Columbia Students...

<p>HOW IS BARNARD PERCEIVED? do you think of barnard students as "lower" than columbia students? do you take classes at barnard? thanks</p>

<p>one of my barnard friends felt compelled to transfer across the street to columbia.</p>

<p>If you are extraordinarily bored (as I am) then you can peruse the Spectator archives and try to get a feel for it in the editorials that address BC issues from time to time.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.barnard.edu/about/btoday.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.barnard.edu/about/btoday.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Under the "Columbia Connection" section.</p>

<p>And here:
<a href="http://www.barnard.edu/about/columbia.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.barnard.edu/about/columbia.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>This is pointless. Look up one of the 50 page threads already on those worn out topic.</p>

<p>agreed, let her do a search of the forum</p>

<p>Also, go to the Barnard board and ask the question.</p>

<p>View them as every bit my equal.</p>

<p>view them as lower than columbians.</p>

<p>I like a lot of Barnard students (some of my best friends here are BC), but I think the institution itself is redundant and disingenuous. I really respect women's colleges, and Barnard certainly has some departments to recommend it (dance and theater, for example), but I think it would not be nearly as high-quality without all the access it has to Columbia profs and resources (whereas Wellesley is clearly self-sufficient and strong as an academic institution). I don't really understand how Barnard can claim to be independent when it's counting on Columbia to provide so much.</p>

<p>But enough of my complaints about the institution. The girls there are, by and large, cool and intelligent. In terms of social life, Barnard students are more separated because of housing divisions (there is a little overlap, but not much, and Barnard's housing is more spread out/farther away), so they're not as integrated into the University community. Generally, everyone gets along just fine. The only tension rests in the fact that a lot of people in CC and SEAS view Barnard as outdated and unnecessary (but again, having complaints about the institution usually doesn't mean that we think less of Barnard students).</p>

<p>I seemed to get the feeling from just visiting the campus that the Barnard side was really really into the Columbia-Barnard connection while the Columbia side really could care less. It didn't feel like a tension or a dislike, just an indifference. However, that is just from a weekend of experiencing both sides of the street. Certainly not living there which I'm sure is very different.</p>

<p>Barnard needs Columbia more than Columbia needs barnard. It's the classic political power dynamic, and was much much less true before 1983. That feeling extends to the students, but it has little impact on who they are as people or how you'll interact with them - just that you'll see them around campus, in your student groups, and in your classes.</p>

<p>1983 being when Columbia went co-ed for all you n00bs</p>