<p>Where would you people pick to spend the next 4 years of your life, columbia or Yale?</p>
<p>Personally, neither--I hate cities and all their trappings.</p>
<p>As for you, though, it entirely depends on your tastes. If you're a humanities/social sciences person, I'd recommend Yale (though if you're into theater, it's a wash). If you're a big city person, Columbia. If you like smaller schools, Yale; if the opposite, Columbia. And so on and so forth...</p>
<p>I would choose Yale in a nanosecond (as a person who was in CC at Columbia for a year). Better community, arguably more prestige, amazing housing system, and stronger alumni network.</p>
<p>Not even a close decision (for me).</p>
<p>Why did you transfer?</p>
<p>I transferred from Columbia because 1) I realized that I was missing out on the college experience (not football games, more like snowball fights and late night coffee shop talking) 2) Dartmouth/ Brown/ Yale kids seemed to love their school while Columbia kids loved New York.</p>
<p>I really think at Columbia you sacrifice community and spirit for NYC. And in my opinion, NYC will very likely be there later in life (I actually go to columbia for grad school now!) I honestly never felt at home at Columbia, all the non-freshman dorms are really quiet and people disperse all over. The student body is cool and open-minded, but they still aren't very tight.</p>
<p>Yale, absolutely. I think the campus itself is gorgeous, the classes and atmosphere are great, and i LOVED LOVED LOVED the residential colleges, as slipper discussed. Plus a great friend of mine goes there and loves it.</p>
<p>I really think at Columbia you sacrifice community and spirit for NYC.</p>
<p>Maybe at a school like nyu, but I didnt feel this lack of community at all when I was there a couple days ago. It seem like EVERYBODY was on campus lyin around just chillin with each other all the time. Yale seemed a lot bigger and more spread out with the residential colleges scattered all over. Columbia seemed closer together and more centralized. Maybe I dont know cuz i was only there for like 3 days each but thats the impression I got from both places. Im just tryin to figure out this lack of community thing everybody says about columbia.</p>
<p>Honestly, I swear by this. Columbia plays the deception game PRETTY well. September and April, when its warm, the Columbia campus is literally awesome. People are out on the steps, lying on the greens, and hanging out by the cafes. BUT 90% of the year, its cold and people are huddled into (often crappy) dorm rooms, no one hangs out, and all you have are a couple bars to hang out in.</p>
<p>I promise you it sucks. I go to Columbia for grad school again and know a ton of Columbia undergrads. There is no community. </p>
<p>At Yale, people still hang out a lot more the entire year since there is no city to run off to. Honestly I actually really liked Columbia during some weekdays, but on Friday night the campus is as quiet as a library.</p>
<p>BUT 90% of the year, its cold and people are huddled into (often crappy) dorm rooms, no one hangs out, and all you have are a couple bars to hang out in.</p>
<p>Like I asked in the other thread... Schools like harvard yale and dartmouth are even colder. What do they do that is so different 90 percent of the year that allows them to keep this "community." Don't they stay in the dorms huddled up? Doesn't NYC give columbians more of an oppertunity to hang out TOGETHER when it is cold out, the same oppertunity this "community" schools dont have?</p>
<p>Hey-- I answered on the Columbia thread since its the same question...honestly there isnt a comparison. Dartmouth embraces the winter, Columbia hides from it.</p>
<p>definitely yale...</p>
<p>Well its prolly gonna be columbia. People at schools like dartmouth or cornell generally dont like columbia.</p>
<p>Yale- I dislike the core at Columbia, I think NYC is too fast-paced for me, I have a secret desire to live in conneticut, and I think Yale has more community than Columbia</p>