Columbia
is an absolutely top-tier institution with solid faculty, resources, and
students. It is one of the most popular Ivies,
and there's more to its appeal than New York City
(honestly, if people just came for that, they could go
to NYU). I've found that the University caters to
a specific type of student: one who is fairly independent
and will chart his own academic course. There's very
little hand-holding after orientation, although advisers are fairly prompt about
setting up meetings, and prospective students should know that this
is not a communal liberal arts college. That being
said, Columbia does have a self-contained, vibrant community for a
mid-sized university. As far as academics go, Columbia is challenging,
but (like Harvard, Yale, Brown, etc.) getting in is almost
the hardest part. Because people here are so motivated,
everyone seems to do well enough, although it can get
a little hectic around mid-terms and finals. People also
aren't too competitive, and I've found it very easy to
form cooperative study groups. A good thing about a
school like Columbia is that students are very driven, and
so the institutional culture brings about the best in you.
Professors in seminars are very accessible (about two thirds
of your classes will be on this scale), while TAs
take the lead in large lectures (my TAs have been
fabulous, though, and it's much easier to ask dumb questions
to a grad student when you're feeling confused). Before
you apply, know that the Core is a big deal
here— some students don't take that into account and find
themselves overwhelmed by the requirements. In general, Core classes
(most of which are fantastic) will take up one third
of your classes, most of those occurring within the first
two years.
The campus is very nice (yes, we do
have a self-enclosed campus, one that will probably be doubled
in size during the next decade). The buildings are,
for the most part, attractive and centered around the main
quads, although the University has swallowed a lot of property
in the neighborhood. Our libraries are amazing (over eight
million volumes), and it's really easy to take advantage of
the different resources on campus.
Because Columbia has a distinct
campus, it also has a strong sense of community/identity, especially
given that it's an urban school. There are tons
of student groups catering to all types, and this stems
from the diverse student body. People come from all
over (every state and many foreign countries), and our student
body has the highest proportion of minority students in the
Ivy League (between 40 and 45 percent). Most students
exhibit a strong will to succeed, passion for their majors,
and (for the most part) tolerance for different people (although
most of us are liberal).
And then there's New
York... simply amazing. You will not get the opportunities
that the City offers at university of comparable excellence.
There are so many restaurants, museums, clubs, concerts, political functions,
and other events that it's impossible to see it all.
What else can I say? I love
Columbia and cannot imagine myself anywhere else. It's the
greatest.
Articles
Hi,your advice is really useful.I really want to go to Columbia to study liberal arts.But people tell me to go to NYU.how do you think about the liberal arts education here? Is it better than those small liberal arts college and NYU.I too love new york city:) Thx
