Hello! Can anyone tell me about the party scene at Barnard? I don’t party, drink or do anything similar. I am currently an undergraduate @ a pretty good school. I was told by many that my particular college has a place for people who do party and don’t, but that no one don’t go crazy. Lets just say I had a culture shock. I understand that people do drink underage and go nuts at parties as my high school was notorious for this, but I am a little surprised by the actions of some the students at my college as well as the way the administration handles. Just to be civil, I don’t want to release the name of my school. And a lot of these inappropriate things happen on campus, where as in other colleges these sort of things happen elsewhere (or at least that is what I have been told). I’m thinking about transferring to Barnard, NOT because of the social scene, ONLY purely because of academics, I’m just trying to ensure I pick the right transfer school and one that I will be comfortable being at. If someone could give me candid answer I would appreciate it.
You make such a strong case for the reasons you are displeased with the social scene where you are, using many lines of text, then barely squeeze your desire for Barnard in to the paragraph at the end. Is it important to you that you are someplace where the student body and administration have a view on socializing that is out of sync with yours? I would say yes, very much so.
What is it that you seek information on that would help you to determine if you could be comfortable at Barnard, if not information on the social scene?
You will find “underage” drinking at all universities. Barnard, however, is not a party school but the social scene is very active and is influenced by the college’s location in NYC. If you don’t want to be subject to outside influences, a university in NYC isn’t a good idea.
Current Barnard student here. The party scene is what you make of it. I personally don’t party or drink at all, yet still have a social life. The Barnard dorms are fairly small, so parties happen at Columbia, giving Barnard students the option of whether to participate or not without feeling like they’re surrounded by the constant sound of retching kids. You will find kids on drugs and alcohol wherever you go; that is not unique to any university and it’s something you will simply have to learn to live with. However, at Barnard there is no pressure to participate and if you wish to insulate yourself from these incidents, it’s not very hard.
honestly barnard is pretty create your own adventure. you can be that girl going downtown all the time, or you can be the one who got to 21 without having her first drink. No one will care either way, and you will find your people.