<p>hello,</p>
<p>is there anyone who is a current barnard transfer student that could tell me a little bit about their experience thus far? how was the adjustment from your previous school? did you have an easy time making friends/adapting to a different academic environment/etc? do you have any suggestions for a prospective transfer student?</p>
<p>thanks so much in advance!</p>
<p>I'd like to know this, too...</p>
<p>Search through Primefactor's posts. She was a transfer to Barnard and I think I recall that she posted about that. Otherwise, you could PM her. But search first!</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I have LOTS of advice about being a transfer student at Barnard. </p>
<p>As a transfer student, I ended up here in Elliott Hall, where most of us are. There are a few I know that ended up in Brooks, but most of us are here in good old Elliott. Because you are surrounded by mostly transfer students, it's easy to make friends and then just branch out from there. Since coming here, I have expanded my circle of friends to include some Columbia students from classes, etc., but the girls that are at the core of my circle are still the "built-in" ones that I lived with when I first got here.</p>
<p>Because I came to Barnard seeking a more rigorous education, I jumped right into the academic environment here and loved every minute of it. I was taken aback by the intensity at first (this place is hardcore, no doubt), but I got used to it and learned to work with it.</p>
<p>My advice to a prospective transfer student? The best thing I can tell you is to know that, when you arrive, you're not alone. I can garauntee that whatever you are going through or have questions about, there are lots of others just like you that have the same sorts of questions. There are endless resources here to help you, so make sure that you use them when you need them. </p>
<p>If you have any specific questions, feel free to post or PM me. Also, I second churchmusicmom's suggestion to contact Primefactor - she always has great advice for prospective students!</p>
<p>Collegegirl, thanks for posting. I knew there were some other amazing t'fer students out there. I just could only remember Primefactor.</p>
<p>Great words of wisdom!</p>
<p>great! thanks so much!</p>
<p>hardcore workload as in unbearable or challenging?</p>
<p>coffeetoffee, my daughter works hard and spends a lot of time reading and studying, but she is not overstressed and is not having difficulty. Challenged? yes. Overburdened? No. Barnard is not a party school, so you should expect a heavy reading load and the need to keep up with your studies -- but I don't think you will find it too intense as long as you don't goof off and let yourself fall behind.</p>
<p>I agree with Calmom. My D finds it very "doable", but don't fall behind. Bs are reachable in your courses. As require some effort. You might say it's "hardcore" because everyone seems to be studying.</p>
<p>Well, I say it's hardcore because, among the students I know and live with, it really is (keeping in mind that the afformentioned group is not a totally representative sample). I must tell you that there are times where the workload will seem unbearable. I sometimes sit at my desk with syllabi in my hands and wonder why professors assign reading as if we couldn't possibly have anything else to do outside of their classtime (like, say, sleep...)</p>
<p>Quite frankly, sometimes it isn't doable for me. Sometimes I do realize that it is not even humanly plausible to read every single word that I am assigned each week. There are times where I am able to stomach it all, and there are times where I read enough to get by. For many of us, it becomes a game of balancing reality against our want to accomplish everything.</p>
<p>All of this, of course, is relative. You may never experience any of what I just mentioned. Also, don't take this as a window into the total Barnard experience. I love it here and a great majority of my work is quite interesting and fulfilling. Alson it isn't the actual work that I sometimes find ridiculous - it's just the sheer amount.</p>
<p>Recognize that your catching these people at a bad time; next week is finals week. Final papers due as well, etc.</p>
<p>My D1 at another college hasn't slept in a week, near as I can tell.</p>
<p>Reminds me, our state does high school student surveys, and there's a nice community not far from me where the students reported the highest alcohol use (or maybe drugs? something bad) in the whole area. Very surprising, since these are nice, well-off kids who do well. Got terrible publicity.</p>
<p>Upon follow-up, turned out they chose to conduct the survey , questioning recent alcohol use, of the kids at this particular school the week after they'd come back from Spring break.</p>
<p>My daughter has taken two different courses which she really enjoyed, but which others on this board have told me had unreasonably high expectations for reading. My d. has never once told me that she is overwhelmed with reading -- the most I might have heard is a comment like, "I can't go out tonight, I have to catch up with my reading." My d. also has been working long hours this past semester, plus I know that while she is not the partier she was in high school, she has a reasonably active social life. </p>
<p>I think that the issue may be that some students are better able than others to determine what reading is absolutely necessary, and what can be accomplished through skimming materials and picking up the highlights, or using alternative study materials if appropriate to learn concepts covered in the reading. </p>
<p>I honestly haven't asked my daughter what she does -- but I am raising this because if you do run into a barrier, it might be worth looking into what support is offered by Barnard to help enhance study skills. I know that there was some sort of reading & study class offered to entering students last year -- they sent us a flyer and said that they worked with students using their actual texts and course assignments, so time spend in the reading class would also be used to get through some of the coursework. There was a fee for the course - maybe $100 or $200 -- I don't remember as my daughter was not interested in it. </p>
<p>But the point is: if you get to Barnard and feel overwhelmed - I think you should look for help. </p>
<p>I would note that my daughter is NOT a science major, and so far has not taken any lab science or math courses. She says that pre-med students work pretty hard -- so choice of major might be a factor. But pre-med is difficult at any college -- so it doesn't surprise me at all that those Barnard students are working hard.</p>
<p>For me, it hasn't been just finals week - it's been crazy all semester!</p>
<p>I say it's all relative to the classes you take and what major you have (etc.) because last semester wasn't even half as bad as this semester. I also say it's all relative because not everyone will have this experience. The point is, to feel overwhelmed sometimes is normal. I remember the words of my class dean being "no one expects you to be smooth sailing all of the time". </p>
<p>I am not saying that you won't enjoy being here at Barnard because you will feel overwhelmed all the time. If you have a constant feeling of being overwhelmed, please go and talk to your class dean about how that can be remedied. However, it won't always be "smooth sailing" for everyone all of the time - something I'm sure I don't have to tell you. It's not always because I goofed off or didn't manage my time. In the words of one of my neighbors, sometimes it's just "like that". It's the nature of being at a top LAC. </p>
<p>Calmom stated much better what I was trying to say. Sometimes it's a balancing act between trying to do everything and only doing what you really need to do. Sometimes you might realize that you can't read everything that's assigned in the time frame that a professor gives you. Sometimes you might realize that reading the first and last paragraphs of the the chapter will tell you everything you need to know. This is what I meant in my first post about "learning to work with it".</p>
<p>When I said it wasn't doable for me sometimes, I meant that it isn't ALL doable, not that none of it is doable (if that makes any sense...). My whole point? Balance is key to a happy life here. Once you find out how to do that well, you will be "smooth sailing".</p>
<p>Forgive me if I have totally confused you or have presented a horrible picture of academic like here. I probably just should have stated "balance is key" and moved on with it...</p>
<p>Have transfers already been sent their decision? Or is this a purely hypothetical question?</p>
<p>I think I heard back about May 10th last year, and I remember feeling like I was the last one on earth to hear.With that said, some students have probably recieved acceptances by now.</p>
<p>it wasn't hypothetical...i heard back about a week ago</p>