<p>Just to add: my d was also a TA for a cell bio course the year after she took the course at Barnard. She assisted in lab, set up the labs and also I think she helped with grading lab books. Not an experience that an undergrad at Columbia (or any other large research university) would likely have the opportunity to be involved in, as far as I know.</p>
<p>There are very real differences in the Columbia College/SEAS experience and that of being a Barnard student.</p>
<p>pbr, I take classes at Columbia for a number of reasons. Some classes there just fit into my schedule better. Others are interesting classes that Barnard does not offer (take the Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology department, for example; they offer a number of primatology courses, and Barnard does not). Sometimes, in the case of the Anthropology classes, the schools share the department so classes can be held anywhere. And to be honest, sometimes I just like a change of scenery. All are valid reasons why Columbia students take Barnard classes, as well.</p>
<p>Hello everyone, it’s been a while! It’s wonderful seeing so many new people in this thread 
Summer’s been wonderful, I just got back from studying in Oxford for a month yesterday and am now settling down to 1) get AP work finished 2) do driver’s ed and 3) start getting down to business to write essays (you totally thought I was going to say “to defeat the Huns”, right?). I just looked at the Barnard supplement and I’ve got to say, I’m not really crazy about the questions…last year’s were so much better. I don’t know about you guys, but writing concisely might also pose a problem for me…my prose has never been crisp and dynamic, it always likes to linger about a point.</p>
<p>To add to the general conversation: Hurrah! Other people actually read Harry Potter in spanish! Now my friends can no longer tease me mercilessly. Honestly, it’s the best way to practice, other people ust wish they were as cool as we are
My favourite books are Lord of the Rings, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, and Brave New World. TV shows…hm. I’m a total Buffy addict (hello any Buffy fans out there?) so I think that kind of outshines anything else. Glee is a Wednesday night family tradition and I have been known to get embarrassingly into American Idol. Favourite movies is a really hard one, but I adore Moulin Rouge, Big Fish, Zoolander…I shouldn’t list everything because that would go on forever.</p>
<p>What’re you guys thinking about studying at Barnard and wherever else you’re looking? I know that’s kind of a loaded question, and it’s cool to be undecided, but what are your subject interests?</p>
<p>For me I prefer barnard over columbia because of the curriculum, personally reading the Iliad just doesn’t really appeal to me, but whatever floats your boat! haha it seems like to go to CC you have to really be a fan of their core, which I’m not. I’d rather choose courses that are interesting to me in my first two years.</p>
<p>@shmeepo funny you mention the questions and harry potter- I briefly considered putting down Hermione Granger as the fictional character I’d like to meet, but then I thought better of it. I also have the opposite problem for those essays I feel like mine are way too short, I need guidelines! haha</p>
<p>I agree with your favorite movies, but for TV I’m secretly a fan of the biggest loser :P</p>
<p>I know I def want to take a bunch of dance, psychology, russian, french and anthropology classes just because they all seem interesting to me, but I have no idea what I want to major in, hopefully I’ll fall in love with a useful subject.</p>
<p>hi sheempo! I’m looking at: Rhodes College, Bowdoin College, Colby College, Dickinson College, Connecticut College, and Boston University. I’m applying to the Universities of Alabama, Arizona, and Washington as safeties and vaguely looking at Middlebury, Pepperdine, and the University of San Diego. </p>
<p>I’m looking to study History and International Studies with a language focus and maybe a journalism minor. If I could “tailor my major” I’d pick International Journalism. :)</p>
<p>@shmeepo What were last year’s supplement questions? My favorite question this year is definitely the one about what character or person you would interview. I’m nervous about the “majoring in unafraid” one. I’m worried that whatever I write for it is going to sound cheesy and cliche. </p>
<p>Wow, another person who reads Harry Potter in Spanish. This is quite brilliant. :D</p>
<p>I really want to watch Buffy, and have been meaning to for ages. What channel is it on? And Glee is the say way at my house. My family is convinced that I’m slightly crazy, though, for making up a random consiracy theory to explain the actions of one character that I’m a bit fan-girly over. ;P</p>
<p>I’m planning on following a pre-med track, and also study languages, specifically Russian, Arabic, and Chinese. I can generally teach myself languages, but those ones are giving me a bit too much trouble.</p>
<p>I’m also looking at: Connecticut College (I wasn’t expecting to like it, but after the tour, interview, and info session, I loved it!), Drew University, maybe Earlham, maybe Elon, Fordham, Haverford, Hofstra, Pace, and Saint Joseph’s.</p>
<p>Buffy is streaming for free on Netflix. (: I’ve been watching the entire series all summer. Almost done!</p>
<p>I got hooked around mid-terms time in January which was SO inconvenient, but so so so worth it. I haven’t finished the whole series yet because I’m trying to watch both Buffy and Angel in episode order which slows things down a lot. I’m on season 6 right now, but still can’t completely get over the insane genius that was season 5. Apologies to non-Buffy fans out there, once you start talking about Buffy it’s hard to stop…actually, THAT’S what everyone should do with the rest of their summer. Free streaming on Netflix is a beautiful, beautiful thing, take advantage of it :-)</p>
<p>Ha , that’s exactly how I feel about Doctor Who, which I have been able to watch more of less in order on the reruns on TV, except for the most recent season, which I watched first, and which is apparently the best season yet. I’ve also discovered that Brits call say “series” instead of “seasons”, which can lead to some confusion about the “series finale”, which is actually just the season finale, not the end of the show. (This fact made me very happy. 
) </p>
<p>My mom has been considering getting Netflix. I need to quadruple my begging her for it now. ;)</p>
<p>Oh also, @KaiserinSisi, if I remember correctly, the supplement questions from last year (I know this because in the spring I went through an obsessive phase of Barnard researching, embarrassing but true) were Why Barnard?, if you could talk to any govt official for an hour what issue (local or global) would you talk about, write about a daily routine, and write about a fictional character that has inspired you or something of that ilk. I really wanted to write the routine essay. Darn.</p>
<p>What are the essays this year? The essays you just listed were the ones I had. You know, four years ago.</p>
<p>There’s one asking about how you found out about Barnard and what you think about the liberal arts approach, one asking you to pick a woman from history or fiction to talk to for an hour, another about what “majoring in unafraid” means to you, and a fairly generic “how has your community shaped you?”</p>
<p>What I find myself struggling with is gauging how long they’re expecting each response to be…1/2 page, 1 page? Anyone else kind of confused?</p>
<p>I was just at Barnard on Friday and they said to check back on the website in mid-August because they are changing the short answers…are you guys saying the new questions are already up? :O</p>
<h1>272 – read the instructions.</h1>
<p>I believe it says something along the lines of “one well-developed paragraph”.</p>
<p>Hey girls!</p>
<p>When you get to the common app, there will be word/character limits on the boxes you enter your answers into. The instructions say to write a well-developed paragraph, like calmom said. You’re allowed to attach a document for each question if you go over the limits, but I decided to keep my answers on the short and sweet side, so I stayed within them. It was just easier for me that way. :)</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the info bananaballerina!</p>
<p>I’d love to visit campus but visiting would require a plane ride from Texas…which would mean I would need time…that I don’t have much of, once school starts. Hmmph.</p>
<p>I’m probably going to visit in October! I’m so excited, I’ve never been to NYC.</p>
<p>For the short answer response length, there’s a 1,000 character limit on the common app which is approx 200 words.
The only essay topic that I’m worried about is the ‘unafraid’ one. My current response is way too cheesy haha.</p>
<p>Anyways, aside from the freshmen seminar/ first year english, are there any other set requirements that all the students must take before graduating? What would a typical freshman courseload sound like?</p>
<p>Detailed info about general education requirements: [Barnard</a> College, Online Course Catalogue](<a href=“http://www.barnard.edu/catalog/cur/liberalarts.php]Barnard”>http://www.barnard.edu/catalog/cur/liberalarts.php)</p>
<p>My first semester courseload included my first-year seminar, intro bio + lab (for my major and for premed), Spanish (to top off my language requirement, I only needed one class because I placed out of the first three), calc III (premed again), and a PE class. You’ll need to complete at least one PE course during your first two semesters.</p>
<p>I believe most (if not all) majors at Barnard require you to complete a senior thesis project. Chem and physics may be exempt from that… not sure.</p>
<p>@shmeepo Thanks! I would expect that they shouldn’t be more than a double-spaced page, and probably a bit more than half of a double-spaced page. I’m not too worried about my community short essay sounding generic, but I’m really worried that my “majoring in unafraid” will. </p>
<p>@hannah They’re changing the questions? </p>
<p>@RootBeer I’m sorry to hear that it would be that difficult to visit. I’m close enough to New York to be able to get there for a day trip, though I’ve only been there three times. There are a few colleges that I’d have to take a plane trip to, though, and I’m not sure if my family is going to be able to afford that. :P</p>
<p>@theblusrstillblu I hope you like your first visit! :D</p>