<p>Hey to all those girls who just finished their first, second, third, or fourth year at Barnard. Now that I am definitely going to the college (of my dreams) I wasnt the honest truth from all of you. I just got a facebook and I see all these anti-Barnard and anti-Columbia groups. What is the tension really like? What should I expect? Will I get dirty looks from some people? Is it a daily problem? How often will I have to deal with Columbia girls saying they are better? What is the rivalry really like? Because I’m already going to Barnard… so please be truthful and let me know…</p>
<p>According to my D she didn't encounter this often at all. Reading web sites is a little like reading a newpaper or watching a news program on TV. Bad news sells. Those people who have negative energy are more likely to post than people who don't have a problem, so you will see more of this than actually exists. Few people will post that they had a pretty nice day today. There was a post on Xanga about the University graduation from a Barnard student. She describes a more friendly rivalry which I imagine is closer to the real situation: SEAS grads throwing apple cores at CC and BC etc.
That being said there is a small group of girls at Barnard who did not choose Barnard because of a primary love for Barnard but because they want to put on that they go to CC. On the Barnard side of the street they are looked upon with some pity because they are usually unhappy (I believe this is how Primefactor described them) On the Columbia side they are looked on by some as dishonest and by the rest with pity. Most folks don't care or even know which is your college.<br>
The most sensitive people on this issue are those who subscribe to what I call the Gore Vidal college selection criterion. (He was the one who said, "It is not enough that you should win. Others must lose") For these people the most important statistic in the college selection process in not the breakdown of the matriculated class but the number of people that were rejected in order to reach that goal. For these people academic success is less important than "where you got in". So, for purposes of school pride always make it clear you are a Barnard student and you will never run into any prejudice on either side of Broadway.</p>
<p>someone pointed out to me that whenever there's a women's school close to a co-ed school, there's always going to be tension. so there may be a bit of tension between wellesley girls and harvard/mit girls, but since barnard is far closer to columbia than wellesley is to mit, the tension is more apparent. mostly it manifests itself in facebook groups and snide under-the-breath sayings from insecure columbia girls or oversexed columbia boys (like "barnard to bed, columbia to wed"). frankly, i've run into the sentiment of columbia students wishing they'd gone to barnard - if it weren't for the 'name' thing, which tells you a bit about columbia students - more often than the other way around. just dont let it get to you, and have lots of barnard pride, and you'll be fine.</p>
<p>My D transferred to Barnard last year and doesn't find it a problem at all. She joined a sorority and has good friends on both sides of the street. Surprisingly, the few times it has come up, it's been an insecure male CC student. In fact, the student she told me about who had issues with it took most of his classes at Barnard! LOL</p>
<p>"which tells you a bit about columbia students"
Scarfmadness, I would avoid generalizing about all Columbia students from the behavior of a few, just as I would ask CC students to not generalize about BC students from the behavior of a few.</p>
<p>I do agree with you about the proximity problem. The tensions probably are inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the campuses, although Wellesley may be an exception.</p>
<p>INterested in your insights on the transfer process and credentials required. Had your d. applied as a fresh. to Barnard? My d. was not accepted as a freshman (though her stats were above their average and she was generally a good candidate). She is very happy about the school where she will be attending this fall. We expect she will thrive there. But in case she decides to pursue her first love, I would appreciate hearing your insights. </p>
<p>Do you think that they are less likely or more to consider someone previously rejected for freshman year? Do you have any ideas about a good approach to take? Do you think talking to a transfer advisor is a good idea? For what reasons did your daughter wish to transfer? What do you think were her most attractive characteristics as a transfer applicant/</p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to respond.</p>
<p>Oh my response was meant for pcaz.</p>
<p>Kinkosmom,</p>
<p>I was rejected applying to Barnard as a Freshman but got in as a junior transfer. I don't think that they are less likely to consider someone who applied previously, but I do think that it will make them take a good look back at your high school record and see how you have improved (or not improved) or what has changed since high school.</p>
<p>I think that one of the most important things about my application was that I made it clear why I wanted to transfer to Barnard specifically. I tried to get my reasons across to the adcoms in every way possible - including the essay, short answers, and how I presented my list of EC's. In my case, I was at a large urban school with no campus and no housing. I wanted to stay in an urban environment, but I wanted the "campus feel" that I wasn't getting at my state U. </p>
<p>The admissions office at Barnard was very helpful in answering all of my questions, so I definitely recommend that you talk to someone there about any concerns that you have. </p>
<p>If your daughter was well qualified to attend, she may have just been a victim of too little space for too many applicants. I don't think that the transfer process is any easier, but I do think it is a little less competitive. Because they recieve significantly fewer applications, I think it gives them more time and space to really think about each applicant. I was not a competitive applicant as a freshman, so I knew why I didn't get in and what I needed to improve upon. </p>
<p>Although your questions were meant for someone else, I hope this response was helpful.</p>
<p>Thank you for responding. Your answer was very helpful. Another question. Did you find that it was difficult (in terms of adjusting to the academic expectations and finding friends)to come in as a Junior on either an academic or social level? Can you describe what that experience was like for you?</p>
<p>kinkosmom:</p>
<p>I think your daughter has a wonderful chance to transfer to Barnard if she so chooses. Based on my own daughter's experience, I believe three factors helped her tremendously:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>She transferred from one of the Seven Sisters and knew what she was getting into at Barnard. One of her primary reasons for wanting to transfer there was to continue to benefit from attending a small, women's college while being able to partake of many more academic and social opportunities at Columbia and in NYC. </p></li>
<li><p>She knew what she wanted to major in at Barnard and was able to express why the Human Rights program was right for her. The fact that not many colleges offer this program probably helped quite a bit, too.</p></li>
<li><p>Essays. These seem to be EXTREMELY important, even more so than grades for some students. This is where I would recommend your daughter put in a lot of time and effort. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>As far as the transfer orientation goes, much of it is done jointly with Columbia. I was truly impressed by how many activities there were for transfers and I think it made the whole transition much easier for my daughter. Academically, Barnard was on par with where she had been going, so there were no surprises there. And since she connected with several fellow transfer students before the school year began, the social aspect went smoothly as well. </p>
<p>My daughter did not apply to Barnard her freshman year because she wasn't ready to live in such a huge city. Even if she had applied, I'm not sure she would have gotten in, given her test scores and high school record. I think the fact that she did well her freshman year made up for a lot.</p>
<p>While GPA is important, I don't think it's the be-all, end-all to Barnard. They seem to be more interested in who you are as a person and what you're passionate about. Hence, the heavy emphasis on the essays. I think this is particularly true for transfers.</p>
<p>I can't say enough about the opportunities she's had at Barnard. This summer, she's doing a human rights internship that allows her to attend U.N. meetings and she's also going to Cambodia for several weeks in August as a volunteer.</p>
<p>If your daughter decides to apply as a transfer, I would recommend another visit to the college and a chat with the transfer admissions officer. And I think the fact that she applied as a freshman will only help her, since it shows she has a real interest in going there.</p>
<p>I wish your daughter the best of luck as she begins her freshman year. She could very well fall in love with her new school and never give Barnard another thought. But if she does decide to reapply, I think her chances are excellent.</p>
<p>Thank you for your very generous response, pcaz. Interestingly, it was the human rights program that was my daughter's interest and about which she wrote in her essays to Barnard. It is a very unique program. I wonder if you would mind sending your personal email in case in a year or more she decides to try barnard again. If you do not feel like it, that is fine too. I am reasured by your email. I do not want to do anything to take away my support and optimisim about her chosen school but I also want her to know that she could have the option of trying Barnard again if she does not love where she is going. </p>
<p>College girl, could you also share your experience of how the transition was socially and academically? Thanks.</p>
<p>Also, pcaz and anyone else out there, have you ever heard of its being possible to find out from ad committees why your child did not get in. I mean I know there are many variables but do they keep track of that sort of thing. Is any of that ever shared??? I do not even know how ad committees work (it seems shrouded in mystery). I had assumed that each category is graded like one to five with one being the best so a student might have one on grades, two on essays, three on recommendations, two on sats and then they add them up and everyone with a certain sum in a certain year gets in. Any ideas of how it is done or if ad. commitees ever share their decisions.</p>
<p>hi, college girl thanks again for your long response and I would still like to hear how you found adjustment as a transfer in terms of the academic climate (was your state school very different academically?) and in terms of making friends. thanks much.</p>
<p>Kinkosmom,</p>
<p>I will be attending Barnard for the first time starting this September.</p>
<p>However, I applied to live in Elliot Hall as part of an in-residence course this semester and have already met a few of my suitemates. What I gather from meeting them and from spending a little time at Barnard is that the atmosphere is one of independence, both academically and socially. If you are not comfortable being an independent person and doing some things on your own (including making friends), than Barnard may be a serious wake up call. </p>
<p>I have to admit that I am feeling a bit anxious about the academic atmosphere. I have a 4.0 here at Georgia State, but I feel for some reason that it was too easily attained. I don't want Barnard to turn out to be so much of a challenge that my grades drop significantly.</p>
<p>Also, Barnard has MUCH smaller classes than I have had in my college career. Some classes at Barnard have as little as 5 people, while the least amount of people in a class that I am used to is about 35 - 40, so I will have to get used to professers actually knowing who I am.</p>
<p>If you would like, I will most certainly keep you posted on how my transition goes this semester.</p>
<p>You sound like a wonderful and smart person and, I am sure, that while making the adjustment may have some rough patches, you will do well if you think about how Barnard can help you serve the world in whatever ways you wish. </p>
<p>Our impression, having visited it several times and talking to many students, is that there are lovely supportive people there and there are also competitive, striving people lacking in humility--something you probably did not encounter at georgia state and my daughter will not encounter at the public university where she is going.</p>
<p>When we visited Barnard, we talked with one girl who told us that some kids will not lend you notes when you miss class and others will be wonderful about that. </p>
<p>I guess it is part of the trade off of life. To get the really excellent and superior education Barnard offers, you need to put up with some people who are individualistic and overly ambitious. I am sure that teachers perceive and appreciate the more generous students. A friend of mine went there and she is the kindest and gentlest person imaginable.</p>
<p>I think the strongest thing about Barnard is the excellent teaching. When we visited the public unversity where my daughter is going, we were struck by both how incredibly nice the kids were --with great altruistic values--but also by the fact that the class discussions were really not at the highest level with respect to both teaching and students. I do worry that it will not be stimulating enough for her and so, as of course you are aware from having begun to experience those differences, it is a trade off.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you. It sounds like you are perceptive and will find other like minded individuals. I would guess serving in communities in the city would also give a sense of participation in other groups of supportive people.</p>
<p>I would love you to post how you are doing whenever you get a chance. What an exciting year you have ahead of you; the opportunities are enormous. Best wishes and thank you for taking the time to write and of offering to keep us posted.</p>
<p>collegegirl186: my daughter attended Barnard as a first year last year, and we are from Lawrenceville, just up 85 from Ga State! I believe you will be fine at Barnard. My daughter did not encounter any difficulties with the academics being too challenging (after the Ga public schools) and she has found the faculty at Barnard to be very supportive and the Columbia community to be one that is exciting and stimulating. Don't get me wrong: She did work hard to earn great grades at Barnard, and the required curriculum content allowed her to explore and find an entirely new direction for her studies to take: Neuroscience (with a dance minor...lol!) She loves NYC and Barnard/Columbia.</p>
<p>You are indeed in for a wonderful experience! Have fun!</p>
<p>Hi! I wanted to add my story to this thread since I think it is really interesting, and I was surprised to find so much talk about transferring here.</p>
<p>I am a sophomore transfer to Barnard. Like some of the other stories here, I was not accepted my freshman year. Barnard was my dream school, and being rejected was one of the hardest things in my life. I decided to go to Fordham University at Lincoln Center, another school in Manhattan. I did not find people who were interested in learning here. I just didn't mesh with the students. I applied again to Barnard, and I got in! In my application I emphasized the reason that I was leaving - that I wanted an academically stimluating environment that I had been hoping for in college. I also think that my college work affected my application. I think if the school sees that you can do the work in a college setting rather than just in high school, they will be more willing to admit you. I also stressed my desire for a dance program. I had a solid high school GPA etc., but my SAT scores were not up to par with Barnard. At least that is why I think I didn't get in.</p>
<p>Now I'm just thrilled that I get to go to my dream school. I am so happy that I put myself out there and applied, another one of the hardest things I've ever done because I know that it would have been so hard to get yet another rejection letter from Barnard. I hope that my transition will be smooth. I already love the city, and miss it so much! My home state of Maine is far too boring! I just hope that it will be all that I've dreamed it would be.</p>
<p>So, I think that if anyone even has the slightest inkling that they want to apply again and have done well in college, I would say go for it!</p>
<p>So great to here all of your stories! Thanks for any and all advice.</p>