<p>So I got into Columbia ED last week, and yes, I'm pretty excited, but on the other hand, I'm SO nervous. I heard that there's not a strong sense of community there. I'm just so freaked out about making new friends and living in the city and everything...any advice?</p>
<p>Eh a friend of mine went there and she seems to be thriving. Even schools with strong senses of community still require you to put some effort into making friends. Do you have friends now? If so you’ll probably be able to make friends at uni. Join some organizations that interest you, talk to people in class, you should be fine. Congrats on getting in to Columbia!</p>
<p>I am also very nervous, and applied ED to Barnard.</p>
<p>I have a lot of friends now, not to be cocky, and have very good social skills. That’s part of the reason I’m so nervous…I have such an amazing, established network of friends in highschool its scary to not have that. I agree completely with you.</p>
<p>Columbia it’s a great place. I’m sure you are going to make good friends and great life.Good luck</p>
<p>I dunno how helpful this is coming from somebody who turned Columbia down, but one of the things I was worried about was the sense of community/lack of school spirit. I asked a student who went there about it, and he said something that stuck with me. It was to the effect of: “No, this isn’t a place where you all gather every Saturday and rah rah rah sports team. Nor do you walk around every day, like you might at a liberal arts college, noticing a tight-knit community that, admittedly, mostly exists because it is isolated from the world. However, sometimes, when you’re sitting on the steps with a friend, watching the lights and activity of the city go by, and you just say to each other, “Wow, I love this place.”” That seemed like a really appealing picture to me, and I hope you find it true for you.</p>
<p>Congrats, by the way :)</p>
<p>As a Barnard alum, no, Columbia isn’t a “rah rah rah sports team” school because, quite frankly, most of the sports teams aren’t very good. But you don’t need to be in a school with an overwhelming sense of community to have a good time and make lots of friends. Find something you’re interested in, join that, and you won’t have a problem. I belonged to a theater group and THAT was my community. And it was wonderful.</p>
<p>At any school, it might take some time to truly find people with whom you connect. That’s just as easy (or difficult) at Columbia as it is anywhere else. As long as you put yourself out there and you make an effort to join things and participate and whatnot, you don’t have to worry.</p>
<p>I just don’t know. Its at the point where I’m thinking of deferring a year because I’m too scared.</p>
<p>I want to have a college experience, not just live almost like in an apartment and go to class. I’m a very social person.</p>
<p>Okay, I think you’re overthinking this. And I’d like to point out that deferring a year won’t change anything.</p>
<p>But more to the point: Columbia is a very social school. I don’t know where you got the idea that everybody lives in an apartment and just goes to class - there are wonderful, active clubs of all kinds. It’s difficult to say “on-campus” housing when discussing Columbia, because some dorms are a block or two away, but plenty of people stay very close to campus and nearly everyone stays in campus-owned housing. They hang out in Lerner and say hi to friends, they sit on the steps in good weather or play frisbee on the lawn, they join theater troupes and intramural sport teams and religious organizations. They write for campus publications, they study in the library together, and they observe traditions - like the annual tree-lighting ceremony in December - together. </p>
<p>Columbia is a social school and you can find whatever you’re looking for there.</p>
<p>Look, going off to college is scary. But I PROMISE you don’t have anything to worry about.
(is there somewhere you’re getting your ideas? PM me if you have specific questions - I’d love to do what I can to make you feel better. It’s an awesome school!!)</p>
<p>Well I’ve heard there was a suicide a few weeks ago.</p>
<p>I’m also friends with people on facebook who go there who don’t seem like the people I would hang out with.</p>
<p>I don’t know if they have parties like at most other schools.</p>
<p>lol oh college life, always the same. people psyching themselves out over things that other people don’t even think about. don’t worry. why would it be so different from other schools…</p>
<p>Well, it IS something I’m worried about, and I’d like advice.</p>
<p>Have you visited the campus? Rather than taking advice from others, it might be better to feel the place out for yourself.</p>
<p>you want advice? stop worrying and just go do it like everyone else. that’s what i was trying to say - deferring a year will help nothing. wishing you went to another school will help nothing. going and seeing how it is is the best option you have.
but if you really wanted advice about columbia maybe you should try the columbia boards</p>
<p>For crying out loud.</p>
<p>1) You (and I) have no idea why she committed suicide, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because the school was antisocial. She had friends, and apparently some kind of underlying mental condition. That has no bearing on your situation.
Furthermore, unfortunately, Columbia isn’t the only school that has experienced a suicide in the past year. </p>
<p>2) Facebook is wonderful for many, many reasons - but you can’t judge a person by it, and you certainly can’t judge a school. The night before I started at Barnard, I frantically began Facebooking every girl in my orientation group. NONE of them seemed anything like me. They were all into parties and drinking and I definitely wasn’t. I moved into my dorm room with a feeling of dread - I was certain that these girls wouldn’t be anything like me.
And you know what? I didn’t become best friends with any of the girls in my orientation group - but that didn’t matter. I found friends who were interested in the same things as I was. It doesn’t matter if there are 300 people who are not going to become your friend - because there are 100s more who might.</p>
<p>Of course Columbia has parties. There are frat parties and there are parties in dorms - we used to have wild cast parties after shows wrapped. Sure, people go into the city and take advantage of that, which is great, but they party plenty uptown as well. (Not EVERYBODY parties, but of course that’s true at any school.)</p>
<p>I’m beginning to think nothing we say will make you stop worrying. What kind of advice do you want? What can we say? Go to Days on Campus in the spring and see for yourself.</p>
<p>Can’t say anything about Columbia, but I think you have to work pretty hard to not have at least some fun in college. The environment is designed to be social.</p>
<p>Bottom line: worry about classes, not your social life.</p>
<p>If you have these concerns, why did you apply ED?</p>
<p>My S was accepted to Columbia several years ago and in April we attended an on-campus program with an overnight stay for him.</p>
<p>First, there are a ton of clubs and activities, so as long as you seek out extracurricular programs, you shouldn’t have a problem finding friends. Also, work to join study groups for your courses. That broadens your network.</p>
<p>What my S didn’t like was the four day class schedule, no classes on Fri - Sun, since a fair number of students went home for the weekend.</p>
<p>However he did learn that there are always a number of parties each weekend, if that’s something you might enjoy.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>If you have these concerns, why did you apply ED?</p>
<p>My S was accepted to Columbia several years ago and in April we attended an on-campus program with an overnight stay for him.</p>
<p>First, there are a ton of clubs and activities, so as long as you seek out extracurricular programs, you shouldn’t have a problem finding friends. Also, work to join study groups for your courses. That broadens your network.</p>
<p>What my S didn’t like was the four day class schedule, no classes on Fri - Sun, since a fair number of students went home for the weekend.</p>
<p>However he did learn that there are always a number of parties each weekend, if that’s something you might enjoy.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>