<p>NYU: LOCATION, social aspects, “go getters” (cons: too big as far as class size, impersonal)</p>
<p>Barnard: Columbia, columbia, columbia, smaller classes, stronger academically (i think, in my area), (cons: all gils)</p>
<p>I have a much longer list of pros and cons but that sums it up…
I’m either majoring in economics/ polysci at Columbia or pursuing my hidden interest in neuroscience (both are better at Barnard from what I understand)</p>
<p>Any help/ insight about experience at Barnard (or NYU)</p>
<p>By the way, I was deferred from Columbia ED then rejected…it’s my dream school
Do you know if its especially difficult to transfer from Barnard to Columbia after the first year?</p>
<p>It’s not impossible to transfer, but I should think it would be problematic (to catch up on the Core courses, for one thing) and also I would be surprised if you still wanted to transfer after being at Barnard.</p>
<p>My d also considered NYU and the cons you listed were considered by her as well. She happens to be a neuroscience major at Barnard and will be graduating this May. She got in to all the grad programs to which she applied (and one offered her a crazy large fellowship to attend), and she is convinced that Barnard’s reputation is what got her there.</p>
<p>And the “boys” issue is pretty much a non-issue. There are boys at Columbia and you will be spending a good bit of your time there…and there are also boys in many Barnard classes. If you want to meet and hang out with boys, you will totally be able to do this. </p>
<p>NYU offers a completely different “campus” experience than Barnard and Columbia. Not saying one is better, but I know my d was captivated by the atmosphere around campus there in the Upper West Side and not as much by the non-campus feel of NYU (and she spent 3 weeks there at a dance intensive one summer, so she is familiar with it). It’s all in your preference.</p>
<p>Good luck in your decision. Sorry I don’t have more detailed info…do a search and you will find a lot more about the “boys/no boys” issue as well as the “women’s college advantages” here.</p>
<p>Believe me, nobody wants to transfer to Columbia after being at Barnard. I mean, obviously I can’t say that definitively for EVERYBODY, but… basically, at Barnard you get (generally) smaller classes, more attention from your adviser/professors, a more tightly-knit community, and a student body that, while very driven and focused and intellectual, lacks a lot of the anxiety of Columbia. Columbia is good for the range of classes that it offers, its resources, and its student body – I am definitely glad that we have it, especially for the guys – but it is NOT the best thing about Barnard by a long shot.</p>
<p>You also can’t major in econ/poli sci “at Columbia”; you will be majoring at Barnard unless you do Stats or Comp Sci (I think), because that is where you will be going to school. Most of the girls I met come in either having convinced themselves that they’re REALLY going to Columbia and that that’s where they’re going to spend all their time, or they’re so into Barnard, Barnard, Barnard that they’re not at all interested in the relationship (this is obviously an oversimplification, but not as great a one as you would think). In reality things fall around the middle. (Also, our dorms and our food our better. Fact.)</p>
<p>This is coming from somebody who applied to Columbia early and got deferred. I am SO GLAD I did not get in. I mean, it would have saved me a lot of grief, but in the long run? Definitely a blessing.</p>
<p>I understand what you are saying and I’m trying very hard to not think of it as Columbia. However, I looked up the econ- poly sci thing and I’m almost positive I can because only Columbia offers it as a combined major. I also asked a Barnard admissions officer who told me I could apply for the 5 year international affairs MA program at Columbia.
But yes, I understand what you are saying and I’m going to try and make the most out of my experience, though it may be a challenge for me. I guess I’ll see how it goes at open house!</p>
<p>Okay, I see what you mean about poli sci/econ. I thought you meant each of them individually. However, I would still not plan on taking the majority of your classes at Columbia – I believe the average is around 30% (although this of course depends on what you’re doing specifically). There are great professors at the poli sci and econ departments at Barnard.</p>
<p>Definitely try to make the most of the open house. It was an eye-opener for me. You won’t fully understand the relationship until you get here, though, and even then you’ll probably never be able to articulate it exactly. It’s bizarre, but mutually beneficial, which is why it keeps going.</p>
<p>Don’t come to Barnard if your reason is that you want to be at Columbia. You might get lucky and change your mind after you get there, but you should choose your college because of what it offers, not because it offers access to courses at a different college. </p>
<p>The 5-year Masters degree program with SIPA is extremely hard to get into - so while it is good that Barnard can offer that to a handful of students, it would be a mistake for you to choose Barnard because of the availability of that program. </p>
<p>I think from your posts that you need to get over your rejection from Columbia – you should not look at Barnard as some sort of way around the rejection. If you can get past that and find independent reasons for wanting to attend Barnard, then that may end up being a better choice – otherwise you might be better off at NYU, where you won’t be tempted to think along those lines.</p>
<p>Note: my d. is a poli sci major, so I am pretty familiar with Barnard’s poli sci dept. I don’t have a clue about Columbia’s, because even though my d. has taken probably about 40% of her coursework at Columbia, she has never taken a poli sci course there.</p>
<p>As I think you already know, I pretty much agree with Calmom. Please use your time at the accepted student’s open house to really, really look at Barnard and NOT try to make it into Columbia College. You will be doing yourself a tremendous disservice. Not to mention the fact that there are many young women who do want to go to Barnard because it’s Barnard and not because it’s close to and/or affiliated with Columbia. And, as you know from reading these boards, there are a good number of them here on the Barnard waitlist.</p>
<p>let us know what you end up thinking after the open house!</p>