES
Barbara-Jean Briskey, FNP, Director of Student Health Service 7433
Jennifer Barresi, FNP, Nurse Practitioner 7433
Andrea Provan, FNP, Nurse Practitioner 7433
Peggy Mantey, RN, Registered Nurse 7433
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STUDENT ACCOUNTS/FINANCIAL AID
Gwen Menshenfriend, Bursar 7520
Denise Ackerman, Director of Financial Aid 7625
28