to tell you the truth, Bard Hall is kind of quiet most of the time. You have to realize that the med school class only occupies a very small part of Bard. The rest is occupied by MPH, PhD, nursing students etc.
There is not that much socializing going on in the hall way. People get together in their rooms. There is a lounge on the top floor that people use to watch sports and movies together occationally. Individual rooms are much too small for any sort of party. Most of the partying happens in the tower apartments or off campus (Yes it is new york, and yes we go out A LOT). You have to realize that this is not first year college.
Most of the students move out of Bard second year, if not as soon as possible. Bard has a good set of music rooms, a really good study lounge, a common room good for having club meetings and study, and a small gym. Otherwise it's just a simple dorm, no perks. But now that i'm in my own sweet sweet apartment, I gotta tell you living in New York rocks.
My suggestion is: if you want to live in the towers eventually, then you have to live in Bard for a year. if you want to live off campus, then bard would be a good buffer time for you to find a good apartment. And you do meet some people at Bard. But, No, you won't find your first year be defined by Bard. It's going to be defined by endlessly studying anatomy...
