Columbia University in the City of New York

Date: Oct 15 2005
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
I came from Chicago, so I wasn't expecting to have a problem being in the city. And I'm not. The city is great. It's the school that's killing me. I feel completely and utterly invisible here. I've gone through entire days without talking to anyone. And I'm not a particularly awkward person; I've been in a lot of different situations, i.e. study abroad programs, Habitat for Humanity trips, where I've had to make friends and I've never had a problem with it. I've made ONE real friend here so far. This school could care less that you're here. You get the feeling that they want you to be well aware of the fact that if you don't like it, there are three thousand other kids who would be more than willing to take your place. I've honestly never cried so much in my entire life. If you need a sense of community, or if you're not in to going to three different bars and getting drunk out of your mind every single weekend, this isn't the place for you. There is basically no campus life because they assume you'll go into the city. I'm sure there are other people who feel the way I do, but they're probably stuck like I am, sitting in my dorm, wondering why the hell I didn't go somewhere else.