<p>Columbia is my dream school.. but i feel like the more research i do, the more things like being ranked the #1 most stressed university in the country detract from the allure.
still - i just wonder if all of the stress is manageable AND if, you know, the atmosphere is friendly so theres no social aspect to sdd to the stress.</p>
<p>If I were you I would pick my college based on all criteria except course load! If you wouldn’t be able to handle it at Columbia you probably would not be able to handle it at any other top tier school! Remember, rankings for “stressfulness” also include stuff like tuition fees (i.e. not just amount of work!). </p>
<p>As for atmosphere… well as a rising Senior I’d say you pretty much have awesome people and super dicks like anywhere else :D. Just gotta find your crew. But for most part everyone is very friendly</p>
<p>I would agree with Algernon. Keep in mind that the rankings are based on five criterias: cost, competitiveness, acceptance rate, engineering, and crime on campus (according to the Daily Beast). Tuition at Columbia is among the most pricey in the nation (just behind NYU and Sarah Lawrence College I think?). Also, Columbia is an ivy league after all, so admission is competitive. Lastly, CU is situated in NYC and just a few blocks away from Harlem so it’s bound to have slightly higher crime rates, but is still considered one of the safest urban areas. Yeah so I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t let one ranking prevent you from applying to your dream college. If it’s your dream, go for it! :)</p>
<p>I will say my sister did not particularly enjoy Columbia and she just graduated. Social life was very centered around bars in the city rather than on campus fun. She found many people to be elitist and the school to screw kids out of money left and right. That said she really enjoyed the academic aspect of the school.</p>
<p>The answer to this depends exactly WHY Columbia is your “dream school.”</p>
<p>For one thing, do not worry about the stress. If you go to any top school, there is bound to be stress and competition–you just have to know if you will be able to cope with it. If no, then maybe you should not go after all the “Ivy League” hype and choose a school that is more accommodating to your learning style. </p>
<p>p.s. not everyone at that school is stressed, it just depends on time management-- and what exactly you’re stressed about :)</p>