I’m a freshman at Columbia College, and I’m finding LitHum to be an actual living hell. I haven’t done any Literature in my life (international student) and the Core curriculum is holding me by the neck.
While I understand the premise of the Core curriculum, I find the method and pace of teaching to be suffocating. Everyone pays lip service to LitHum and I highly doubt any original or critical thinking can be done with only a few days spent on each book.
Are there any consequences to transferring to SEAS from CC?
It’s unfortunate that the Core is proving hard for you. The style and expectations of seminars at the college level can be quite an adjustment for many very high achieving students. One of the things that most Columbia students don’t take advantage of is talking to the instructor/professor at office hours. The writing center is also very helpful for standard American English, which is often very different than what is taught in English classes abroad. The College is very insistent that it is the center piece of a Columbia education, so feeling less burdened by it is important. Talk to your adviser about how you’re feeling and develop a plan of action.
If you really want to be an engineer, transferring between SEAS and CC is not that hard. Since you’re a freshman and probably STEM oriented, I would guess that you’re taking or planning on taking calculus,chem and physics this year in addition to University Writing and LitHum. Those grades will matter a lot. The one speed bump is Art of Engineering, the required freshman engineering class. You’ll have to figure out how to stuff that in sophomore year. Taking a summer class at Columbia or elsewhere may help as would maximizing any available AP credit or placement, even if you weren’t planning on using it.