<p>i've heard so many great things about columbia, but i've heard some bad things about its campus. can anyone put some insight on what the columbia campus is like? is it seriously a non-condusive environment to learn in?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>i visited columbia a year ago, and i liked the campus very much. it really was like a microcosm of new york, very very urban, fast paced, noisy. i enjoyed it, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so it's not right for some.</p>
<p>I visit my aunt who lives right next to it a few times a year. It's a nice neighborhood (though, it wasn't when we were little kids) and there's a fair amount going on. This can be great, but I suppose if you are easily distracted you might find it difficult.</p>
<p>how far does the campus spread? is it difficult to get to classes?</p>
<p>There are actually plenty of places where you can find some peace and solitude. The Morningside campus is roughly 32 acres and it probably takes 5-8 minutes to walk from one side to the other. Look at the website for this sort of info.</p>
<p>If this concerns you, it would be best for you to visit Columbia and any of the other urban colleges in which you have an interest. At the time I went there I had been living in Manhattan. Columbia seemed like an oasis of green and relatively quiet. Someone who is used to open spaces will not think that. I used to walk through the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (largest gothic-style cathedral in US) to clear my head when I wanted quiet.</p>
<p>My S partly first fell in love with Columbia the moment he stepped into the campus. You can't see it, don't even know you're next to it, when you come up from the subway. Then, you find a gate, and step in to this gorgeous setting of green lawns and beautiful walkways and buildings. S said it was like finding Hogwarts when others couldn't see it.</p>
<p>More prosaicly, all of his dorms have been in easy walking distance from all of his classes. Much closer than my D was to some of her classes at her suburban LAC.</p>
<p>Burb Parent: Last week, when we visited son for his birthday, he took us on a tour of the grounds of St. John's to see the peacocks. What a beautiful place!</p>
<p>To the OP, Columbia may or may not be the right school for you, but the campus will probably not be the deciding factor, unless you hate the idea of urban, in which case you probably wouldn't be looking at it.</p>
<p>One of the benefits of the columbia campus and how it isn't scattered around a huge city area (a la NYU) is that everything is close together, including dorms and classroom buildings. For two years, I lived at the northeast corner of 120th and amsterdam, and the majority of my classes were in a building on the southwest corner of 120th and amsterdam. I could roll out of bed and be in class.</p>
<p>You should read one thread that myself and others put a lot of time into... would've taken a bit of searching to find it, but this says a lot more that you might've wanted to ask:</p>