College Visit #6:
COLUMBIA: UP
My daughter knows a lot of Columbia kids. For whatever reason, she has many friends whose siblings went to/currently go to Columbia. As a result, she had this false idea that “everyone goes there” (ummm no) and, therefore, it wasn’t special. It’s also the closest of all potential colleges to our home. So she had a preconceived idea that it wasn’t the place for her.
However, she really liked it once she visited. It was a beautiful Fall day and the central lawn was glorious. Lots of kids hanging out, a very bustling feeling. It’s still not high on her list, but she gets why it’s a very special place.
We have a lot of family connections to Columbia, so it’s possible she could get admitted. But she doesn’t really “see herself” there. That said, she liked many things about it.
At this point in our touring, it became clear that one thing that she really wants is a place where kids live on campus for all four years (preferably), or at least three. Columbia fit that (unlike Penn).