Please enjoy our second edition of our counselor newsletter.  Share as you see fit.  Colleagues may sign up for future newsletters on our Counselor Page. 

As Barnard prepares to celebrate its 125th Anniversary over the course of the next academic year, we will be celebrating the founding of our College and its rich history.  Barnard was recently the subject of a documentary in WNET's Treasures of New York series.  Hosted by alumna and award-winning actress Cynthia Nixon '88, the episode brings to life Barnard's mission of educating the next generation of women leaders, and features interviews with a range of students, faculty, and alumnae.  The documentary premiered on New York's public television station on Sunday, May 4 at 6:00 P.M. on WLIW 21 (Scroll down, via the link above, to "full episodes" to see beyond the preview.)

Exciting voices have been shaping the discussions at Barnard.  Among them are the distinguished scholars, activists, and artists who have joined our campus as fellows, teachers and guest lecturers.  During the past year, we were thrilled to have Nobel Laureate and Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee as our Distinguished Fellow in Social Justice. 

This fall, Twyla Tharp ‘63 will join Barnard as a Distinguished Guest Artist and Jennifer Finney Boylan will join the College’s English faculty as the inaugural Anna Quindlen Writer-in-Residence.  Add these to the voices of other distinguished faculty, panel discussions, diverse student perspectives and the year ahead should prove very exciting indeed.

We are very proud to cite some very important acknowledgments of our Financial Aid program.  While last year, Barnard was recognized among the elite colleges with highest enrollment of low-income students, this year US News & World Report ranked Barnard among the “Most Generous” schools and the College’s financial-aid advising program had previously received national recognition in a Time magazine article about student debt.  

What should you know about our financial aid policies? About half of our students are receiving aid. We have no merit, athletic, or talent scholarships. All of our funding for aid is focused on meeting the demonstrated financial need of students in order to make a Barnard education more affordable. Barnard is need-blind in our review of applications from U.S. citizens and permanent residents. When considering the applications of international citizens, Barnard is need aware, with a limited amount of funding.  For both populations, we meet full demonstrated need.

Some of the most important factors in financial aid application review include:  1) meeting our published deadlines, 2) providing full and accurate information, and 3) honesty about the family’s financial picture.  Encourage your families to use our Net Price Calculator for a preliminary idea of cost.  Remember, the NPC is only as accurate as the information entered.  In general, calculators like this are not “smart” tools—they are often challenged by unusual or non-traditional circumstances such as business ownership, international finances, and complicated finances.  Families should contact financial aid offices for questions about how we would consider these factors.

At Barnard, each staff member is assigned to a geographic region, distributed both to develop regional knowledge and continuity and to ensure application reading volume remains manageable.  Above all, we try to encourage the understanding of regional context, which we consider central to a holistic review process.  If you haven't met your regional counselor, feel free to reach out to her with questions about Barnard or your applicants.  She would be happy to make your acquaintance.  Contact us.

Barnard is currently accepting nominations and applications for Barnard Bound, a fall preview program for students who self-identify as students of color, especially those who may not be able to afford to visit.  Our application deadline is Friday, June 13, 2014.  Barnard Bound will take place from Saturday, October 11 – Sunday, October 12, 2014 and those students in attendance will continue to be our guests through our Fall Open House Program on Monday, October 13, 2014.

If you’ve nominated students for this program before, there’s been a change to our deadline from early fall to early summer.  We have changed the deadline to accommodate the increase in applications we have seen over the past two years to allow ample reading time as well as more lead time on making flight and train arrangements.   We hope you can help us find intellectually curious students who would be a great for our community and benefit from the mentorship and support that Barnard provides.