<p>Of course Columbia has all the orientation business colleges are supposed to have (I'm looking at the NSOP website right now), but I'm wondering if Columbia does a good job of easing the transition into college life. Any thoughts about the first month or so of college would be tremendously appreciately :]</p>
<p>All this transition stuff is BS. It depends on the person, and there's little Columbia can do if you're homesick or can't handle being independent. You have to take responsibility YOURSELF for having a good transition, and Columbia's not going to do it for you.</p>
<p>^at the same time there are support networks as there would be anywhere, three major ones: Resident Advisor, Orientational Leader - you can ask either of these people about just about anything, anytime. Also once school starts you have your academic advisor, who can help you answer any questions you have about academics, if he/she does not know the answer he/she would be able to direct you to someone who could. Upperclassmen, if you live with them, can also be very helpful, but since it's not their jobs to help you, you need to be friends with them first.</p>
<p>C'02 is right though, columbia is not going to hold your hand, columbia is known for this, but get on your feet quickly and you'll be sprinting before you know it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
^at the same time there are support networks as there would be anywhere, three major ones: Resident Advisor, Orientational Leader - you can ask either of these people about just about anything, anytime. Also once school starts you have your academic advisor, who can help you answer any questions you have about academics, if he/she does not know the answer he/she would be able to direct you to someone who could.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>My freshman RA was a total bozo who did the gig for the free room. My OL was nice but didn't give a sh1t and, like most OLs, took the gig to move in early and because it's fun. And my academic advisor time after time gave me misinformation that was directly contradicted by the bulletin. You gotta figure stuff out on your own.</p>
<p>"My freshman RA was a total bozo who did the gig for the free room. My OL was nice but didn't give a sh1t and, like most OLs, took the gig to move in early and because it's fun. And my academic advisor time after time gave me misinformation that was directly contradicted by the bulletin. You gotta figure stuff out on your own."</p>
<p>you were unlucky and it'll have been a full decade since you started college this fall. things have actually changed quite a bit. Advisors, I still hear, are not as all knowing as one would have hoped. but it's become easier to figure out requirements, and get things done. Most RAs and OLs are still pretty helpful.</p>
<p>
[quote]
you were unlucky and it'll have been a full decade since you started college this fall. things have actually changed quite a bit. Advisors, I still hear, are not as all knowing as one would have hoped.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Um, I'm not sure what has changed quite a bit with respect to Columbia's notoriously crappy advising. You seem to agree with me. And I follow the Spec, which documents student unhappiness with the advising.</p>
<p>I do largely agree with you, but it's been a complaint for so long that columbia got a bad reputation for advising and has been changing things off late - don't remember the exact changes just remember that there were changes, something along the lines of educating them about policies more, lower student:advisor ratio. I just find a lot of people generally content with their advising, a few people unhappy and a few pleasantly surprized. </p>
<p>and who follows the spec? the spec sensationalizes everything, especially when it comes to disapproving columbia policies.</p>
<p>Guys, the "adjustment" isn't just about the quality of RAs/OLs/Advisors. It's also about the atmosphere.</p>
<p>Things I had an easy time adjusting to:</p>
<ul>
<li>College classes, self-discipline about attendance</li>
<li>Getting a college workload done</li>
<li>Living on my own (never got homesick, though I did call home occasionally)</li>
<li>Managing my money</li>
<li>Making friends</li>
<li>Falling asleep at night despite the street noise</li>
</ul>
<p>Things I had a challenging adjustment to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Having a roommate</li>
<li>Eating on time or on schedule</li>
<li>Not getting my bike stolen (I'm on my 3rd...)</li>
<li>Staying organized / avoiding procrastination (me and everyone else)</li>
</ul>
<p>How do you keep your bike from getting stolen? What kind of lock do you use?</p>
<p>Security sells discounted Kryptonite New York-grade locks (U-locks for $50, the chains for $80 or so), they buy in bulk and sell at cost. Those are the only locks that will defeat a thief, and even then, if you chain it to (say) scaffolding they'll disassemble the scaffolding to take the bike, or if it's completely unseen they'll just take off the wheels and seat and even the brake pads (strip it, basically) and leave the frame there, still chained up. The Kryptonite New York locks are the only things that won't yield to bolt cutters, so it's either that or be essentially completely unprotected.</p>
<p>Now I leave it in my room except when I'm out and about.</p>
<p>Security provides bike racks to put bikes in, but you can't leave them overnight, even there. Basically, security is a bunch of bumbling incompetents, and will fail to notice crimes being committed literally 10 feet from them. You gotta protect yourself.</p>
<p>The basement of dorm buildings is a good place to store a bike if you can't fit it in your room. Just the wheel to the frame so no other student could steal it without destroying the wheel (no Columbian would bother, not even those inclined to covet thy neighbor's transportation), and you can leave it anywhere indoors.</p>
<p>Good to know.</p>