<p>Based on the posts of some purported Columbia students to Bwog last week, I have the distinct impression that the envy runs the other way: that there are a lot of Columbia students, particularly women, who are feeling that Barnard offers more to its students. </p>
<p>I’m sure there are a handful of students who are rejected from Columbia but admitted to Barnard who feel disappointed while they are still in high school – but those feelings probably change once they are confronted with the reality of the two schools.</p>
<p>I rarely see students or parents posting on CC expressing much concern about one of the most important issues at any college: the relationships between students & their administration, between faculty & administration, and between students and faculty. Barnard is awesome in that respect. The students seem to love their President, they loved the last President, they have an easy and friendly relationship with their professors & Deans. </p>
<p>My daughter told me that things were very different on the other side of the street – the students at Columbia were always complaining and frustrated about their administration and you can see that in posts on this board and elsewhere. They complain about bureaucracy & about feeling unsupported, and they complain overall about a sense of alienation at their school. Perhaps the complainers simply make more noise than the students who have more positive feelings about the school… but I’m starting to see a clear connection between the disenchantment some Columbia students seem to feel and the Barnard bashing.</p>
<p>I can follow up to calmom’s comment in this respect:</p>
<p>Throughout her experience at Columbia, my daughter (who, I emphasize, was happy there, and would definitely apply again) did consistently describe a theme of “maneuvering” with respect to professors. She liked her classes, and had excellent professors for the most part… BUT: she did feel that she had to constantly manipulate her class schedule, and sometimes drop and add classes frantically, or take classes other than her true first choices, in order to find the professors who were really the ones with whom to have (quoting calmom) the “easy and friendly relationships.” Some Columbia professors (a minority) she (my daughter) did find to be rather distant, inflexible, and (on occasion) ineffective as teachers. She is a responsible student, with solid work habits, and has always been used to having a good relationship with her teachers. Again, she ended up with an excellent experience at Columbia, but with the caveat that she needed to keep a sharp lookout, and to maneuver somewhat, in order to make sure that she found the best faculty. </p>
<p>So, in this respect, I can confirm the Columbia-experience “photo negative” of what others are reporting about the positive experience of Barnard students regarding Barnard’s more teaching-oriented, approachable faculty.</p>
<p>My daughter is now toward the end of finishing up at Barnard. (She was accepted to BC and CC) and is very happy with her choice of Barnard and prefers taking her classes at Barnard, though she had to take a few classes that were offered at Columbia only such as statistics.</p>
<p>Barnard is certainly an integral part of the CU community but has its own traditions & vibe. My daughter seems to feel that the happy women who are at CC prefer the larger feel of CC whereas the unhappy ones look at BC with a certain degree of envy.</p>