<p>I think that since last spring or summer, Columbia university has been at the top of my list and a possible early decision school. I love the social sciences presence at there and most(not all) parts of the core. I have gone to a private school where reading was a BIG part of school. We read the Odyssey freshmen year and the Iliad in sophomore year along with dozens of other books over the four years.</p>
<p>So, about the core at Columbia. I personally am excited for most of the core--i like all the literature for the most part and the Contempory Civ, Art Humanities, and Music Humanities sound like really really cool classes. But like any humanities/social sciences kid, should the presence of "the frontiers of science" or the science requirement really scare me off? Can I say that I love Columbia enough to want to apply early decision while still being hesitant about the science parts of the core? </p>
<p>Further, I have been hearing more and more that Columbia is NOT one of "the fun" ivies. I'm all for intellectualism and all that, but I still want a fun experience. Can anyone comment on the community feel and stress level of Columbia?</p>
<p>Don’t worry about frontiers of science, or the science requirement. You may not enjoy frontiers, but you’ll get through it and forget about it. The science requirement can be easily filled by a huge range of classes (2 classes from the full list here: [Science</a> Requirement | Columbia College](<a href=“Columbia College Bulletin < Columbia College | Columbia University”>Columbia College Bulletin < Columbia College | Columbia University)) including a number of math and statistics classes. I think you’ll easily be able to fulfill this with minimal pain over 4 years.</p>
<p>Absolutely not! Frontiers is a widely-disliked class, but not because it’s difficult or rigorous. People generally dislike Frontiers because it’s seen as busy work and a waste of time. It’s all common sense and basic algebra (plugging numbers into formulas, essentially). The rest of the science requirement can be fulfilled with laughably easy astronomy or psychology classes that require virtually no math skills. I’d HIGHLY recommend Professor Laura Kay’s astronomy classes at Barnard. Once again, it’s all common sense and rudimentary algebra—plus you can bring notes and calculators into all the quizzes and the final.</p>
<p>As you’ve figured out, the Core is heavy on the humanities. For better or worse, there’s hardly a real science component to speak of.</p>