Is the core too much?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
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<p>I am a junior very interested in applying to Columbia. I love the intense and intellectual atmosphere at Columbia that convenes with the cosmopolitan atmosphere of NYC. However, after viewing a couple of threads and going over Columbia facebook groups, I have heard many current students complain about the core constituting of 90% of their work time and the core sometimes becoming a very agitating aspect of their education. I do understand that the core is for a person who loves to explore new regions of academics and for a global person, but as humans it is not possible to like and be interested in 100% of this requirement. I want your honest opinions...does the core keep you up all night? does the core sometimes begin to interfere with your major or concentration? Is the core something you really desire and put in voluntary efforts to excel in it? or does it just end up being a bit of a burden and are there times when you just wish you could wash it off your hands?
I just want a really honest opinion on how burdening the core can really get. I knowI can handle it and this is not about me wanting to stay away from the core. I just want to know the gravity and repercussions of doing the core</p>

<p>thanks.</p>

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<p>what's the core?...sorry im going into junior year so i need to ask as many questions as possible?</p>

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<p>"have heard many current students complain about the core constituting of 90% of their work time and the core sometimes becoming a very agitating aspect of their education"</p>

<p>it's more like 60-70% first year and 40-50% soph, maybe 10-20% junior year.</p>

<p>"does the core keep you up all night?"</p>

<p>never by itself, but it adds to what does.</p>

<p>"as humans it is not possible to like and be interested in 100% of this requirement."</p>

<p>what are you talking about. we columbia students have never been bored for a single hour of class, you have to even relish questions on the frontiers of science like "define the arithmetic mean". If you can't be excited by such questions, columbia will see right through your applicants and you'll be at some lesser school which engages in 'distribution requirements'.</p>

<p>"does the core sometimes begin to interfere with your major or concentration?"</p>

<p>not unless you want to quadruple concentrate.</p>

<p>"Is the core something you really desire and put in voluntary efforts to excel in it?"</p>

<p>not really but you do need to have intellectual curiosity in a couple of fields outside your major.</p>

<p>"or does it just end up being a bit of a burden and are there times when you just wish you could wash it off your hands? "</p>

<p>I wanted to wash my hands off it when i first heard about it on arrival, then i took a class or two and found it quite enjoyable and not too time consuming, you're in a lit/philosophy class with non lit or philosophy majors who are interested in the material, so it's a motivating but still relatively unintimidating environment in which to explore other fields. </p>

<p>"I just want to know the gravity and repercussions of doing the core"</p>

<p>you'll be lucky if you don't transfer/get kicked out, others are happy to leave with their lives. :p</p>

4

<p>wasn't there an insanely long thread about this somewhere? check the helpful threads post or just do a search. </p>

<p>Short answer though: your experience with the core depends COMPLETELY on your teacher and classmates. if neither is too engaged in the class, you will not have a good experience. The work is not a problem, it's enjoying class that can be a burden. I think most people average out to liking 60-80% of their core classes just based on this. I don't know anyone who has been so unlucky to have horrible profs/classes for EVERY core class.</p>

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<p>"your experience with the core depends COMPLETELY on your teacher and classmates"</p>

<p>for most this is true, I however had a pretty mediocre contemporary civilization prof first semester (her only good quality was that she was un-intimidating) and my class was apathetic for the most part, but i really enjoyed going to class for the material, discussions (with whoever was willing to contribute) and the progression in the works, the way the class was structured helped. I'm in seas, so it wasn't that my primary field of interest coincided with the material.</p>

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<p>Do apathetic classes happen a lot at CC?</p>

<p>It may be an inaccurate misconception but with the status of the school and small class size in most cases I was expecting lively course discussions to be pretty regular.</p>

<p>As opposed to the 1:3 texting ratio of my current college.</p>

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<p>"Do apathetic classes happen a lot at CC?"</p>

<p>I think i was particularly unlucky, second semester contemp civil was great, but there are always quiet people and apathetic people in every class.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
It may be an inaccurate misconception but with the status of the school and small class size in most cases I was expecting lively course discussions to be pretty regular.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I think I gave a pretty accurate number when I said 60-80% of your core classes will be great. Though there are always exceptions...</p>

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<p>Cool. Do the core classes tend to involve more individual work or team presentations and group projects?</p>

<p>I ask because I come from a business school where pretty much every class was based on the latter.</p>

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<p>"Do the core classes tend to involve more individual work or team presentations and group projects?"</p>

<p>mixed in some classes, in others it's all individual, lots of reading if you're in columbia college.</p>

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<p>Art hum had a group presentation...frontiers apparently has a lot of group work. From what I understand, the more common (non-)science classes college kids tend to take (science across cultures, astronomy, etc) tend to have a group project or two.</p>

<p>LitHum/CC can have group work but I only know 1 or 2 ppl that had it. It depends on the prof for those classes....Have no clue about music hum yet.</p>

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<p>I loved my core classes, except first semester CC. Otherwise it was great.</p>