Pre-Med + Transportation + Classes

Colleges and Universities A-Z Barnard College
1

Hi all,

I’ve been really obsessed with Barnard lately. I’m looking at the pre-med path, and I feel like Barnard would prepare me well for med school because of its location in NYC (internships) and variety of courses in the sciences. However, I do have some concerns.

(1) Pre-health advising - According to http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2015/02/10/barnard-pre-heath-students-say-advising-dean-provides-inadequate-support, it seems like the pre-health advisor is not quite responsive or helpful all the time to student needs, and perhaps even more shocking is Barnard’s med school acceptance rate-- 62%, lower than several of the other Seven Sisters’ colleges. I was wondering if there are other alternatives on getting general help with surviving the pre-med program.

(2) Transportation - I’m the type of person who loves exploring, so if I was accepted to Barnard, exploring NYC would definitely be one of my priorities. However, I’m not sure how to navigate through the city without incurring massive subway ticket expenses. An unlimited subway ticket seems excessive as well? Do most Barnard students walk around, take the subway, bus, or taxi?

(3) Classes - Just out of curiosity, what were your favorite courses at Barnard (or Columbia)? Which profs were your favorite / most inspiring?

2

My daughter takes buses and the subway with a rare taxi ride. Taxis are very expensive. She does go all over the city on the subway but hasn’t found the monthly pass to be financially worth it yet. That may change this summer since she has a full time internship.

3

  1. The dean that the article refers to no longer works there (she was asked to leave after the article was written). Indeed she was very unresponsive to student’s needs and very discouraging/not very knowledgeable. I am not sure what the replacement will be like, but every other dean has been very helpful so I am sure they will find someone much better. Also, there are a ton of opportunities for pre-med students. The dean does not make much of a difference, and I was always able to use Columbia’s pre-health resources when I found Barnard to be lacking.

  2. Subway or bus is most common. Taxis typically when there are other people to split the fare. An unlimited subway ticket only makes sense financially if you are going on the subway 2x or more per day (it’s made for people who commute daily). I would not recommend for a student.