<p>Hi, I’m a prospective undergrad student and I’m seriously considering Barnard College and NYU for early decision, but I can’t decide which. As of now I’m 50/50.</p>
<p>I attended a program at Barnard over the summer, and have visited my sister at NYU multiple times, so I’m familiar with the general vibes from each school as well as their areas. I love Barnard’s campus, buildings, and dorms, as well as their leadership opportunities and academic strength. Although NYU lacks a traditional campus, I love how it’s in the heart of NYC and how renovated/modern most of its buildings/resources are.
However, I wanted to know some more detail about each-- from a first-hand perspective, if you have one, what would the pros and cons of attending either school be, if I were to enroll as a fall 2015 freshman?</p>
<p>For Barnard: I’m a tiny bit turned off by the fact that it’s not in the heart of the city like NYU is. Although I know Manhattan is fairly small that and it’s actually quite easy to travel to the “heart” of the city from Barnard, it’s not quite the same for me as a school that has its main campus there.
I’m also concerned about the social scene. I had never considered an all-girls school before, but since Barnard is such a good school and it’s possible for students to mix into the coed Columbia crowd, I put it on my list. But I wanted to know how easy this is- to take classes at, make friends/meet guys) from Columbia? I was also wondering about clubs and sporting events. Is it easy to join clubs (particularly cultural) at Columbia as a Barnard student? And can Barnard students attend Columbia football games? Does the same go for parties?</p>
<p>For NYU: Is the lack of campus a serious issue for someone who wants structure and a bit of community with the rest of the student body? Is it hard to maintain a group of friends because everyone could be over the place? And since there’s no football, are there other alternatives to get that classic “college experience?” Are academics here significantly inferior to those of Columbia/Barnard?</p>
<p>Sorry for such a long discussion question… I’m just really indecisive
Honestly any kind of advice will help at this point, even if it’s small! Thank you in advance.</p>
<h2>If you are undecided between two colleges, the only sane and rational choice is to apply to both. Add 2 safeties to the mix,and you are set. (There’s no rule that you have to apply to 10 or 12 or 20 colleges either). Just apply to your top choices and a couple of colleges that you are sure you can get into and can afford, and you’ll have good options in the spring.</h2>
<p>I would add that my daughter applied, RD, to both NYU & Barnard and was admitted to both. However, NYU’s financial aid was inadequate, so she opted for Barnard. However, she has a close friend who was offered generous merit money from NYU, better than the need based aid at Barnard – but opted for Barnard. </p>
<p>My d. is now attending grad school at NYU, and she is very, very glad she chose Barnard as an undergrad. It has nothing to do with the “campus” feel – although my d. does find it frustrating sometimes to figure out where some of her classes are given the way that NYU buildings are spread out. It’s the administration and bureaucracy that drives her nuts – and that’s within a grad program that probably provides a more close-knit experience than undergrads at NYU could expect. At Barnard, I think students feel that the faculty and administration are there to serve them. </p>
<p>Barnard is PART of Columbia – everything from class registration to clubs to athletics to social events are fully integrated. The schools have separate programs and majors, but they are operating in tandem with one another.</p>
<p>And if you want football… look elsewhere. Columbia has a football team but hardly anybody shows up to attend the games. If you want a campus where students where team sports play a large part in campus life, probably best to look outside of the major cities, or at least outside of NYC. </p>
<p>Perhaps if you are asking those questions you do want to broaden your college list somewhat-- at least add one or two colleges where campus football is valued to the mix. </p>
<p>My D likes that Barnard has a campus that feels like a campus but is close enough that she spends a lot of time in other parts of Manhattan. She is in a sorority which encompasses students from both Barnard and Columbia as all the sororities do. She did the Columbia Marching Band and has done stuff with the Columbia Democrats. She’s finding herself leaning more toward Barnard specific stuff now though, outside of her sorority. She was an RA for the summer programs this summer- you may have met her! </p>
<p>to be frank, if you’re split between two schools i would say don’t do ED. Both schools are fantastic and have alot to offer but if later on after you’ve submitted you realize a tipping factor for the other school, you can’t change. since you’re passionate about both schools i suggest not doing ED to either. just my two cents about it </p>
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