Columbia College - Chicago

Date: Apr 27 2006
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I was very excited at one point to be attending Columbia College in the very exciting downtown Chicago. But as it turns out, its not for everyone, myself included.

Being from San Diego, California, people told me I was nuts moving to Chicago. I did not believe them until winter came around. If you cannot brave the cold and the extreme wind, then find a different school. In my opinion, many people I met were less friendly, less outgoing, and less motivated because of the winter. No one wants to leave their building and TV becomes the main form of entertainment for many. If you have a lofty budget and are 21+, this would not be an issue because there are tons of venues, bars, and clubs. As it turns out, the majority of acts I wanted to see (some Chicago jazz and blues) were held in 21+ venues which was very frustrating.

As spring rolls around, the school and the city become much more active and I actually enjoyed living where I do. I also noticed that the students became much more friendly and ourgoing as spring came. The public transportation is very effective here and you probably don't want to have a car because of the insane parking prices, lack of parking spots, and traffic.

Another downside of this school is the residence program. My RA did not give a damn about anything. There was absolutely NO feeling of community among my neighbors, granted I knew them all. There was also no meal plan available for my building which means we all had to cook for ourselves (since we can't afford downtown food prices). It felt like I went from living at home with my parents to the real world in less than a day and I would say that this sort of change is too abrupt and not the best situation for freshmen. My room was extremely dirty when I moved in which was quite a hassle. The appliances and fixtures were all sufficient but old looking and dirty.

The clubs that the school offers are nearly all career oriented or academic in nature which would be useful for some, but not me in particular. There was not a single club that I would have joined. I tried to start a club, but found it impossible to find students motivated enough to join or attend.

This is not a strong academic institution. Let me repeat that…THIS IS NOT A STRONG ACADEMIC INSTITUTION. It is an ART school. If you want to be in music, art, film, fashion, music business, photography, journalism, television, or radio without having to worry too much about heavy academic courses, then this school is a good choice for you. If you attend for music business like I did at first, you will find a great deal of mediocre musicians who want to promote their rap or crappy indie band (like I did, except I'm not mediocre or indie, both one and the same I guess). I quickly realized that the program was full of students that shouldn't be in college because they have weak math, reading, and writing skills. The school has an open admissions policy, meaning that if you can pay the expensive tuition, then you can get in. I realized that this department was of no interest to me and I switched to the Audio Arts and Acoustics Department, a much stronger department academically. The faculty ranges from mediocre to fabulous in this department and the facilities are first rate. My only complaint here is that the degree for acoustics is like going to a trade school, not so much learning how and why. Supposedly job placement is very high, but I would not know. The general education classes are very worthless here and probably will not transfer anywhere. The highest math class is calculus II, which is laughable considering that many high schools teach that.

Conclusion:

College is what you make of it, but given what the school has to offer in conjuntion with poorly motivated students, it is difficult to make the entire experience a great one. If you know for sure what you want to do with you life and that career is in the arts, then Columbia is a decent option for you. If you are like me and are looking for a well-rounded liberal arts education and possibly some engineering or business education, then steer clear of this school.