<p>How does Columbia's biology, biochemistry, and chemistry programs compare to those of UC Berkeley, Wesleyan, UC San Diego, UC Davis, Tufts and Stanford? Why would (or wouldn't) I choose Columbia over the others? I don't want reasons like reputation, because all of these schools have more or less the same prestige... </p>
<p>I'd also like to know more about the social life. How is it like studying in the middle of New York City? I heard that most Columbia students spend their time sitting around talking about the humanities core -- is that true? Or are there equal opportunities for science/math geeks like me to have a fulfilling social life too?</p>
<p>I’ll post a little about myself in case it helps you:</p>
<ul>
<li>Asian female</li>
<li>Lower/Middle middle-class background with immigrant parents</li>
<li>Interest in the sciences</li>
<li>Hobbies include music, visual arts, reading</li>
<li>My high school is relatively small (1200 students) so I’m a little tired of always being around the same group(s) of people</li>
<li>I like and am used to diversity. My high school has about ~40% white, ~33% asian. I hate to say it, but I’m not sure what percentage black and latino students we have, but I see quite a few. We also have many mixed-race students.</li>
<li>I don’t want to be lost in large classes and I don’t want to be over-exposed in tiny discussion classes</li>
<li>I prefer cities and active suburbs to quiet suburbs and rural areas</li>
<li>Not a party person at all. I enjoy sports every now and then but I’m not a big fan…</li>
<li>I want freedom to change majors because I still haven’t decided what I want to do later on in life</li>
</ul>
<p>whoa…those are the reasons I chose to apply to columbia, sort of. So, yeah!</p>
<p>Are you a junior or senior? If you’re a senior, I assume you applied to SEAS so you’d definitely find math/scienc-y people who discuss math/science-y stuff. The core is still mandatory (somewhat) for SEAS students as well, so that’s probably what you heard about. I heard it’s a unifying force among students really considering the lack of school spirit relative to peer ivy institutions.</p>
<p>Browse through the “Helpful Columbia Threads” a few threads above this one. It will help you learn about Columbia’s social life more.</p>
<p>bio biochem and chem are College majors not SEAS. biochem and chem are one of the best in the nation (of course berkeley and stanford are on top)</p>
<p>I applied as a biochem major to Columbia, rejected at Stanford but accepted to College of Chemistry @ Berkeley. I’d choose Columbia over Berkeley though!!</p>
<p>I’m a senior and I’m waiting for a response <em>crosses fingers</em> … which comes out March 31st. Pyn, what made Columbia more appealing than Berkeley?</p>
<p>Yeah, I know it’s hypothetical. Even if I’m lucky and get in that still doesn’t tell me why one is a better fit for me than the other. Why do I care now? Because I just want to be informed about what I could possibly get myself into.</p>
<p>In my opinion, there are a lot of reasons to choose Columbia. First and foremost, the faculty at Columbia is incredible. Just as an example, seventy-eight Columbians have been awarded the Nobel Prize!([Columbia</a> University: About Columbia](<a href=“http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/nobel-year-desc.html]Columbia”>http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/nobel-year-desc.html)) The faculty really cares about their students, and are always accessible. Also, the campus is in New York City! You can’t really beat that. Additionally, the school attracts amazing speakers year round. In my time here I’ve seen the Dalai Lama, the President of Iraq, the President of Bolivia (twice), the Presidents of Argentina, Mexico, Panama, and El Salvador appearing with Shakira, plus several others. It’s really a privilege to be here and to be given so many opportunities to learn from others.</p>
<p>In terms of the social life on campus, there really is something for everyone. While students do discuss the Core, that is by no means the whole social scene! If you are a math/science person you will find TONS of people interested in those areas. My roommates and I sit around all the time watching Planet Earth and Extreme Engineering. There are tons of different places to explore around the city, and lots of events on campus as well. This weekend, in Lerner Hall, we had a sneak preview of the new Seth Rogan movie “Observe and Report”, just for students!</p>
<p>I highly, highly recommend Columbia. There is a lot of diversity here, and you will DEFINITELY find people you enjoy and activities you can’t get enough of!</p>
<p>ppiscicida, I think you would love Columbia - but go and see for yourself - get the vibe, do an overnight, talk to students or better yet, overhear them :)</p>
<p>I attended both Columbia and UC Berkeley (Davis and UCSD are about the same as UCB). I can recommend Columbia over the UCs for the reasons already cited above. Berkeley’s huge size makes it tough to get to know your professors when you’re one student out of 500 majoring in biology or biochemistry. On the other hand, I got to know my General Chemistry and Calc. professors quite well, and this was when I was a freshman.</p>
<p>Forget about the departmental rankings. Look at the overall college experience and the balanced curriculum. I think you will find that Columbia is tough to beat.</p>