On choosing Marlboro

When I first applied to college I applied primarily to music schools, thinking that that's all I wanted to study for the next four years. Sometime in the spring of my senior year I realized that I did not want to be limited to only musical pursuits in my undergraduate education. I decided to take a year off before school, and chose to move into Philadelphia and work with an Americorps program called City Year. In the course of that year, I figured out that what I really wanted was to be able to direct my own educational path and not set myself on a track someone else had created. I visited Marlboro the next spring and it just fit.

On false preconceptions

I was a little nervous that people here would be so into the idea of the independent, somewhat free-spirited community that the focus on academics wouldn't be the priority-but I turned out to be completely wrong. It's actually the complete opposite of my original fear; the community is based around this idea that our studies are not independent of our community life, but integral to it. Each person's academic path helps them contribute not only intellectually, but culturally as well, whether it's through meal-time discussions of plan work, student productions or the addition of some kind of installation on campus.

On the academic program

The academics are rigorous. You can't hide in the back of the class, or only show up to take the exams; bystanders don't seem to survive here. It's about showing up to class armed with not only the reading but your ideas about the reading and how they connect to the larger themes you're exploring. Every faculty member I've worked with has been passionate about their classes and always makes time for their students, which is a really helpful support system for an academic program with as few boundaries as this one.

On getting outside

One of the main reasons I chose Marlboro was because of its location in the mountains. I lived in center city Philadelphia before I moved up here and was dying to get out of the city and go camping and hiking and learn how to ski. Lucky for me, there's plenty of that here. I'm grateful that the Outdoor Program has allowed me to do things I never would have pictured myself doing, and to learn about these things from my friends and fellow students. This summer, I've also spent some time on the farm, which has been so great. It constantly amazes me what we can teach each other here, from lighting a camp stove to rolling a kayak to planting kale and carrots. I'd barely gardened before coming down to the farm, but I've since learned a lot about soil nutrients and plant families, as well as eaten some really great home-grown, organic veggies that I helped grow.

On creating social situations

I think that, just like anything else at Marlboro, you have to sort of take the bull by the horns and create the kind of social situations you want to be in. As everyone will tell you, it's really small, which means that you will become really close to the people you spend a lot of time with.

On advice for prospective students

Have a firm grasp on how you learn and the environments in which you thrive, because those are the tools that are going to allow you to succeed here.

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