Hoping for insight on the Barnard experience

Colleges and Universities A-Z Barnard College
1

<p>Am quite thankful to have recieved the thick envelope from Barnard, among such great company. However, i have gotten good news from several other liberal arts schools, including Scripps College, Carleton, Macalester, Tufts, and VAssar.</p>

<p>QUestions multiply as i try to work out in my mind where i am meant to end up. I am misguided by the stereotype that Barnard students are more “intense” than some. Also, I am not positive that i want to live in a single-sex place for four years.</p>

<p>So please, give the gritty details, the horror stories, the worst thing about the school, the dorms, the classes. The honest truth about meeting with the opposite sex (is great effort involved) and the sense of community (is there one?)</p>

<p>ALso, just thoughts about the general experience would be MUCH appreciated.</p>

<p>don’t get me wrong. i love the city. i feel alive on 5th avenue as the sidewalk sparkles underneath me. i am interested in dance (beginner level). I love musical theater, and the arts opportunities are enormous. </p>

<p>but i dont want to make the wrong decision</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

2

<p>I'm not really sure how you mean intense here. Study grinds? Taking their interests way too seriously? I disagree with the first, but could see the second a little bit. My complaint would be that there aren't nearly enough serious students, but I'm a very extreme case. ;) Yet even I get out and have fun at least semi-weekly.</p>

<p>The honest truth about men is that they're everywhere. I can't overstate this enough: outside of your first year required classes and your dorms, there won't be a place where you don't see tons of them. The other honest truth is that it's hard to find a good one. They often fall into one of two categories: arrogant, smarmy, pre-professional, attending career fairs since sophomore year and always bragging about their connections or internship experiences OR the more common polar opposite of that, the (also arrogant... sensing a theme here?) type that references literary criticism or historical context when you're talking about where to get lunch, and can't see a movie unless it's in black and white or a foreign language. There are some really good guys in the mix, but it takes time and effort to find them. Don't get me wrong, I've got a lot of good guy friends and my boyfriend was fantastic before he left; you just have to sift through a lot of pretension to find the right ones.
Odds are, if you're dating, it's going to be someone from the school and NOT external NYC. I only know one girl dating a city guy, and they met at her summer internship. Campus is pretty cloistered. Don't think you'll be running downtown to chic cafes for lunch--there isn't enough time. You will either be eating on campus or in one of about 10 local eateries all week.</p>

<p>The absolute worst thing about the school is the reputation you'll have to live with. You're either a lesbian feminazi or a crazy trampy party girl. Being at a women's college with guys all around causes problems in that regard. Two stories: a friend ran into two younger looking guys hanging outside our dorm. They asked if she could sign them in; she asked who they were here to see. Their answer was no one, they just wanted to look around. Ew. One beautiful day, I was hanging out on Barnard's lawn and reading. As I got up to leave, I walked by two guys (probably prospectives) standing at the edge of the lawn and looking over all of the women studying and heard one say, "This isn't the paradise I imagined. Let's go." And then they turned to leave.</p>

<p>I lived in what is unarguably the worst dorm on campus my sophomore year. 70 square foot rooms, TINY kitchen, windows that more often than not faced brick walls a few feet away. But my priorities were first, get a single room, and second, stay close to campus. I could easily have lived in a bigger double on the quad or down the street. Junior year I again got a single (about twice as large this time, though) in a suite with my friends and got the room with the street view. Unfortunately, being on the third floor, that also meant the room with the street noise. I sleep like a log, but my boyfriend hated it. As a senior, good-sized single in a modified hall with a big kitchen and stunning views of the city and campus.</p>

<p>I think I've only had one class at Barnard that I'd call bad. But it was BAD. The prof, just back from Africa, stopped teaching the subject halfway through the semester and started teaching her tangentially-related research. The lab was pretty horrible, too. More attention was given to PERFECT APA style than the actual content of papers. I'd get something back with five points counted off if my title was a line or two too low or high on the title page. Then another five points for not centering my section headings. Etc., etc. And not a comment on the body of the paper. VERY frustrating.</p>

<p>There is a huge sense of community, though. Most people here really love the school and, in general, being here. You feel it a lot at the most random times, and it gets nearly palpable at school related events.</p>

<p>So that's the worst about life at Barnard. I promise, though, that these are minor concerns in the big picture of life here!</p>

3

<p>One other thought about the intensity of students... classes are a lot of work. People can get tied up for weeks straight during crunch times. One of my friends even transferred out because the standards were too high and the workload was too heavy. But most people (and I mean no insult to my friend, if she ever happens across this) are the type that can pull it off without getting tense about it. </p>

<p>You could spend weeks studying in the library all night, or you could study, go out and have fun, come back and work on something else or pick up some reading, go to sleep, get breakfast with friends, and then go back to work, comfortable knowing that you're understanding it as you go (stress just makes learning harder!). I've found a LOT more of the latter. EVERYONE I know is willing to toss their work in their bag if something interesting is going on, knowing that taking a couple of hours off won't make or break them. So while there is a culture of work and studying, it's not to an unhealthy degree. I do find that a little unique about the people here. All too often, dedicated students are actually obsessive students.</p>

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<p>Is there grade inflation at Barnard or is it similar to Bryn Mawr for academic rigor?</p>

5

<p>firstly, i want to thank you, primefactor for the great information!</p>

<p>i guess by "intense" i was suggesting that the barnard classes are not cohesive on the whole, and that everyone is very individual and focused only on themselves. its something stupid that i read once, but your answer sufficiently qwells any doubts i had.</p>

<p>i was wondering, however, about class discussion in classes. is there a sufficient amount? do people contribute thought out responses in most classes?</p>

<p>thanks</p>

6

<p>Oh, there's definitely grade inflation at Barnard, as much as at most LACs and the Ivies. But I think it's kind of a middling inflation. I get the sense that grades are clustered around the B, B+ A- area (the average GPA at graduation is a 3.4, higher in the humanities and lower in the sciences). Sometimes I think I'd have to not try at all to get something worse than that, but actually getting that A can take real effort.</p>

<p>[excuse me while I troll for a moment while I'm thinking about GPAs]
Did you know that comparing between BC-CC students in the same classes, the average GPAs are nearly identical? So to anyone reading this rejected from Columbia, don't worry--it doesn't mean you're not as good of a student.</p>

<p>Well, my experiences with classes have been mostly in economics and mathematics. When there is opportunity for discussion, though, it's usually been fairly rich. There will always be some people who haven't done or thought about the reading, and they'll tend to keep quiet, but definitely enough people have considered the material to contribute to a lively discussion. Have you had the opportunity to sit in on a (non-introductory) class or two?</p>

7

<p>New to this forum- just accepted to Barnard, Tufts, U-Michigan, among other schools that I don't think i will attend.
I can't decide between these three schools though!
My mom went to Barnard, and she really wants me to go,
and she says that the situation with boys is not a problem.
Is this true? And does anybody know what the social life is like at Barnard? A lot of parties at Barnard or just at Columbia?</p>

8

<p>Wow, those are really different schools. Have you visited? Any idea of a major or what you want college to be like?</p>

<p>But no, boys are not a problem in the SLIGHTEST. That is completely true. Most parties are at Columbia, especially after freshman year, because East Campus is really the only dorm with suites you can have a party in. Or in the apartments of those lucky enough to have apartments nearby. There aren't many parties, though. There are some frats that have parties, but I personally have never found them to be that much fun. The party scene tends to center in neighborhood bars. People have their birthday parties there. Even student groups will host parties at the West End or Mona instead of trying to find space on campus. A fake ID is really, really necessary if you want to be a part of that scene. Not for drinking, of course, because that's illegal and I don't recommend it, but you usually need to be 21 just to get in.</p>

9

<p>I have visited Tufts and Barnard, and flying out to Ann Arbor this weekend. I am thinking that I am interested in majoring in International Relations/Political Science. Thank you very much for your information about the social scene, primefactor! I love new york city and i think i would love hanging out there. Do you, or others, happen to know how Barnard compares with the others schools in terms of intl relations and poli sci?</p>

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<p>I don't know too much about the relative strengths of the schools academically in those departments, sorry. Hopefully someone else here will.</p>

<p>I'd guess the biggest difference is the opportunity for work experience, given all of the NGOs, non-profits, and governmental offices in NYC. I do know there are a LOT of internships in those areas advertised here (a lot with alumnae, too, which I always thought was cool), and if they're not paid you can apply for a grant from the school.</p>

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<p>Hey Victoria,</p>

<p>I'm at Barnard and I love it. It was a really really hard decision. I'm a Poli Sci major and I have to say the department is amazing. As you may know already you can take all your classes across the University. And Columbia University is globally ranked #1 for poli sci. So if thats what you want to major in this is the place and New York City is the best place do it because of the atmosphere. Hope this helps.</p>

<p>priyanka</p>

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<p>Hi primefactor, </p>

<p>So i'm guessing you're an economics/math major, right? Can you tell me a little more about it (how good it is, job opportunities, etc)? I'm trying to decide between barnard, nyu stern, and georgetown msb. i want to go into business obviously, not as much theoretical economics, is barnard good for that? </p>

<p>Thanks. :)</p>

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<p>If you're absolutely sure you want to do business, you can't go wrong with Stern. Because neither Barnard nor Columbia has an undergraduate business program, there are very few classes available for undergrads in finance, management, that sort of thing. </p>

<p>The core economics program has much more of a social science feel, while the econ-math program adds a somewhat flexible set of requirements that can either focus on applied for professional hopefuls (like optimization, math of finance) or abstract for academic hopefuls (like analysis, topology). Still, anecdotally, the econ majors in my senior seminars are getting a lot of good jobs in finance at the usual suspects and there are TONS of internships available. But I think you'd be better off at Stern if that's your prime criterion. They're a big name in business, and business is one of those fields where name does matter.</p>

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<p>thanks primefactor!
for the honest post about that instead of just building up barnard.
it's so hard to pass up barnard, though. i'm probably going to end up delaying making a final decision until the end of the month... :)</p>

15

<p>Heh, I always try to be honest. I usually end up honestly thinking Barnard's great, though. ;)</p>

<p>Yeah, take your time. Very wise.</p>

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<p>Highhopes, Victoria and moose.. where have u decided to go to?</p>

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<p>i am not sure yet. i have narrowed it down to kenyon college and barnard (after much long debate about a couple of other schools). I know they are completely different, in terms of the college experiences. i guess if anyone has any insight? thanks.</p>

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<p>For Barnard vs. Kenyon, I'd take Barnard in an instant. Which says nothing about which is a better fit for <em>you</em>. I think Barnard is more intense academically and the location, assuming you like or tolerate cities, is fantastic. Kenyon is highly regarded, particularly for English, but as a location I'm afraid that's where I'd go to listen to the sound of ponds drying up for entertainment. Yeah, I'm biased.</p>

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<p>I've heard that girls at Barnard are very snobby and pretentious. is this true? I've heard many of them are from VERY wealthy families and wont even hang out with u unless u can go shopping/eating with them at all the hgih school new york places...</p>

20

<p>High school new york places? what the hell is that?</p>

<p>I think that is false.. there are plenty of girls who come from just average families.
Of course, anywhere you go, there will be some rich kids.. but what I'VE heard is that Barnard girls are really down to earth, modest and not pretentious..
I guess there will be a mixture of people.. but I really don't think the majority of girls will be like what you describe..
I know I'm certainly NOT like that.</p>