<p>I requested plan 4 because points you can use anywhere on campus and meals you can only use in John Jay cafeteria, and people almost always have meals left over in their plan, so I hear.</p>
<p>Avoid "meals." Go with the plan that gives you most points, because I guarantee you won't be able to use all the meals unless you eat at the dining hall twice a day every day...and you probably won't. I ended first semester with 150 meals left.</p>
<p>hey achilleus check ur private messages</p>
<p>request the one with the most POINTS, not meals!!!</p>
<p>trust me on that one; I'm a vegetarian, and the dining hall really isn't ideal...besides, I started with 150 meals last semester and ended up with 90. NO ONE finished up their meals, but most people DO use up all their points.</p>
<p>oh and i agree with achilleus--DON'T LIVE IN FURNALD unless you plan to be antisocial. it's nice, but on some floors, people don't even know who lives across the hall from them. I live in the LLC, which I really like, but I wish I'd picked John Jay (or Carman) just so I could've met more other freshmen at the beginning of the year.</p>
<p>What is the deadline to fill out your residential selection application, and what is the probability that I'll get my 1st choice if I send it in on time?</p>
<p>Probabilities completely depend on who picks what. Most people I know got one of their first two or three choices, though.</p>
<p>Hi shizz,</p>
<p>Sorry to not get back to you, I havent been on Columbia's board in a while. I am in the GSB. I really like some things lifestyle-wise. The social scene is absolutely open and there is a pretty good morningside heights scene plus all of what new york offers. The downside is that like everything Columbia there really isnt too much community outside of your department. My friends at UVA and Northwestern know a ton of grad students outside of their grad schools, that doesnt happen here as much.</p>
<p>The rent is pretty cheap NYC standards (about $700). Food is expensive though, so I usually try to cook or eat on campus. Going out is typical NYC...expensive!!</p>
<p>Overall its a cool experience. I am much happier as a grad student and at age 25 than I was here when I was 18.</p>
<p>=/ this columbia talk is making me quite sad (i'm enrolling)</p>
<p>seems like most people would agree that the social scene is not that vibrant on campus- after four years of living in Boston, i want a school that has a good campus community. i love the city, but i would prefer the "college campus experience," rather than everyone hanging out in the city and exploring the streets...</p>
<p>Is it really as bad as it sounds? The general consensus seems to be that people weren't too pleased with the undergrad social scene, although people loved it here for grad school.</p>
<p>should i choose duke then? i heard that its full of snobby white people, and i haven't ever lived in the south before....</p>
<p>Why don't you go to Days on Campus and talk to current students? My son's a freshman there, and he's totally happy. He does stuff on campus and in the city, and has a ton of really great friends.</p>
<p>Duke's a great school, too, though. You can't go wrong.</p>
<p>Ditto what Garland said. I think when people talk about lack of campus social life they are largely contrasting it to places like Duke, which has a lot of school spirit invested around sports teams. You won't find that at Columbia, so if it's important to you, it's great you also have Duke as a choice. It's a fine school. </p>
<p>Like Garland's son, mine has made good friends the first year at Columbia, been involved in a bunch of extra curriculars (mostly music), and has enjoyed himself immensely both on and off campus. It's just that "campus life" at Columbia also tends to extend out into the immediate neighborhood. He also has really enjoyed the museums, theaters, restaurants and clubs, though -- and it sounds as if you don't particularly look forward to exploring NYC, which is part of the Columbia experience.</p>
<p>You should definitely spend a night in the dorms at both places.</p>
<p>Sorry Melloyello, another parent chiming in :o. I think that you have just about covered my daughter's point of view. She didn't want to go to a school that had only a couple of social subsets setting the tone. The social life at Columbia is all about choices. Everything is there but nothing dominates.</p>
<p>shostakovich: don't quit man, I mean, I'm just on my way there so I can't tell if social life at CU is as bad as some say. But from visiting it it really didn't seem that way, I swear. NYC could mean less campus oriented life, yes, but think of this: in a college town you join campus activities as the one and only choice; on the other hand, city activities are the only chances at NYU. Colmbia seems to be the perfect balance, man. Besides, social life is something you build, man!!!</p>
<p>if you're a social person, CU will give it to you and more. I went out 3-4 nights a week every week since orientation week. Mostly clubs, bars, concerts, shows and oncampus parties.
the only thing you need to worry about is saving money to go out. get the bartending job at Columbia and you'll be fine, though. hope that helps.
C
<a href="http://www.xanga.com/SoHo%5B/url%5D">http://www.xanga.com/SoHo</a>
the best pictures from the best nights of columbia - 2005.
<a href="http://www.CUfestival.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.CUfestival.com/</a>
Columbia National Undergraduate Film Festival.</p>
<p>SOHO: Aren't you the one who dropped Harvard and Yale for Columbia? What made you make that decision? Do you ever regret it?</p>
<p>I felt that I would get a better education at Columbia or yale over harvard. Plus being in NYC I would have more available opportunities for internships and research for whatever I wanted to do (now I'm working at a nobel laureate's lab over the summer and I do shoots and gigs for MTV and MTV U -- I feel I could not achieve those opportunities as easily if I went to harvard or yale)</p>
<p>This is because I believe a college education is more than the books you read or the courses you study. It's also how you can make the most out of your life outside of the classroom for your first years of absolute independence. Studying in the fast-paced life of NYC is really a ride that seasons even the hardened urban academics. There's more things and life lessons to access and experience first-hand as you study here (that you won't get in the quieter suburban areas of harvard or yale).</p>
<p>no regrets. absolutely none. generally, my friends at harvard are miserable and my friends at yale love it there but are bored when it comes to going out and having a social life (but keep in mind that we were all from NYC before going off to college--we were the club and bar hopping generation during high school)
hope this helps.
C
<a href="http://www.xanga.com/SoHo%5B/url%5D">http://www.xanga.com/SoHo</a>
the best pictures from the best nights of columbia - 2005.
<a href="http://www.CUfestival.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.CUfestival.com/</a>
Columbia National Undergraduate Film Festival.</p>
<p>Soho. what an incredible job you have. Can you reveal the name of the scientist with whom you work (I mean, I'll understand if you can't)?
So, working with Nobel laureates you might know that Columbia is world's #3 and USA's #2 in number of laurates, kicking all other ivy asses!!!!</p>
<p>I'm working with Dr. Richard Axel as my mentor -- part of Columbia's SURF program that I applied to. Just started so I hope it'll be a great experience.
hope this helps.
C
<a href="http://www.xanga.com/SoHo%5B/url%5D">http://www.xanga.com/SoHo</a>
the best pictures from columbia - 2005.
<a href="http://www.CUfestival.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.CUfestival.com/</a>
Columbia National Undergraduate Film Festival.</p>
<p>Wow, I've read some of his stuff, it is fascinating. How difficult is it to get a position like that? To what extend does it depend on your year and credentials?</p>
<p>this program selected students based on if their interests in science matched with a mentor's field of interest. The rest depends on science grades in high school and college plus recommendation letters and previous lab experience. Nothing too grand, since last year they accepted 60 students out of 120 who applied. hope this helps.
C
<a href="http://www.xanga.com/SoHo%5B/url%5D">http://www.xanga.com/SoHo</a>
the best pictures from columbia - 2005.
<a href="http://www.CUfestival.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.CUfestival.com/</a>
Columbia National Undergraduate Film Festival.</p>
<p>here's a link, in case you're interested: <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/ug/surf/%5B/url%5D">http://www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/ug/surf/</a>
C
<a href="http://www.xanga.com/SoHo%5B/url%5D">http://www.xanga.com/SoHo</a>
the best pictures from columbia - 2005.
<a href="http://www.CUfestival.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.CUfestival.com/</a>
Columbia National Undergraduate Film Festival.</p>