<p>Hey guys,
im thinking about ED for columbia, but ive never visited before. my initial reason for wanting to go there is because i want to experience city life, and NYC is NYC. Also, ED has really high admission percentages. would it be a good idea if ive never visited the school to apply ED?</p>
<p>also some of my concerns about columbia:
1. is life there always frantic? is there campus life like the other Ivies?
2. social life: how is it in relation to the other schools (ive heard that the male/female ratio is strongly benefits guys, so thats a big plus for me :) )
3. extracarriculars: are there tennis courts there? are they easily accesible? is there intramurals? are there good athletic facilities? how far are they from campus if they are not on campus? i am an active person so these things are of conern to me.</p>
<p>i would definitely not ED there without visiting the campus, cause thats EXACTLY what i was going to do. But then a CC-er recommended me against it, so i just came back from the tour today, and my opinion of Columbia hasnt changed; i still want to ED there. but theres a lot of other things you have to consider, like the general prices there are really high, and its fast paced, and the campus is relatively small.</p>
<p>to answer your question, (dont take my word on all of these, i was only there for two days)
1. life on campus isnt frantic. the atmosphere i got from Columbia was laid back and relaxed and it was great! but once you step out of campus, its busy. never been to the other ivies so cant answer anything about that..
2. ive heard about that male female ratio thing too, cause the all girls barnard college is across the street? hhaha but also, someone said that students at Columbia arent very tight knit..? which makes sense, cause its in NYC and people are usually doing their own thing outside
3. they built a bym underground? and i hear they have a really nice tennins court, but i didnt actuallly see it. and i dont know if this is a rumor, but apparently the students dont really know much about the athletics..</p>
<p>i thought i wanted to apply ED to columbia - before i visited. i realized i hated new york city. it was too expensive, too fast-paced, too city-oriented rather than campus-oriented. i am not even applying anymore. definitely visit before ED, or just apply RD.</p>
<p>yeah, applying ED sight-unseen is a really risky proposition. For one thing, your odds of success will be low - how are they to take you seriously when you say "columbia is for me, it's the only place for me, accept me and i'll be forever happy", when you haven't been there and haven't taken the tour.</p>
<p>if you intend to go through with that, and claim poverty or an inability to get to new york to take a tour for other reasons (like, say, you live halfway around the globe and don't come from money), that's fine. but show some initiative. ask some students on here (not me, i'm an alum!) what they think of the place. Watch the Ric Burns documentary on Columbia. Talk to Tao Tan (or, more properly said, get lectured by Tao Tan) about the school. Really think to yourself what makes you so suited to city life and how your life would be different (and better!) if you were living in morningside heights. you gotta be willing to do your research if you're going to apply ED sight-unseen. Get a compelling story for why you're applying ED - if you can't put one together, or can't muster the motivation to do so, you'll likely get dinged regardless.</p>
<p>I actually applied ED without visiting (I've visited New York, but not the campus), and got in. While I would not completely recommend doing so, it is not something that you should definitely not do. If you have never lived in the city before, and are not used to having to sleep with the sounds of cars and pedestrians nearby at night, and want a more cohesive and traditional student body and campus, then you may not completely enjoy the experience. However, Columbia is much better than NYU in this regard, as it does have a campus, along with green space and its many great buildings and residence halls. Butler Library is also one of the largest in the nation. While students do have school spirit, and you will be in no way lonely here, Columbia students are sometimes more individual minded and tend to gather and go off together in groups. This is sometimes a plus, as you will meet people you have an affinity with and really make lasting friendships. </p>
<p>The male to female ratio is really beneficial for guys, since Barnard is across the street. You will meet some of them while here, but they are not a huge part of the social atmosphere as they have their own campus as well. </p>
<p>There are intramural teams here, and there are good athletic facilities on campus. There is an indoor track, basketball court, and gym facilities here, and there used to be tennis courts, but they were torn down in order for other buildings to be built. </p>
<p>I think that part of growing up and attending college is for you to be able to cope with your surroundings in life, whether they be adverse or favorable. Being on a college tour and being a student is very different, so you can never know whether you'll really 'fit' at a place until you get there. Columbia is located in a very nice setting, and has a very unique social atmosphere. Unless the descriptions of Columbia on this board really disheartens you to apply ED, you can probably do so. I know that I probably wouldn't have gotten in had I not applied ED, as my profile was quite lackluster compared to some of the ones on here (which is not to encourage you to apply here without carefully planning it out).</p>