#radically traditional

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S ! ! ! ! glad to hear you could be joining us next year!!

firstly, it’s important to understand that the experience of being at marlboro is largely what you make it. we have an incredible amount of freedom on this campus (for better or worse) and are able to create clubs, events, etc., pretty much at our own discretion. because the student body is so small, there is a lot of personalization that goes on: the atmosphere, mood, goals, and overall feeling of the student body changes slightly every year because the people who lend themselves to the community change slightly every year. this is a very tight-knit community, so everyone knows everyone (within reason) and i’ve found that even people who end up realizing that marlboro isn’t for them find that the friendships they make at marlboro are some of the strongest and deepest they’ve ever had. 

however!! such a small community can lend itself to some really shitty times, also. it’s hard to leave campus because it’s so rural, so people end up feeling pretty cagey during the winter, and that can lead to some “”drama”” i suppose .. also break-ups really suck here ha ha because it’s \ very // hard to avoid seeing/running into people

but interpersonal stuff aside, marlboro has a weird phenomenon (& others who contribute to this blog can chime in if u want) where things seem to happen all at once to everyone, so there’s often a two-or-so week stretch mid-semester where everyone feels really shitty 

but……..solidarity and weird wild parties help that :^)

as for classroom environments, i personally have never enjoyed school as much as i do at marlboro. a class that’s considered “big” here is like 10+ people, and on average i’d say there’s five or six. last semester i was in a lit class that had like 16 people and it was very unusual and honestly a lil overwhelming. the professors are incredible, and want very much to work with you to pursue your passions and help you become a better writer, learner, and critical thinker. if you decide to come to marlboro (which i hope you do!!!) be prepared to work really, really hard. academics at this school are really rigorous. you need to pass a writing requirement within your first three semesters to be able to continue on the upperclassman Plan work. this sounds really intimidating, but like i said, the professors WANT you to be here, and WANT you to be the best student you can be. 

the work that you do here is really tied into what kind of person ends up finishing their time up at marlboro. i’m not going to sugarcoat the really absurd rate of attrition at this school (admittedly, a lot of it is cost-related, but the second biggest reason for students dropping out is academics) but it is by no means impossible, not at all. to be a marlboro student you need to have curiosity, passion, and drive. 

(it also helps if u were kinda weird in high school but u didn’t hear it frm me)

we have Lots of strong program, unless you are coming here for a football scholarship. nobody plays footbal, beceause what if you eat the snow accidentally? That would be bad, and hard on your stomach probably too, becaues there’s dirt under the snow banks I heard. That’s just a rumor, though.