<p>I am wondering whether currents students and alumni or parents of either think there is a strong social community of students at Columbia for undergrad. I've heard reports from alumni that students all disappear into the city and attending Columbia for undergrad can be a very isolating experience. Obviously going to school in a big city means the individual student would have to put forth more of an effort to make friends than at a small, insular college. However, assuming there are active clubs and organizations to be a part of, is Columbia a close knit socially vibrant campus?</p>
<p>The best way to gauge this is to read <a href=“http://bwog.com/[/url]”>http://bwog.com/</a> on a regular basis. It is the “unofficial” university blog and will give you a feel for whether it is a community that appeals to you.</p>
<p>The entirety of Columbia does not have a close knit, socially vibrant campus. There’s a lack of space on campus for undergraduates to mingle or meet each other, which means that joining an organization on campus and serving on the executive board can be one of the only ways to meet other students. That said, serving on an executive is at best an inefficient and haphazard method, since many of the close-knit boards tend to be cultural or competition based - Model UN, Debate, etc. - and there are the added responsibilities of leading an organization.</p>
<p>If a socially vibrant and close-knit community is one of your top priorities in college, then I would avoid Columbia. There’s not only a lack of a community, there’s also an undercurrent of academic and social dissatisfaction. There are countless numbers of students who’ve, for medical reasons, taken time off of school or have left due to the pressure, the lack of appropriate outlets, as well as the generally apathy of the administration to tackle some of the issues. It may get better as times goes by, but there are fundamental reasons that preclude the existence of a vibrant community, including the continued lack of space as well as the vibrancy of NYC.</p>
<p>“joining an organization on campus and serving on the executive board can be one of the only ways to meet other students”</p>
<p>Come on, beard, you have to join an E-board simply to meet other students? That’s an exaggeration. But you do have to join clubs. That’s pretty much the only way you’ll meet people who are not on your floor or in your classes.</p>
<p>Beard tax has a very legitimate perspective on Columbia, but I would not advise you to listen only to him, as others have had very different experiences. I second Smith’s advice, since reading Bwog and WikiCU were how I got a feel for Columbia when I was a prospie, and I encourage you to look through the forums here for more threads about community (or the lack thereof) at Columbia.</p>
<p>Speaking as a parent, I found that both of my daughters had a great experience attending Columbia. They were both members of an athletic team during their time at CC. That relationship alone gave them a daily community of women and men [practice & meets]that has lasted thru the last 10 years. They also got involved in activities in the neighborhood and community around campus. They worked with children with health issues and did organizing on campus to encourage student health and involvement. Additionally, so much of the world beyond campus comes to visit You. You’ll find speakers and programs that grace the international stage coming to spend time on campus to teach for a semester or present a unique lecture that you’ll not find at most other colleges. As is true in most endeavors, you’ll get out of Columbia, what you put into it. And most colleges look at not only grades and sports, but what steady social involvement that you the applicant accomplished during high school.</p>
<p>The sports teams and Greek life on campus do provide a solid sense of community. Most of the students on teams are friends with each other and they seem to have a good deal of fun. The better intramural teams also seem to have a healthy sense of camaraderie. </p>
<p>I would suggest referring to other sources to get a feel for the social community at Columbia. I think it’s entirely possible for a student to have a vibrant campus social life; it’s just more difficult to attain the same level of satisfaction. However, a close-knit community among all the students is not in the spirit of the school.</p>