Barnard... - and the rest of Columbia

I will say that my Barnard student has found things pretty seamless and seems to be both working hard and loving life.

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Thanks. Those advantages make logical sense. My supposition is that a (much) larger network could only be better. But, if members of said larger network, in this case non-Barnard Columbia alumni, didn’t view Barnard grads as “one of theirs” then that might not be the case.

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Actually - THAT seems to be incorrect:

Instead:
https://our.barnard.edu/s/1133/16/index.aspx?sid=1133&gid=1&pgid=4973

Connect with Columbia Alumni Association

The partnership between Barnard College and Columbia University is one of the unique aspects of the Barnard experience. As a Barnard graduate, you are a member of the wider Columbia community for life. Below are some of the benefits you receive as a dual citizen of Barnard and Columbia.

How to Join

Barnard alumnae have access to Columbia Alumni Association benefits and services. To receive these benefits please complete this application form…
You must be a Barnard College degree holder, current member of the Alumnae Association of Barnard College (AABC) and in good standing* with the school.

Which also addresses this premise as not applicable:

So CC students are limited to a single alumni association, while BC students have access to both!

There appears to be conflicting information on the CAA website:

https://www.alumni.columbia.edu/content/alumni-community/eligibility

Eligibility

Affiliate schools (Teachers College, Barnard College, Union Theological Seminary, Jewish Theological Seminary and affiliate programs)

Please note we are currently not permitted to offer access to alumni of affiliate schools (Teachers College, Barnard College, Union Theological Seminary, Jewish Theological Seminary, and affiliate programs).

The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GSAS) is the granting school for all Ph.D., Ed.D. and Masters of Philosophy degree holders at Teachers College. T.C. alumni from these specific degree programs will have access to the Alumni Community directory upon graduation.

This page seems to suggest that Barnard students can join, but have limited rights

https://www.alumni.columbia.edu/content/columbia-alumni-association-bylaws

Section 3 Affiliate Schools
Degree holders from the Affiliate Schools of the University (i.e. Barnard College, Teachers College, Jewish Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary) (“Affiliate Schools”) may apply to CAA as an individual alumnus/ae for affiliate membership in the CAA with limited rights and privileges.

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CC acceptance rate is 3.9% last year while it was 11.4% in Barnard. They are separate entities.

Actually, BC’s acceptance rate was 8% last year (Barnard College’s Class of 2026 Is Most Diverse, Selective Ever Admitted | Barnard College). Applications to BC were up yet again that year, by 16%, while flat for CC/SEAS.

Yes, CC and BC are separate entities of Columbia University:
https://www.columbia.edu/content/academics/schools

CC is directly managed/operated BY the university, while BC manages & finances itself (to avoid being absorbed).

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Yes, there do always seem to be a few (usually high school students) who think that a very small acceptance rate difference means something, even between a women’s LAC and a large ivy university.

I have a recent Barnard grad daughter, a prospective SEAS student, and numerous family friends of both. Barnard is very unique. My daughter found that Barnard generally had professors who were more accessible, smaller classes, a much more humane housing room draw process, and a very personal career services experience. When she was interviewing with IBs, she was connected to recent Barnard grads with the companies, and they were enormously helpful in preparing for that process. She’ll do the same for future Barnard students I’m sure.

Columbia obviously has engineering, and a bigger financial aid budget so they are more generous that way. Barnard and Columbia students share clubs and organizations and seem to be true sibling classmates. I think in real life, more of the focus is on getting the best smoothie and what library has the best chairs. I think most students appreciate that Barnard is a historic women’s college, and needs some autonomy to maintain that, so any initial insecurity tends to recede for bigger focus on school work and college life as part of the university as a whole.

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Well, Barmard and Columbia hold identical ranks (#18) in their respective national U.S. News categories.

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By this logic Columbia College and Columbia SEAS are separate entities because they have different acceptance rates.

Likewise NYU A&S, Stern School of Business, Tandon College of Engineering, and Tisch School of the Arts are all separate entities because they all have different acceptance rates.

Etc, etc, etc.

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What I meant they are using different AO. They are ranked by US news as a separate college. My son is in Stern. When he applied NYU, he put stern as first choice, another college as the 2nd. But all belong to NYU. But when you apply for Columbia, you can only choose cc or CEAS, not Barnard. Barnard is a great college, but the admission is separated and it’s belonging to different entities.

My older daughter is a senior at Barnard who has every single class at SEAS since she is a CS-Math major. No classes at Barnard this year at all. She only had one class there all of last year. Very intertwined indeed. She is also in a sorority which is also a Columbia chapter. I guess all schools are part of the same Columbia sororities. Really she feels more like a Columbia student at this point.

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Uh - too bad, YouTube messed up the offset.

So - in the posted video, skip to 1:49:29 - no need to watch the first 2 hours :slight_smile:

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