<p>Guyz, i don't mean this in a challenging way... i really want to be convinced that columbia is a great school to go to, getting past what people say 'bout it being in harlem and such... please convince me!!! - btw, reasons other than NYC plz!!! =)</p>
<p>I guess no one really needs to convince you, most people know that a certain school is the one that they want to go to - if you dont think columbia is worth going to you needn't apply. sorry for being blunt but i dont mean this with any offence. i guess what im trying to say is that you and only you should convince yourself and you shouldnt care as to why other people think its a great place to apply to</p>
<p>Let me take a stab at this... First, if you need to be convinced that ANY school is great, maybe it's not the right choice... On the other hand, perhaps you like the school quite a bit and are looking for additional ammunition in making up your mind.</p>
<p>I think there are lots of things to like about Columbia, but many of those (e.g., a very bright and accomplished student body) are not all that dissimilar to comparable universities. Despite your NYC caveat, I'll begin by saying that the city makes a huge difference in the undergrad experience at CU. NYC is a big attractor of students - a survey I saw a few years ago cited "campus location" as a major reason why students chose CU; location was cited by far fewer students at other Ivies and elites in the same survey. The city has a big impact on the social environment (more outward focused) and offers a vast range of cultural, entertainment, internship, and other opportunities for those who want to take advantage of them. Spending four years in the middle of Manhattan is an education in itself (for those who didn't grow up there), but certainly will not appeal to those looking for the bucolic charms of a rural or small-town campus.</p>
<p>The second major differenting factor, in my opinion, is the Core Curriculum - there have been other discussions of this, so I won't belabor the point. Suffice it to say that the Core is an experience that is shared with every Columbia College classmate, not to mention everyone around today who was ever a student there. It is practically a guarantee of superior cultural literacy (although not all agree that cultural literacy is important). The tradeoff, of course, is that the CC student has more requirements and somewhat less flexibility than a student at a comparable college. I think it's a good tradeoff, but certainly some students may prefer the near-complete flexibility of, say, Brown. (The Core plays on the NYC strength, too, by ensuring that ArtHum and MusicHum students get out into the city's great art museums and performance venues.)</p>
<p>If you take out those two major ingredients, Columbia starts to look a lot like its Ivy League peers. Of course, you may find that individual departments offer unique strengths that would be hard to duplicate elsewhere, but that's true at many schools.</p>
<p>I do think the undergrads at Columbia are perhaps a bit more eclectic and diverse than some other schools; my impression is that this is partly admissions strategy and partly self-selection.</p>
<p>Footballer, if you haven't visited CU by all means do so. The Morningside Heights neighborhood is a great area, and the mostly walled/gated campus is surprisingly calm and quiet compared to the bustle of Broadway. I think within an hour or two you'll get a feel as to whether Columbia should (or shouldn't) be on your list. Good luck!</p>
<p>My friend and I visited Columbia and walked around inside and outside of the campus, and it doesn't feel dangerous at ALL. There are students everywhere, busy traffic, stores and restaurants galore. I think the whole 'omgitsnearharlemimgoingtogetshot' sentiment is overblown.</p>
<p>quote from the brown board...</p>
<p>Well, in defense of Columbia, it has been voted as having one of the top ten college towns of all colleges and universities by Princeton Review... and that doesn't refer to NYC generally. It refers to Morningside Heights, a very collegetown-type neighborhood south of and separate from Harlem, in Manhattan. You might recognize it as the neighborhood in which Seinfeld was filmed. It's filled with coffee shops and little cute bookstores, and a variety of ethnic cuisines. 99% of Columbia students live on campus and the surrounding area is mostly populated by professors and grad students. An apartment in Morningside Heights can easily go for $1 million. Columbia has the second highest Ivy League safety rating, second only to Princeton. It has a beautiful gated campus which is fully protected by both NYPD and columbia's private security. The Harlem reputation is a myth, commonly forwarded by people who are frightened of anything north of 96th street, or basically anything in New York in general.</p>
<p>People here don't need to convince you. It's not like they want added competition.</p>
<p>hahahaha i so agree with lindsey!</p>
<p>Hmmm, good point - footballer, maybe you should post on the other Ivy forums where you'll find lots of encouragement to make Columbia your first choice. ;)</p>