Questions about Columbia

<p>I have tons of questions, so I’ll try to post them in small bites.</p>

<p>ACADEMIC CHALLENGE</p>

<li>Who does the teaching?</li>
<li>What do faculty expect of students?</li>
<li>Does the school have good faculty people across the board?</li>
<li>In what ways do faculty challenge students to leave their comfort zone in order to excel?</li>
<li>What is the learning atmosphere? Is learning the concern, or are grades? Is there intense competition for grades?</li>
<li>How much time do students spend on homework each week?</li>
<li>What types of assignments are given (papers, exams, problem sets, rehearsals, research projects, etc.)?</li>
<li>How much writing is expected? </li>
<li>How much reading is assigned per class?</li>
<li>What are exams like? Do the professors give essay or multiple-choice exams?</li>
<li>Is there an honor code that condemns cheating?</li>
<li>In what ways are students given the opportunity to express themselves creatively in assignments?</li>
<li>What types of tutors or tutoring opportunities exist on campus?</li>
<li>Does every senior have to write a thesis or do some major project as a capstone of his college experience?</li>
<li>Is this a demanding or an easy place?</li>
</ol>

<p>I know that for a few of them, the answer is “It depends.”</p>

<p><a href="http://apps.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=3853&type=qfs&word=columbia%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://apps.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=3853&type=qfs&word=columbia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<ol>
<li>Professors and TAs</li>
<li>That they do the work</li>
<li>It's an Ivy league school. Duh.</li>
<li>Many, the Core being one. Individual methods would vary from teacher to teacher.</li>
<li>That would depend on each individual student's beliefs/values.</li>
<li>A lot, I'm sure. But that would vary by major and courseload.</li>
<li>All of them, as with any other college.</li>
<li>See above. There are these things called papers. Sometimes professors like to assign them.</li>
<li>It depends. But freshman at the college read Crime & Punishment in three weeks, so a lot.</li>
<li>What are exams like? Do the professors give essay or multiple-choice exams?</li>
<li>Yes. Duh.</li>
<li>It would depend on the major. But Frontiers of Science has an extra credit assignment in which students express themselves creatively about their love of the class. YouTube videos and song lyrics about frogs ensued.</li>
<li>Different departments have their own programs and some of the academic success programs have their own staff/programs.</li>
<li>Depends on the major.</li>
<li>Ivy league. Demanding.</li>
</ol>

<p>In the future, do some research. Go to the website or pick up a guidebook.</p>

<p>90% of this was answerable by <a href="http://www.columbia.edu%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.columbia.edu&lt;/a> or the Helpful threads guide at the top of this forum....</p>

<p>These questions are so asinine that I highly doubt the person 1) is interested in going to Columbia, and 2) came up with these questions on his/her own.</p>

<p>Who the heck talks/writes/thinks of such stuff as: "In what ways are students given the opportunity to express themselves creatively in assignments" and "In what ways do faculty challenge students to leave their comfort zone in order to excel"?</p>

<p>My guess is that the OP is taking some sort of career guidance course and was told to do research on certain colleges and was given these questions to find answers to</p>

<p>ses: Just because a school is in the Ivy League does NOT mean that it has the best faculty across the board, and it does NOT mean that it's super-demanding. The Ivy League is just a name.</p>

<p>Skraylor: Yeah, I'm aware of the college website. I'm sure that there are some things on the website that sound great but aren't quite the reality. I'm asking students these questions because I want confirmation from the students themselves, and I don't want to depend too much on what the website says. I think that some things can sound really great on paper, but the students can say the good and the bad. I will tell you this: I'll take a deeper look at the Helpful Threads site and the school website.</p>

<p>Columbia2002: I must admit, the questions in general do sound ridiculous, and I agree. But then again, I would rather know the answers to these questions than to have misconceptions. I do have interest in going to Columbia based on what I've read. Who cares who the heck says something strange? The answers are what's important. And the students will give more honest answers than the institution will.</p>

<p>I'm asking these questions because the answers will help me decide if I want to apply to Columbia or not. Before I apply, I want to know as much about the college as I can. Yes, I know that there's a college website, but I want to have confirmation from the students themselves. Of course, I won't doubt everything the website says. I mean, I won't ask, "What's the address and telephone number," but I will try to ask questions that the college website might mislead people on.</p>

<p>Well, I think they're good questions. They may sound strange, but I think that the answers to the questions will give me a much better sense of what life at Columbia will be like. Honestly, I was quite surprised by how the people at Columbia answered them, because the people at Tufts and U. Chicago and Reed gave better answers in much greater depth. They all seemed to have a lot to say. Perhaps you guys just don't have the time?</p>

<p>Columbia is a great school--- that's not for everyone. Can you handle the city? Can you handle the Core? Do you prefer a fast-paced, no-shi*t lifestyle vs a more typical, laid back style? Columbia will get you wherever you want to go-- provided you can get in, and you work hard. </p>

<p>Best way to know a school is to visit if you can. As someone who intimately researched the very best schools in the nation, I can honestly tell you that more or less if you transported one class from any Ivy League to another, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference at all. The quality of the faculty (Columbia has the most Nobel Prizes in the world--- and tied with UChicago for the most in Economics. Columbia has won like 7-8 in the last 10 years), the caliber of the students, are all top notch.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Who cares who the heck says something strange? The answers are what's important.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The questions are so stupid that they will not elicit meaningful, helpful responses. For example, I don't even know that it means to "leave [my] comfort zone in order to excel."</p>

<p>
[quote]
Honestly, I was quite surprised by how the people at Columbia answered them, because the people at Tufts and U. Chicago and Reed gave better answers in much greater depth. They all seemed to have a lot to say. Perhaps you guys just don't have the time?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Columbia students are cynical and don't have a high tolerance for BS. We don't feel that someone deserves a 6 paragraph answer to "Is this a demanding or an easy place?"</p>

<p>
[quote]
Columbia students are cynical and don't have a high tolerance for BS. We don't feel that someone deserves a 6 paragraph answer to "Is this a demanding or an easy place?"

[/quote]
</p>

<p>oh man, I love Columbia even more now.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Columbia students are cynical and don't have a high tolerance for BS. We don't feel that someone deserves a 6 paragraph answer to "Is this a demanding or an easy place?"

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I don't go there but know a lot of people that do and that work there I have to say this is completely true. And like idontcare, it makes me love Columbia even more.</p>

<p>Columbia2002, though you are being overly haughty I really do have to agree that the Columbians I met are cynical && don't have any patience for BS. Ironically, that is kind of attractive because I myself want to be around serious people that are always succeeding but ummmmm</p>

<p>dchow08, Columbia really is a great school but it depends on your taste. I heard Ivy league degrees don't come easy so are you ready for the challenge?</p>

<p>Tip*:::: If you're a cheap scape, Don't come to New York AT ALL because you will get bombarded by high prices. If you think you'll get distracted easily by attractions, then forget Columbia because New York City is full of it</p>

<p>Wow, you guys are really.... um... unhelpful?</p>

<p>Dchow was right-- I'm interested in Reed and UChi, and the Reed and UChi answers were really helpful and in-depth, as were the Tufts ones.</p>

<p>I thought I was interested in Columbia, too, because of the city and the core, but you guys are SNOBS who think that mentioning that you're in a STUPID SPORTS CONFERENCE with SEVEN OTHER SCHOOLS is somehow PROOF of your superiority. You've mentioned FIVE SEPARATE TIMES in THIS VERY THREAD that you're in the IVY LEAGUE. Like I care!</p>

<p>Even if the answers are "it varies from class to class," can you give us SOME examples of how you've experienced that variation. I understand that these questions are difficult, but they are coming from somebody who wants to make sure she is CHALLENGED throughout her undergraduate years and just doesn't get a rubber-stamp diploma, even if it IS an IVY LEAGUE DIPLOMA!</p>

<p>And if you need help on answering these questions, I highly suggest you look at what the Tufts, Reed, and Chicago people said. Oh, I know they're stupider than you, they're all crying because they didn't get into Columbia, but still... their paragraphs were much more helpful than the one-sentence or one-word answers.</p>

<p>If I ever end up in or near Columbia, I hope that I find students who aren't like you guys!</p>

<p>calling our school "ivy league" is a shorthand for an indicator that it is highly competitive, well-funded, and prestigious. the sports conference it's in is the least important aspect when that term is used. should you care whether the school is highly competitive, well-funded, and prestigious? I would think so. Using the term saves the time of both yourself and ourselves. it has nothing to do with a feeling of superiority. but in answering questions like "is this a demanding or an easy place", the answer is SO obvious that the fact you'd think that was a good question is kinda shocking.</p>

<p>We're also smart enough around here to know when we're being taken advantage of. When people come in with specific questions that show (1) original thought, or (2) a situation where we can be helpful, you'll see pages and pages of carefully-thought out posts, and arguments between us afterwards. What we don't respond well to is being treated like automatons. We're not some computer program that you can plug a list of 15 questions into and get beautifully-worded lengthy answers every time. We're real people, dammit, and we expect a conversation.</p>

<p>If you saw us standing in a group at a party, and came over and said "hey guys, excuse me, I had a quick question about Columbia... how intense are Columbia kids when it comes to class? Do they help each other? etc", you'd be warmly received and we'd start talking about it. But if you came over and said "excuse me guys, I had a list of 15 questions I was hoping I could take a survey on", we'd be extremely annoyed.</p>

<p>if you can't see the difference, you need to grow up. just because you've got a bunch of patsies over at the Chicago board who are willing to be your suckers doesn't mean that everyone's going to act like that.</p>

<p>edit:</p>

<p>it's also clear that you took that list of questions from some guidance counselor or book somewhere. like C02 said in post #4, this sounds like you were given a long list of questions to consider as stuff to think about when choosing between colleges. that doesn't mean you should take it literally and go get specific answers to every single situation. your intro that "I have tons of questions, so I'll try to post them in small bites" makes this even more obvious. You (or someone) categorized them, for god's sake. Show some originality. We're not robots.</p>

<p>Fine, you want answers?</p>

<p>1. Who does the teaching?
Professors do lectures and seminars. In large lecture classes you'll also have a recitation section taught by a TA, who is usually a grad student, and in those you get the chance to ask more specific questions in a smaller more friendly setting.</p>

<p>2. What do faculty expect of students?
Hard work. For analytical (math/science) courses, weekly problem sets and 1-2 midterms + final. For literature/history type courses, a few research papers (or the equivalent) and a midterm+final. There's no expectation that you come to office hours, but you'll find them very helpful.</p>

<p>3. Does the school have good faculty people across the board?
Yes. </p>

<p>Good faculty people? What were you expecting, "no, all the professors are ****. they keep hiring hobos off the street"?</p>

<p>4. In what ways do faculty challenge students to leave their comfort zone in order to excel?
You're expected to take responsibility for your own education. Nobody's going to hold your hand. If you want to challenge yourself, the challenges are there and are plentiful. If you want to try something new, and you need to work to keep up at it, there's lots of support - but you have to go and find it. You have to go to office hours, you have to study with friends, you have to seek out TAs or go to the physics helproom or buy a book to supplement your textbook. Nobody's going to force you to leave your comfort zone (except the core classes), so with that exception you have to take responsibility for yourself.</p>

<p>5. What is the learning atmosphere? Is learning the concern, or are grades? Is there intense competition for grades?
There's intense competition for grades, but in my experience it's mostly self-focused, i.e. people measure themselves against their own standards of what they should be getting. There's no backstabbing each other in curved classes, it's highly cooperative if you want it to be.</p>

<p>Grades are an indicator of learning - this isn't some high school assessment test like the Regents. If you can get a good grade in a class, it's because you've learned a whole lot. The two are intertwined. Bad question.</p>

<p>6. How much time do students spend on homework each week?
I'd say the average student studies 2-3 hours a night during the week (which includes reading), and puts a lot of time in on Sundays, maybe 5-6 hours and up. thursday, friday and saturday nights, most people don't do a lot of work, or if they do it's a rare circumstance. during midterms and finals time, there'll be more work across the board.</p>

<p>7. What types of assignments are given (papers, exams, problem sets, rehearsals, research projects, etc.)?
All of the above. Depends on the class. Dumb question.</p>

<p>8. How much writing is expected?
Depends on your major. I was an applied math major in the engineering school, I had to do 4 papers for University Writing freshman year, 4 papers across 2 semesters for Lit Hum, and then voluntarily signed up for History of NYC and did a research paper there. But other than that my classes were problem sets and exams.</p>

<p>9. How much reading is assigned per class?
Depends on the class. Lit Hum and CC (contemporary civ) are the cornerstones of the core curriculum and involve a long reading list of fiction and nonfiction, respectively. For each of those classes I was reading 300-400 pages per week. There's a lot of complex philosophy and political thought in CC, so that goes by slower.</p>

<p>10. What are exams like? Do the professors give essay or multiple-choice exams?
Depends on the class. Multiple choice is very rare though. Most of the time it's either essay (for a liberal arts class) or "solve this problem, show your work, and give an answer" (math/science class) or short answer to prove you understand a concept (any class).</p>

<p>11. Is there an honor code that condemns cheating?
Uh, yes, but there's no ritual involved with it. Get caught and you're ****ed. There's a disciplinary committee. Why are you asking this?</p>

<p>12. In what ways are students given the opportunity to express themselves creatively in assignments?
Analytical classes: Get the right answer, foo. If you can do so elegantly, all the better, but you still just get full credit. Interpretive classes (literature, history, cultures, etc): write a well-thought-out paper or essay on an interesting subject.</p>

<p>Dumb question.</p>

<p>13. What types of tutors or tutoring opportunities exist on campus?
Lots. Both internal to the school (doesn't pay so well) and off-campus, tutoring underprivileged kids (may not pay at all), or rich kids who want some smartass columbia student to help them (can pay very well - $50 is not unheard-of).</p>

<p>14. Does every senior have to write a thesis or do some major project as a capstone of his college experience?
No. Although plenty do.</p>

<p>15. Is this a demanding or an easy place?
This question is like Rockefeller's yacht. How much does it cost? Well, if you have to ask, you can't afford it. Similarly, if you have to ask whether this is an easy school, it may not be the right place for you. </p>

<p>Most every columbia student I know relishes the intensity level and the challenge that columbia poses. They may b*tch about it occasionally but deep down most of them love it. If you have to ask, you're probably not like that.</p>

<p>I don't think its that serious^</p>

<p>Theres no need for you && Columbia2002 to be annoyed with it
There are some people who are new to Columbia University && don't know about its reputation so cut the OP some slack</p>

<p>Then again, it would be smarter to go on their website rather than asking it on College Confidential but still I don't see it as something to fuss about. If you feel the thread is worthless then move && and look right past it!</p>

<p>Actually, I agree whole-heartedly with Denzera.</p>

<p>And seeing as he's actually attended Columbia, So Authentic, one would be inclined to believe him over you.</p>

<p>truazn: Intimately researched the very best schools? Does that mean you don't go to Columbia? I still value what you say, but I'd rather hear info from actual students.</p>

<p>So Authentic: You bring up a good point about how pricey New York is. I've taken it into consideration, but my emphasis is on the education I'll get there. Yes, I will go on their website first!</p>

<p>Smyeth: Thank you. I appreciate it. The questions don't even have to be answered separately. Information about students' experiences at Columbia and some examples would be awesome. These questions were meant to give me more knowledge from students about the education I can get if I go to Columbia.</p>

<p>Columbia2002: You don't have to answer them one by one. In fact, you don't have to answer the questions that you don't like. If you prefer conversation, then all you have to do is to answer some questions in a conversational style that leads to more discussion and say that you prefer conversation to question-and-answer. There's absolutely no need to be in a fit of rage over this. </p>

<p>Denzera: You said that just because I have a list of questions doesn't mean that I have to or should just flat out list them and expect well-crafted answers. That's a very good point. And I can see it too. You guys clearly prefer conversation over question-and-answer. That's fine by me. Thank you for your responses.</p>

<p>We can definitely have discussion. In fact, that would probably be better. This was meant to be a thread on academics and student-faculty interaction in Columbia University, not an attack on whether my questions are good or bad. It's the answers and information that are important, because from those I can better gauge what my experience in Columbia can be. I want to know if I'll be academically challenged in a variety of ways, and the questions are questions to consider. So even though I might flat out list them, which I did, you can answer a few of them in a kind of discussion.</p>

<p>ses, it really isn't about who attends columbia
or who agrees with who
to be honest, teh question the OP asked really isn't that big of a deal and I won't let it raise my blood cells but whatever, I geuss he has freedom of speech</p>

<p>I partly agree with denzera that plugging in questions is insulting to the current students and alums on this board....the fact that we are here shows that we are happy to help and any insinuation that we aren't is misguided...if we didn't want to help you why would we spend so much time on this site?? However, I think rather than writing lines upon lines about how stupid the questions r etc you can just ignore the thread!</p>

<p>
[quote]
truazn: Intimately researched the very best schools? Does that mean you don't go to Columbia? I still value what you say, but I'd rather hear info from actual students.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>he's a pre-frosh</p>

<p>
[quote]
teh question the OP asked really isn't that big of a deal and I won't let it raise my blood cells but whatever

[/quote]
</p>

<p>last i checked your hematocrit doesnt situationally change....hope you aren't planning on being a bio major.</p>

<p>and now the only question i care to answer after quickly skimming them:</p>

<h1>14 (i think): In several engineering majors there is a final project where you either have to design and build something (ex: BME and MechE) or just design something on paper (ChemE)....this will be senior year and is something like a thesis for engineers...but unlike theses in liberal arts, everyone must complete it, not just certain individuals who meet the criteria.</h1>

<p>Despite all of what was said previously on this board, we do hope that you will take an interest in Columbia and decide to apply!! =)</p>

<p>OK, lets try and get this thread back on track now that everyone has squabbled over the thought placed in the questions...</p>

<p>
[quote]
This was meant to be a thread on academics and student-faculty interaction in Columbia University

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The short answer to this was already stated. Like Denz said, no one will hold your hand in college. If you decide to try and get to know a professor or 2 to the point of being able to confide your deepest and darkest secrets to, go ahead. If you don't, doesn't matter. </p>

<p>Now, don't go thinking that being buddy-buddy with Jeffrey Sachs or PrezBo is exactly attainable for everyone (I would say it isnt unless you are like a Rhodes scholar or something), but for the most part you get to choose how well you want to know your profs.</p>

<p>I can't really comment on any of the departments other than chem.e. but it has been my experience that all the profs there are very open if you are interested in them. You want to do research with them? Well go knock on their door and tell them you are very interested in [x]. Chances are they will give you a spot on their project. </p>

<p>Too tired to really think this out more clearly but you guys get the idea and can take it from here</p>