Life after Bennington

Course Description

Summary

This course will feature presentations and conversations with Bennington alumni with the purpose of providing guidance to current students about how to leverage their own experience in designing their education to the next step in their growth: designing a career. The skills and capacities that undergird the Bennington approach to liberal arts are intended to also help students secure and thrive in rewarding professional careers. As with an educational plan, the freedom to design one’s career path can be daunting at first, but this course will provide students with glimpses into the experience of others, both their successes and setbacks. There will be approximately 4-5 alumni guests over the second half of the fall term, and we expect opportunities to meet outside of class, such as over dinner. Students will write reflective essays on five presentations and be asked to apply the experience of speakers to their own plans and aspirations. 

This course is available only on a pass/fail basis and attendance is required at all presentations. This course will be overseen by Shay Totten, the Director of Alumni and Constituent Engagement, and John Bullock, Dean of Faculty.