<p>Is the campus like just implanted in the middle of the city with skyscrapers all around?? Does it have lots of trees, pretty atmosphere? I can't visit colleges so I would really like advice about the general atmosphere please...</p>
<p><a href="http://www.columbia.edu/help/slideshow/current_01.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.columbia.edu/help/slideshow/current_01.html</a> will give you a nice slideshow of the campus</p>
<p>I really like the campus, it is enclosed, so it is like an island on an island, with magnificent classical style architecture</p>
<p>Not so many trees but a bit of green, central park is pretty close to it, however</p>
<p>it is an enclosed area, a good distance away from the commotion and chaos of midtown manhattan, feels like a community within the city, morningside is basically a square plot surrounded by the dorms, butler library, and low memorial library with a few blocks of academic buildings on the sides</p>
<p>Columbia is on the Upper west side near Harlem so there aren't any towering skyscrapers nearby and the campus is not eclipsed by the surrounding areas. </p>
<p>The campus is very small and takes no more than 5 minutes to get from one side of campus to the other. It is enclosed from the surrounding areas by numerous gates and parts of the campus itself is elevated above the street level. it's kind of cool leaning over a ledge 20 feet above 114th st. and staring at st. peter's (is it peter's?) cathedral.</p>
<p>there aren't many trees but there is some nice landscaping nonetheless. there are patches of green here and there and a bunch of signs warning students not to tread on it lol. i found the campus extremely beautiful at night. the dim lights reflecting off the classic architecture makes for a very beautiful nighttime stroll.</p>
<p>If you have access to Morningside Heights by Andrew S. Dolkart, pick it up. It quickly became one of my favorite books last semester, and the pictures are breathtaking. It'll answer probably all of your questions about the surroundings...</p>
<p>Before the superblock (116-120 / Broadway-Amsterdam; later extended to 114 for Butler and early housing) was Columbia, the Morningside campus was actually home to the Bloomingdale Insane Asylum. The exact date of acquisition escapes me, but Columbia essentially "built up" the surroundings. Barnard's immediately across Broadway and the Teacher's College is to the north, each affiliate schools of the university. There's certainly a communal-feel to the campus, but sadly, you find that many of the students fail to leave the neighborhood (mostly because - as a plus - everything academic exists within the gates for most classes; though a few courses - ArtHum comes to mind - thankfully require students to experience more of the city).</p>
<p>While you said you can't visit that many colleges, experiencing New York is certainly worth it to get a better idea. Morningside Heights is really an off-shoot of the Upper West Side (traditionally of Central Park), so expect pre-war residential buildings lined with shops and restaurants with a number of bars the closer you come to 116th.</p>
<p>how far is cornell from columbia?</p>
<p>lol...228 miles north (a five hour drive away). It's nowhere near New York City, although they do have a medical center in Manhattan.</p>
<p>The campus is stunning. I'm at Columbia for the summer doing research and I live on West 114th Street directly behind Butler Library. It's a really regal, Greek-Inspired Campus in the middle of Manhattan but since it is enclosed, it doesn't really feel like you're in a huge city. Add to that the fact that Columbia is surrounded by parks--Riverside to the West, Morningside to the East, and Central Park about 4 blocks South East--and it feels even less like the stereotypical idea of New York, concrete and steel.</p>