<p>My younger son, who spent a grand total of two weeks of his life on the East Coast before entering Columbia last year, has made countless friends at Columbia. The students comprise a very diverse lot. Sure, there are tools, but there are tools everywhere. You can build relationships at Columbia, and avoid those who rub you the wrong way.</p>
<p>Remember, on an anonymous forum like this, anybody can claim to be a Columbia student. Given some of the Machiavellian ■■■■■■■■ I’ve seen, you should not assume that a poster is who he or she claims to be.</p>