Written by William Chang

L&T was my first time in a U.S. school environment. In the first session, I thought that the L&T program was very unique, especially with the amount of free writing followed by intense discussion with my peers and professor. I had never done “free writing” in the Bard sense before, so it was definitely something I came to enjoy. The program exposed me to a lot of texts, one of which I still think about as a Biology major: “Learning the Grammar of Animacy” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Before this reading, I never thought about how the language we use to describe the natural world around us affects the way in which we interact, study, and observe it. The incredible part of L&T was being exposed to many types of texts and authors, ranging from Franz Kafka’s short story “A Report to an Academy”, bell hooks’ essay “Coming to Class Consciousness”, and Matsuo Bashô’s “Frog Haiku”.

I felt very comfortable sharing my ideas because, first and foremost, my professor was a very calm and inviting presence, and my classmates understood the expectations of the L&T program and were also happily involved in discussions. One of the most enjoyable experiences I had working with other students was when we had the chance to do live performances in weekly “reading” sessions in the evening with other L&T groups. My group collaborated on a Slam Poetry Jazz Night inspired by Sophocles’ play “Antigone”. Participation in the L&T program allowed me to understand how the U.S. liberal arts college school environment functioned in relation to discussion. I was more able to understand how we were free to write, think, and discuss, but always within a structured framework that allowed us to develop our ideas together with the professor.

This program was very different from my high school classes because of the freedom and space we were given to read, write, think, and discuss. Because of the “unstructured” nature, it allowed us to ease into college-level seminar-style classes. It was a very safe and supportive environment for international students. Before L&T began, international students arrived on campus almost a week earlier to complete orientation that would help us settle in to Bard. Once L&T began, we were already more comfortable in our new foreign environment, so starting classes with American students almost immediately upon their arrival was still a good experience.

L&T can prepare international high school students for college abroad due to the thinking, reading, writing, and discussion framework. Because it was an intensive program of fundamental reading and writing, it really challenged students to critically think about whatever text they’re faced with, regardless of genre or content. The collaborative discussion aspect is also a fundamental part of the program that allows students to understand how to discuss a text without veering into personal anecdotes and to also elevate, respond, and give space to other people’s ideas. Overall, L&T is a unique program to develop your thinking, writing, reading, and discussion skills that can be applied almost anywhere, regardless of career or higher education institution.

Written on Nov. 9, 2025