Columbia College - Chicago

I don't appreciate when people come to Columbia College and try to "better" it, or make it whiter and therefore somehow more special. I love the fact that it's open admissions and that it accepts everyone. There's nothing wrong with that. THAT'S A GOOD THING! It means you have to learn to live with people who you might not like (gee, uh, like, that sort of reminds me of the real world). It is a healthy, creative space where you can learn to conjure ideas that are more artistic than the ones you had before (I used to think my work was sooo fantastic before I got trained in the field, and I know a lot of other students had this problem, too). They have a DY-NO-MITE fiction department with superior fiction workshop methods. While the gen-eds usually aren't transferable to a different school, they are that way because they are taught differently than in other schools; they are tuned in to the artist. For instance, all my final projects this semester are artistically based. I'm doing a painting for one, a picture book for another, a rewrite for one of my fiction classes, and only one paper, and it's about children's books that have been censored. Sometimes it can be painstaking and grueling, but that's where the challenge lies. Also, yes, this school is very expensive, but so is every other school, and if you want to go, apply for grants and scholarships (they offer many) right away, and do not stay in the dorms when you can get an apartment for the same price or get a roommate for half the price or less. And stop being afraid of Chicago. I've been here since birth and have only been shot twice:)

3rd Year Female -- Class 2004

Education Quality: A+, Faculty Accessibility: A

This is a good place if you are studying FILM. the teachers i have encountered are really great adn know what they are talking about. however, i've encountered some other people who have had bad experiences in other departments. the teachers care about the students - it isnt like you're a number. as for the campus, it's kind of spread out and it's annoying to go from building to building, especially when ti gets cold.

generally the student body is nice, but some people are somewhat arrogant and trying to out styl-ize eachother. it's silly.but if you are going to into film i highly reccommend it...it's important to establish connections and not just 'get the work done' though.

1st Year Female -- Class 2005

Surrounding City: A+, Campus Maintenance: D