I’m considering enrolling in Barnard for next Fall, and I love everything about the school and think that it would be such an amazing place to go; however, I’m very timid and shy, and I was wondering if this would make it hard for me to fit in. When I visited, everyone spoke so much about how bold Barnard women are, which is awesome, but are there any girls that may be a bit more reserved? Thanks so much for any input!
Picture yourself 4 years from now, getting ready to graduate. What kind of person do you want to be?
If you are very timid and shy, then attending Barnard & living in NYC will probably take you out of your comfort zone – but that is also an opportunity for growth.
I was very shy before I started college at a large university…a very long time ago - but I changed. I had to consciously work at those changes, though: making it a point from day #1 to be more outgoing, to hang out in spots where there were a lot of students, to remember to smile, to introduce myself, etc.
It’s ok to be reserved, but if you spend most of your time studying alone in your dorm room, it will be hard to make friends at any college. You will have to take initiative. What are your nonacademic interests? Does Barnard seem to have organizations or activities that would be a good way to meet others with similar interests?
Thank you so much for your response! I would love to become a strong-willed Barnard woman, and “major in unafraid” and everything, and it would be so cool if attending the school would help me to do that. I think I’m a little bit nervous, though, that it will be too overwhelming, and I’ll wind up withdrawing more than I otherwise would. I really like writing, and would love to work on the Columbia Spectator, but worry that with so many incredibly talented staff members, it’d be too intimidating. Was it hard for you branch out? Are you familiar with Barnard’s campus, and if so, do you know if there are any shy girls enrolled?
My daughter is a Barnard grad so I am very familiar with the campus. It really depends on you. I do think that attending a woman’s college can be a big confidence booster. But you are also going to have to take initiative.
I know you are also considering Haverford – I saw your other post, and saw that you were concerned about internship opportunities. I don’t know what types of internships you might be interested in, but if an internship is advertised though the career center, there will be other students competing for the same position. You might not get the internships you want because others, more confident students make a better impression at an interview.
Let me draw an analogy. Columbia (not Barnard) requires students to pass a swim test to graduate. Some students can’t swim and are afraid of water – should a student like that go to Columbia? If that swim test is going to lead to 4 years of trepidation and taking a beginner swim test would make that student entirely miserable for a semester… maybe that student would be a lot happier elsewhere. But if the student’s attitude is, “good, maybe I’ll finally overcome my fear of water, it’s good for me to be at a place where I won’t be able to make excuses to avoid learning to swim any more” – well then of course that student would want to come to Columbia. (The swim test isn’t that hard)
You do have a deadline and you have an excellent pair of choices – you just have to think about which environment is best.