32 Hidden College Campuses That Look Like Something Out of a Dream

13. Bennington College (Vermont, USA): Isolated Creative Intensity

Tucked away in rural Vermont, Bennington fosters an atmosphere of fierce individualism and intense creativity. Known for its progressive Plan Process (where students design their own curriculum) and strong arts/writing programs, it has a storied literary legacy (alma mater of Bret Easton Ellis, Donna Tartt). The campus’s relative isolation, combined with its emphasis on independent work and close faculty mentorship, creates a uniquely focused, sometimes eccentric, and deeply immersive environment where artistic and intellectual boundaries are constantly pushed, feeling worlds away from conventional academia.