<p>Before the visits my thought process was the two schools have the close working relationship so getting into one is essentially getting access to both and that the admission rate is a little higher at Barnard (as it is at all women's colleges) so that might be a smart application strategy to get into the Columbia/Barnard paired schools. (BTW - I'm not a big fan of using application strategies for this process). </p>
<p>After the visit my thoughts on this totally turned. As I've mentioned in other threads we visited virtually all the top tier urban schools in the NE US and after my daughter's visits both Columbia and Barnard were at the top of the her lists. But after the visits the differences in the schools was much more apparent. </p>
<p>Columbia is a great school with really intelligent students ... and for my daughter the core is a draw ... she liked the campus and loved the location ... loved the connection to Barnard ... and liked the students and the feel of the campus (it didn't feel as pre-professional, privledged, or preppy as some of the other schools). </p>
<p>Barnard also is a great school with really intelligent students ... having home being a women's college ended up being a draw (with the relationship with Columbia and location in NYC compensating for some of the soclal concerns she had about women's colleges) ... loved the connection to Columbia ... academically felt the equal and a little different (more smaller classes) ... the campus itself felt warmer, more intimate, and more vibrant ... and the students felt more down-to-earth, friendly, and funky.</p>
<p>Both schools were great ... I actually like both (and the location) much more than I expected ... but to me they have very different feels (which I did not expect) ... and the connection of the two schools is terrific ... so I'd expect most applicants to prefer one over the other because one feels more like home to them.</p>
<p>So that my story. </p>
<p>(post script - after the visits, before talking to my duaghter I sent my wife an email ... "Given what our daughter has told us she is looking for ... I have seen her future and it is Barnard (if she is lucky enough for Barnard to accept her)". 5 months later I am a very proud Dad of a Barnard 2013 ED admit!)</p>
<p>Aww, cool, Zoos! I look forward to hearing all about your daughter's admission adventures and her wonderful time at Barnard!!! Great choice! </p>
<p>Yeah, my daughter is graduating this year as well. It's flown by (she is currently at U Penn for a grad school interview weekend). Just can't believe it's almost over...she has LOVED Barnard and I cannot believe the woman she has become.</p>
<p>What 3tg said. Columbia had been D's #1 on paper before visiting. After visiting, Barnard made the cut (wound up being a bridesmaid) and D didn't even apply to Columbia. The schools are more different in feel than one might think at first glance.</p>
The difference between a CC vs BC education is akin to that of night and day. The Core Curriculum, which Barnard students decry is inconvenient, is an intellectual asset unmatched in collegiate education. Barnard is a good school, but one that Columbia students generally regret their association with, regardless of whether they have the audacity (Barnard’s pc crowd would assassinate them for it) to admit it.
@calmom. I will put a positive spin on the resurrection of this ancient thread, and offer a word of thanks to cufrosh for re-animating it. Despite his (apparent) toxic intent, I enjoyed reading the thread and feel really good about where Barnard sits on my kids wish list.
I have long wondered about the Columbia/Barnard relationship but did not unearth this thread in my prior searches of the Barnard CC forum. My little science nerd fell in love with Barnard, but imagines a future doing research on the Columbia side of the street. I worried that she should have applied to Columbia, given it more consideration, etc. I spent a lot of time this fall nagging that she should apply to Columbia. Reading these comments from 2008/09, I find myself more confident that she knows herself well and chose well in editing her application list. I am convinced that she and her manual typewriter (for writing poetry about physics, naturally ) would only belong at Barnard.
And she will have the added advantage and experience of completing original research and writing a thesis about it when she graduates, which is a requirement for Barnard students. And she will be a “little science nerd” who writes VERY VERY well when all is said and done. My D is currently in a PhD program and her writing skills set her apart from the crowd. Barnard holds much credit for that!
I posted this in another thread but I think it’s relevant here as well. Columbia U. conducted a quality of life survey in 2013. The results showed Barnard students to be more satisfied on many measures than students at other undergrad colleges, with a very stark difference on satisfaction with academic advising.
Of course this is subjective and could be influenced by many factors, including differences in response rates or pre-existing expectations. The survey reports a statistical average- it could be more revealing to look at scatter plots to get better sense of range of student responses – in any survey those who have very strong feelings are more likely to respond, so they can skew the results. But there does seem to be a different campus culture at each college that may be a contributing factor.
) would only belong at Barnard.