<li><p>do you students at barnard feel like you’ve got a tight group of friends, are lonely and do things by yourself, or are you in a columbia sorority (because i know barnard doesn’t have them i think) ? </p></li>
<li><p>also hows the campus (i have yet to visit it) </p></li>
<li><p>the diversity?. I’m Indian so I’d like to know if there is an Indian crowd at all or if the main population is Jewish (JAPS a.k.a Jewish American Princesses?) from Long Island/New Jersey as I’ve heard?</p></li>
<li><p>How much access to Columbia do you get? I’d have Barnard pride, but can someone really tell if you’re in Barnard vs. Columbia because I heard some people just room in Columbia dorms. </p></li>
<li><p>The classes/profs, do you like them?</p></li>
<li><p>Does being in an all-girl college keep you from meeting boys? lol</p></li>
<li><p>Andddd last question. Are you happy, or do you regret coming? </p></li>
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<ol>
<li><p>D says she has a tight group of friends. They do a lot of things together both on and off campus.</p></li>
<li><p>Barnard's campus is small with a cozy, suburban feel. Columbia's campus is bigger, with a large quad. There's a surprising amount of green, considering the location. The two campuses are right across the street, and students constantly go back and forth. It's hard to tell you're in the middle of New York City once you enter the gates. </p></li>
<li><p>Both schools have large Jewish populations; some of the kids are JAPs, but most aren't. D's not sure about the size of the Indian population, but there is a big Indian dance group that does all kinds of performances, so there's definitely a strong cultural awareness. It isn't really hard to find whatever community you're looking for, be it religious, cultural, or just common interests.</p></li>
<li><p>Barnard girls have a lot of access to Columbia, but there is a sense of Barnard pride. There are a few insecure people on both campuses who feel that Columbia students are smarter, but for the most part students from both colleges have no trouble mixing. The majority of students take classes on both campuses, and you can't really tell who's from where. (Well, obviously the boys are all from Columbia.)</p></li>
<li><p>The classes are good, and for the most part, small. Because Barnard and Columbia work together, there are more classes available then there would normally be at a small liberal arts college. There are great professors and not-so-great professors, just like any other school, but for the most part they are good and very open and willing to help students outside of class. D finds Barnard professors to be more available, and Barnard classes are generally smaller. There's also a web site at Columbia, CULPA culpa.info , where students can rate professors and describe classes, which is pretty useful.</p></li>
<li><p>D doesn't have a boyfriend, but a lot of the girls on the hall do, and there are plenty of places and events to meet guys.</p></li>
<li><p>D is very happy at Barnard, and very glad she went there.</p></li>
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<p>(D answered these questions directly when asked by me. A third of the way through the process she became frustrated with my slow typing and took over the typing, so the answers are accurate even though she continued in the third person.)</p>
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<li><p>i find it's a mix of the two. freshman year in nyc can be very lonely especially when you're surrounded by strong independent women who are great to be around, but kindof intimidating when you think of all they've accomplished. but most people are always up for doing something interesting, and i've found people to be very friendly.</p></li>
<li><p>the campus is fabulous. it is four blocks long, but very pretty and green. columbia across the street gives you a sense of a bigger community. a block away is riverside park which is my favorite spot in the city, and so the neighborhood gives you an even wider circle of community. the pictures online at the prospective student website are pretty good, you should check them out.</p></li>
<li><p>the indian population here is quite thriving but i've noticed it's a bit insular. a girl from my high school who came to barnard a year before me is indian, and in high school she had lots of diverse friends but here ALL her friends are indian. i guess freshman year it's nice to have an ethnic community to be an automatic part of, and obviously not every indian student here is like that, so just make sure that you have a wide circle of friends. </p></li>
<li><p>barnard students can live in columbia dorms, but not many do - about 50 a year (out of 2300 total barnard students), according to reslife. still, i found columbia to be a much bigger part of my life than i'd expected. </p></li>
<li><p>academics, in my opinion, are barnard's strong suit. it can be very intense. </p></li>
<li><p>it's what you make of it. some barnard students have lots of male friends, some don't - and this is probably the case at coed schools too.</p></li>
<li><p>i can't imagine going to school anywhere else.</p></li>
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