<p>i know all you of you would say barnard is better. but in what aspects is it better than vassar? would you guys know?</p>
<p>You're right, it will be hard to get an unbiased opinion on this. I am a Barnard student, but I have visited Vassar and have friends there, so here is my point of view. I think academically, Vassar and Barnard both have strong reputations, although because of the Columbia connection, Barnard has more course offerings. Overall, though, they are both strong academically and differ more in terms of the social setting as well as the surrounding environment (unless, of course, you know what you want to study, which could change things).</p>
<p>First and most obviously, Barnard is in a city. This changes the opportunities (more internships, off-campus jobs available) and also changes the social scene somewhat. That might be positive or negative, depending on your perspective. Personally, of course, I like that we have an active campus life yet there is the option of a night out, seeing a concert in the village or a movie at the IFC, etc, when you get sick of campus. Going to a concert or a bar can also be a nice change from campus parties. That said, people at Vassar stay on campus more, which you may see as a positive if a strong /more unified community is important to you. </p>
<p>This is just my personal perception, but I also think Vassar students do a lot more drugs on average than Barnard students do. Of course there is a chunk of college students everywhere who smoke pot, and a smaller chunk that do harder things, but at Barnard drugs are relatively absent. At Vassar, however, I think it is more common to unwind with a blunt and in general, it's more common to see people smoking pot/ experimenting with other drugs than at Barnard. I may be totally off base here, but that's my perception. Also, at both schools, of course what matters most is your group of friends in terms of how they amuse themselves, and I'm sure you will find nice like-minded people wherever you go.</p>
<p>Best of luck deciding!</p>
<p>on a similar note, can someone help me out with barnard and columbia and please dont tell me "the fit, the fit!"</p>
<p>Barnard: much better advising; more individual attention in classes; no "core"; rather, a much more flexible basic academic requirement based around the "nine ways of knowing"; very rigorous academics for both, though my d seems to feel that Barnard is more so than Columbia (at least for the biological sciences, which are her thing); </p>
<p>Columbia: bigger classes (though you could take classes at Barnard); the Core which is inflexible and will take up a great deal of your time (though many say they like the core and look forward to the common thread it weaves amongst CC students); advising at CC is reportedly dismal; </p>
<p>You have equal access in both schools to all clubs, sports and other assorted campus activities. Housing is handled differently in both, but my d has fared better in Barnard housing than most of her CC friends (though Barnard students CAN apply to live in Columbia housing and Columbia can apply to live in Barnard...yes, even boys).</p>
<p>All said, the biggest difference is the Core and the advising, I would think.</p>
<p>My D thinks the Humanities are stronger at B. also. She has a higher GPA in her Columbia courses.</p>
<p>I know my D, like many Barnard women, prefer Barnard to Columbia. However, I'm am sure there are many Columbia women who differently.</p>
<p>Barnard dorms and food are nicer, but there's no doubt about it, there is more access to guys at Columbia. </p>
<p>To my mind the best thing about Barnard is its singular commitment to the education and success of women. As much as we might like to think this is no longer important, sadly, I think it still is. I know this philosophy has been invaluable to my D. The prevalence of female professors and department chairs has supported her enormously.</p>
<p>That said, you may prefer Columbia. And the elephant in the room is that for most people Columbia will carry more prestige, if that's important to you. This isn't true of grad schools, prof. schools or jobs in NY, but to the person in the street Columbia has a bigger more impressive name.</p>
<p>The prestige thing has a flip side: Barnard women graduate with a Columbia University degree, but their Barnard College degree connects into a whole different network of loyal Barnard alum that ovmay open even more doors to them. </p>
<p>My d. also has a higher GPA with her Columbia courses -- in fact she has above a 4.0 at Columbia. I won't go so far as to say Barnard standards are uniformly higher.... but I think its pretty obvious that Barnard women are well-qualified to take courses on either side of the street. Although I'd also note that my daughter's largest classes have been at Barnard-- so the large vs. small comparison does not always hold-- that might simply be a matter of choice though. </p>
<p>Finally: my d. feels very positively toward Barnard administration - not so with Columbia. Like the Barnard prez, hates the Columbia prez. This is one of those factors that prospies tend not to consider, but become very important to college life, because it can be reflected at all levels whenever there are interactions between students and staff. This could change since Barnard is getting a new President, but so far the new Prez seems like a popular choice. </p>
<p>That being said, my advice would be to consider your prospective major and try to learn something about the faculty in the respective departments as well as requirements. Even though students can cross-register freely, the specific course requirements for a major are not always interchangeable, and a few upper-level courses may be closed to students outside of that school's major. I know that it is hard to anticipate where you are going to end up -- it's more likely than not that you will change your focus or intended major in any event -- but looking at this sort of information might give you a better sense of some of the differences between overall approach at each college.</p>
<p>As a Barnard student who also applied to Columbia, I would say one of the only things you should look at is the core curriculum. If you are looking for a lot of choice, freedom, flexibility, Barnard is the place for you. If you want something more structured and streamlined, than Columbia is better. I know a lot of Columbia students who love the CORE, and many who only praise certain aspects. Being someone who likes options and variety, however, I prefer the nine ways of knowing.</p>
<p>As for the majority of the other subjects mentioned on here, I personally don't believe they factor in. Housing and food are such trivial things to base your choice on, but they are almost identical even if you do care. Meal plans vary slightly, but you can eat at both dining halls (I personally prefer John Jay now that MacIntosh is gone). Columbia and Barnard courses are rather interchangeable as far as difficulty goes, and I have had positive experience with both. Courses and major requirements are very similar at both schools, and of course Barnard and Columbia students take courses all over the campus.</p>
<p>My greatest advice is to visit both (if you can) and spend some time around current students, getting a feel for the atmosphere of each school. That, general education requirements, and the administration are what stand out to me as key differences. Good luck in your decision!</p>
<p>I agree that the core vs. nine ways of knowing is probably the biggest difference. </p>
<p>Other things to consider : better advising at Barnard (at least the first two years - my Columbia friends agree about this), better housing at Columbia (in my opinion), but the social scene, extracurriculars, and academic experience will be almost identical otherwise. There is also a slightly different feeling of being at a smaller school that's part of a bigger community, and being more directly part of the bigger community (ie - you run into more people on Barnard campus and the administration is more accessible, which I like, but some people prefer the larger, more anonymous feeling)</p>
<p>As another Barnard student who applied to Columbia, I would have to disagree that the Core v. Nine Ways of Knowing is the only thing you should consider. Personally, I'm one of those very indecisive people who if you give broad requirements to will want to find a million ways to satisfy them and can't just pick one. I liked that the Core was very specific in its course requirements and that it unified the campus around a set of influential great books.</p>
<p>That being said, getting rejected from Columbia was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. Barnard is amazing, and I'm constantly wondering what I ever saw in Columbia. I've come to discover that, in addition to everything that's already been said (smaller community, better food, better advisors), it's the little things you never think about asking on a campus tour that make a difference:</p>
<p>-Barnard Babysitting: This service is only open to Barnard students and it has single-handedly allowed me to have pocket money, which I had previously been worried about (NYC is expensive!). I babysit the same little boy who just turned 1 every Saturday night. The kid is asleep the whole time, and I get paid $20/hr to watch their big-screen TV or work on homework. It's awesome!
-Career Development: Our Career Development Office is awesome. I've heard that Columbia's isn't as great, but I'm not positive on that. Ours has drop-in hours everyday, in addition to individual appointments, and you can meet with someone to go over your resume, prepare for an interview, talk about internship opportunities, etc. This is one office that people generally don't think about when they are juniors/seniors in high school, but it's an invaluable resource.
-Writing Center: Barnard is dedicated to making sure their students succeed in everything they do. The Writing Center is run by students who are trained by the English Department. You can meet with them at any stage of your paper, and they'll talk you through it so you can get on the right track.
-Lastly, Office Hours: While I know Columbia requires them as well, and maybe I'm biased because I just haven't taken enough Columbia classes to utilize their office hours, Barnard professors are always willing to talk to their students and interested in discussing your assignments/papers. They are genuinely interested in the path your paper is taking. In one of my Columbia classes, on the other hand, the professor specifically said he did not want to discuss the paper with students. The TAs were also instructed only to clarify the question, not to give any hints as to possible topics. This is frustrating when you're someone like me who needs to talk out topics before finding a specific focus.</p>
<p>I could probably think of more reasons Barnard is infinitely better than Columbia, but I should probably go start my homework... Message me with any specific questions.</p>