<p>Every thread on the student life at Columbia seems to emphasize the lack of community. I'm from a Penn State family, and even though I've always loved the city life, I'd hate to go to a place with no spirit or pride in the school. I do realize that it's an urban campus and that it's not going to be Happy Valley, but I am interested in meeting plenty of new and driven people during my college years. I loved the idea of going to Columbia, but from what I'm hearing it seems like there's more to hate or complain about than to love sometimes.</p>
<p>So my question: Is there any community or camaraderie at Columbia? Is it really as terribly desolate as it sounds in the discussions here most of the time?</p>
<p>Because if it is I may just be content with going to Schreyers.</p>
<p>I don't even know what Schreyers is - most people won't - and that counts for something, too, you know. And I hope the "community" is worth it.</p>
<p>Go to the Helpful Columbia Links thread in the "important" section, there are a lot of useful discussions that took place about this. </p>
<p>From my limited experience on the campus, it's not a desolate place. Just come visit the campus for youself if you have the means. Good Luck with the big decisions coming up!</p>
<p>Two close friends of mine also grew up in state college PA, and are very happy at columbia. they watch PSU football every saturday in the fall, and go home by bus occasionally, but they also love the hell out of NYC and the friends they've made on campus.</p>
<p>If you get in, I'd be happy to put you in touch with them to get their take, if you'd like. Send me a PM at that point if you're interested.</p>
<p>The other thing you can do is read the Life/Atmosphere threads linked in the stickied "HElpful Columbia Threads" thread in the main Columbia board- it's got a bunch of useful takes on these matters, including my own.</p>
<p>I'm not at Columbia(I'm a deferred 2012 hopeful), but I've lurked around here and been around the campus a lot. Here's my take on the atmosphere: It's not a rah-rah sports-focused atmosphere where everyone goes out to the football game to show Columbia spirit. Columbia students are individualists in the sense that everyone does their own activities and there's no one "unifying" culture for the entire campus. Almost every student will say they love Columbia, and Columbia's alumni giving rate is a testament to this, but you will not see the school spirit displayed should you visit Columbia's campus. </p>
<p>If it's an absolute requirement that everyone go on to cheer the school's sports teams at events, then Columbia is not the right school for you; I'll tell you that right now. Columbia's environment is more of the type where you have a close group of friends(a la Seinfeld) whom you go downtown with. If this culture appeals to you, definitely apply to Columbia.</p>