<p>I talked to someone who has visited Columbia, and she said that she felt like the students there were very cold and unfriendly. Is this true? Is it difficult to make friends there, or do the students just not go out of the way to talk and welcome visitors and thats why she got that impression?</p>
<p>I've never had a problem meeting or talking to people at Columbia. While it's not the effusive, almost forced friendliness you might occasionally see at [insert midwest or california school here], nobody will tell you to get lost. Everyone's usually pretty open about answering questions, taking time out of their day to help people find buildings or tell stories about the place. I think everyone takes at least a minor stake in realizing that they help sell the place they attend, and their actions reflect on it.</p>
<p>That said, everyone's fairly driven and intense. We walk fast and have tightly scheduled lifestyles. I can easily see how someone might see that and misinterpret.</p>
<p>If you've got any specific follow-ups, please feel free.</p>
<p>Why don't you ask your friend how many students she even talked to? I wouldn't judge any school -- positively or negatively -- based on whether a couple people I met on my campus visit (let alone, a couple people my friend met on her campus visit) were friendly/unfriendly. I'd totally ignore whatever you heard from this person because it is meaningless.</p>
<p>yeah, i didn't really trust this persons opinion very much, thats why i wanted to ask people who actually go to colombia. it seems unlikely that one school could be filled with one type of person.</p>
<p>To echo Denzera, I think it's a matter of style rather than coldness. Columbia is a reflection of NYC.</p>
<p>My son, a more laid back Californian, tells me there is not a lot of just hanging out with friends at Columbia. Everyone is involved in a lot of classes, clubs, rehearsals, internships, jobs, the gym, always going somewhere or having to be somewhere. On any given weekend night there are so many different options of things to do that people end up going in a dozen different on-campus or off-campus directions. He's become the same and seems to be thriving on it. On the other hand, the compact campus and the fact that just about everyone lives in university housing for four years means he always runs into people he knows outside of class, which makes it feel like a smaller place than it actually is. So, while it's not the kind of place where strangers randomly say "have a good day", I don't think he would say it's unfriendly. He's certainly found many people there to turn to and willing to help when he's needed it. </p>
<p>I think that on visits, people tend to some degree to see what they expect to see. Your friend might have been a little scared about NYC or the reputation that Columbia has for looking for independence (that's more about the administration than about the personality of the students).</p>
<p>We (my freshman daughter and I) have been struck by the friendliness of Columbia. While new student orientation may not be the best time to judge a campus culture, everyone went out of their way during that time to be helpful and friendly. My daughter's first month has been very positive. Kids in her dorm have bonded, formed study groups, had lots of social events, both on campus and in the city, etc. While she experienced some of Columbia's famous red-tape during scheduling, everyone was quite 'nice" to her during the process, and by perseverance she worked everything out. Since we come from the deep South, our friendliness threshold tends to be quite high, and we both would rate Columbia as a very friendly place. It is not a place that "coddles" students, however, so a certain amount of independence/self reliance is needed to be happy here. Again, this comes from a new Columbia parent, so our perspective may change over time.</p>
<p>I don't understand how anybody could possibly judge the friendliness of the student body based on one person's brief VISIT. I go to Columbia and find the students quite friendly. Denzera is right, this place is intense. Don't let that fool you.</p>
<p>I went there for a year and transferred to another Ivy. Columbia is friendly in a NYC way. Its not "happy-go-lucky" friendly, as my experience was with Dartmouth (or Brown on my numerous trips there). Columbia is an intense place, people tend to seperate into groups.</p>
<p>Slipper,</p>
<p>Sounds about right. I'm curious where you transferred to and why, though. Was it strictly an academic decision? I hear of people transferring out so rarely that I'm always interested.</p>
<p>I had a suitemate for 2 years who wanted to transfer out but was too invested in the community to do so... but if he had transferred, it would've been because he HATED the core (philosophy major). I can see that being a valid reason. Most people adjust to the noise of the street at night within a few weeks, but if someone else just can't handle that, I can see that also...</p>