The First Year

All first-year students participate in a common curriculum.
The first-year curriculum is comprised of the Language and Thinking Program, First-Year Seminar, and elective courses.

The Language and Thinking Program

  • About the Program
    The Language and Thinking (L&T) Program is an intensive introduction to the liberal arts and sciences with a particular focus on writing.
    All new students attend L&T during the last three weeks of August. Students read extensively, work on a variety of projects in writing and other formats, and meet throughout the day in small groups and in one-on-one conferences with faculty. Satisfactory completion of the program is required for matriculation into the College. 
  • The work aims to ­cultivate habits of thoughtful reading and discussion, clear articulation, accurate self-critique, and productive collaboration. 
    Learn More on the L&T Website →
First-Year Seminar

First-Year Seminar

The First-Year Seminar (FYSEM) is a two-semester course taken by all Bard students. 
The FYSEM introduces seminal intellectual, cultural, and artistic ideas in a historical context, fostering a basis of shared conversation among first-year students. Through close readings of challenging texts, respectful and inclusive dialogue, and the development of an academic voice through writing, first-year students build foundational skills for success. Class discussions and frequent writing assignments develop precise, analytical thinking, while core texts address a specific yearly theme. Recent themes include “What Is Freedom? Dialogues Ancient and Modern” and “What Is Enlightenment? The Science, Culture, and Politics of Reason.” 

Learn More on the FYSEM Website →

First-Year Programs

  • First-Year Advising
    All first-year students are assigned an academic adviser, with whom they meet at strategic points during each semester. The advising system helps students begin the process of selecting a major, meet program requirements, prepare for professional study, and support other activities or interests outside of college.
  • First-Year Electives
    Electives allow students to explore fields in which they know they are interested and to experiment with unfamiliar areas of study. Students select three elective courses in each semester of the first year (the fourth course is the First-Year Seminar).

    Explore the Course List
Begin in Berlin

Begin in Berlin

Entering students may spend their first year at Bard’s campus in Berlin, Germany, joining a global student body of 260 from more than 60 countries. Begin in Berlin students take Language and Thinking and the first-year core sequence at Bard College Berlin, and may choose electives in academic areas including German language, practicing and performing arts, social studies, literature, art history, aesthetics, philosophy, and social engagement—many of which use the city as a classroom. All credits transfer automatically to Annandale.
Begin in Berlin Website →

Academic Resources