Live in Bennington, briefly worked for the college.

The students are inoffensive but hidden away from the town. There are bus routes for getting into town but I can't blame the kids for not having any interest in main st, there's nothing there worth coming down for more than once a season. The town doesn't feel like a college town at all, and North Bennington is a kinda shit area to try to hang out unless you like pretty houses and Home Depot.

The school itself is a shitshow. Witnessed the collapse of the entire campus safety department firsthand and the administration reaction was to restart the 3-5 year process of finding a director to fix it. No COLA or raises for workers was a constant source of complaints from staff from grounds to dining hall. I left when they insisted I could only be hired through a temp agency (conveniently exempt from benefits or PTO) and also kept the listing for my own position open for months after I started.

There's been plenty of pricey liberal arts colleges with lots of history going under in New England. I expect to see Bennington College there in the next 1-3 years. I hope it doesn't fuck the kids over but I would be /stunned/ if the college communicated any closure to them before the final semester began. I have no idea how bad the financials are behind closed doors but they've already kicked every can and cut every corner they could.