Academic Advising and Support

Advising is a vital aspect of Bennington’s planning process: all students are assigned a faculty advisor throughout their time at Bennington. First-year and transfer students also participate in peer mentor groups, and writing tutors are available for those students who would like to strengthen their writing skills.

Faculty Advising

Faculty advising is central to Bennington’s academic structure. Every student is assigned a faculty advisor with whom s/he meets continually throughout his/her time at Bennington as the student’s Plan deepens and develops. Advisors often meet with students in both one-on-one conversations and in small groups.

Serving as an advisor is a significant part of every faculty member’s work. As advisors, the faculty are both mentors and guides. They oversee the unfolding of the Plan Process by helping students discover their distinctive intellectual passions and figure out how these interests might shape an education of depth, breadth, and rigor.

First-Year Advisors

Each entering student is assigned a first-year advisor, who offers support and guidance during the transition to college life. Students and advisors begin corresponding over the summer, when advisors help new students register for classes and prepare for the academic year. As the year progresses, first-year advisors provide ongoing support to students in their academic, social, and personal development through a combination of individual meetings, skill-building workshops, and social events. In concert with faculty advisors, first-year advisors help students develop the habits of mind that contribute to success in the Plan Process, providing structured opportunities to reflect upon and synthesize the various aspects of their academic experience.

Peer Mentoring

Peer mentors are undergraduate students who help first-year and transfer students with their academic adjustment to Bennington and transition to life at the College. All new students meet in small groups with peer mentors, who supplement faculty advising, offering an additional perspective: that of fellow students who are active in the campus community and have already gained experience in charting the course of their own educations.

Peer Writing Tutors

No one graduates from Bennington who has not surmounted the challenge of being able to convey their ideas and their experiences in writing. In addition to the papers and projects they write for class, students articulate their goals and plans throughout the Plan Process in a series of written essays. Student tutors are available to work with students at all levels, and in all disciplines, who want or need help developing their writing or research skills.