Lectures open to the public?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>Hi everyone! Would any Columbia students care to enlighten me of the rules for attending lectures at Columbia? Are the big, standard undergraduate lectures open to the public? Do they have security checks or request ID, or would it be against the rules for a visitor taking interest in the school and in New York for the week to pop by?</p>

<p>Or are there other similar events that ARE open to the broader community? Thanks for reading!</p>

2

<p>Classes, generally speaking, are not open to the public. If you’re a prospective student and want to sit in on a class, then you’re supposed to go through the admissions department. If you know a student at Columbia, though, you could easily just tag along with them and go to a few of their classes. You don’t have to show ID to get into classes, and in the extremely unlikely event that someone asks if you’re in the class, just say “I’m a prospective student” and you’ll be fine.</p>

3

<p>Thanks pwoods! So just to make sure, this wouldn’t be frowned upon? Because I was thinking of doing this and writing about taking the initiative to sit in (or sneak in) on some lectures as part of my Columbia supplement. Although I’m not sure whether they’d appreciate it … or even consider it criminal! :s</p>

4

<p>I don’t know that they’d love it. To me, at first glance, it’s a bit like applying for a job and saying, “Hey, I’ve been in the office before. Yeah, I just let myself in and looked around, took it all in, and then snuck back out.” </p>

<p>So, just be very careful with how you approach it. I know the enthusiasm is there. Sell it the right way and you might be on to something.</p>

5

<p>Will definitely be extra cautious with that, thanks! Just want to make sure it won’t raise any red flags that I’ve broken university rules and garner me instant rejection? :S</p>

6

<p>You shouldn’t base your personal statement or “Why Columbia?” around that experience, but it’s not a bad idea to briefly touch upon how you felt when you visited Columbia and sat it on a class as you write your response to “Why Columbia?”</p>