<p>Thanks columbiaoryale, and yes, I will be a member of the class of 2009.</p>
<p>I probably will be too.</p>
<p>I think that the way people view the collegiality of Columbia determines their ability to be happy Columbians. I am a person who thrives on the opportunity to do anything at anytime. Awesome class at 9, MoMA at 12, lab at 3, Clubs at 5, dinner with friends at 8, Jazz club at 9, intellectual discussion at 12, bed at 2 that to me is a great day. Thus, Columbia seemed to be a perfect fit for me. I wont have to worry about missing a game of pong; I can spend hours in Chinatown with a friend instead. Columbia is a community of independent individuals. Independent individuals because we use the resources we have to find and participate in the things that we love, a community because we are bound together by our desire to learn (and the core). More that any other school that I visited, Columbia has a sense of an intellectual community as opposed to just a social community. And, of course, the frats are there you just have to find them. Columbias social and cultural life is larger than any other schools because of NYC, for some of us it will be a wonderful gift of choice, to others it is too much and off-putting. You want the massive array of choices go to Columbia, if you dont, you wont be happy at Columbia. </p>
<p>I am an 09er so take this little rant with a grain of salt as it is based on research, visitations, and discussions with current students and alumni not my own living experience.</p>
<p>As a CC alum, I would say that Crimsonbulldog has described the situation well. Columbia is a small campus that is 2/3 grad students. All of the people hanging out doesn't create an undergrad community. Also, remember that there is a lot less hanging out (outside) when the weather is cold! Even if Columbia seems cohesive, it's not... but, as i have said in other posts, that may be for you or it may not. Do not believe for a minute that Columbia is like other Ivies or other colleges outside of NYC. That may be great for you or it may not. You will not find out unless you enroll. Good luck in your decisions!</p>
<p>I agree with fairburn and oasis. Columbia is NOT a school with a strong community, but it offers many options. Don't be fooled by the kids hanging out on the steps, that happens for a month a year, the rest of the year people are hiding/ going out in small groups. Its up to you whether NYC is important enough to trade in a college community feel. For many, its an easy choice either way.</p>
<p>Columbia is NOT a school with a strong community, but it offers many options. Don't be fooled by the kids hanging out on the steps, that happens for a month a year, the rest of the year people are hiding/ going out in small groups.</p>
<p>Umm what do schools in the subzero temperatures like yale dartmouth and harvard that supposedly have this "strong community" do for the rest of the year that is so different than columbians</p>
<p>Okay: Columbia is a great school. Its why I chose it for my first year and why I chose it for grad school (I felt at this stage I was ready for NYC - and the b-school community is much smaller/ different).</p>
<p>But honestly, there are some dynamics that anyone choosing the school should be aware of.</p>
<p>The first year of Columbia is pretty cool. You have your core curriculum classes which create a community and the dorms (Carman/ John Jay) are huge and people hang out on the floors. Its a fun experience (similar to first year experiences anywhere). The dining hall (John Jay) is 90% first years, which also serves to bring people together. On the weekends most students hang around campus bars.</p>
<p>The problem is after this students get scattered throughout the school in apartments/ dorms all over the area. And the upperclass dorms arent very social. Also, since there is no common dining hall people have to sort of eat on their own which is a little lonely. Also, Columbia's library is STRICTLY non-social as compared to many other schools. This makes late night hanging out a little more empty. Finally, since students start to venture out into New York, they start to hang out in very clear cliques.</p>
<p>As for your point about Yale/ Dartmouth and the cold, its very different. Although people don't venture out into the greens, they continue to hang out during these times instead of going into the city. They eat together during common meals, hang out at the same parties (whether off campus or frats), and attend the same events. The dorms/ houses are also much more condusive to hanging out. Since they are smaller and more undergrad focused, its difficult to get lost. You just tend to run into people a lot more. Also, these schools have community oriented events that students actually attend, like Dartmouth's winter carnival. Columbia's student center is great, but you won't find many students at its late night events.</p>
<p>Columbia students have the city. Its a great thing for those who need it at 18, but be aware you are sacrificing part of your college experience.</p>
<p>Oasis1 -- Did I miss where you wedged studying into your schedule? Columbia students do a LOT of that:). Beyond that, I think your description sounds pretty much right, except spread over a week or two rather than a day.</p>
<p>slipper -- You make interesting points, especially about the lack of shared dining experience after first year, which I guess is the only year you spent at Columbia as an undergrad. I do want to correct a statement, though: there is also a core curriculum sophomore year (Contemporary Civilization), and many of the students who live in Carman the first year move into McBain the second year since it's 90% sophomores and known as more social.</p>
<p>If Columbia is the right fit for someone then they aren't going to sacrifice a thing. You create your own life there from the many options available.</p>
<p>Oasis might not attend the school yet but her assessment sounds about right.</p>
<p>Sac that description was an example of a great day. My idea of discussion with friends is essentially equivalent to studying. Of course, I plan to study a lot on my own too. </p>
<p>Ellen firstly I am a guy. It is also reassuring that my assessment is correct, I spent a lot of time making sure that Columbia is the right choice for me.</p>
<p>So I saw lots and lots of students on the Columbia campus all the time. Am I supposed to think all those people weren't enough people? Am I supposed to care that lots of other random people I don't know were out in the city? Am I supposed to be upset that they're not being cohesive and are instead going out and having fun elsewhere? Just because you can't do that at Yale or Dartmouth, don't be jealous. . . . :-) haha. Plenty of people on campus, plenty of people off. Sounds good to me.</p>
<p>BTW Columbiaoryale,</p>
<p>It seems like you like Columbia more, so then go there. Academically both are great. I just wanted to make sure you knew Columbia's drawbacks.</p>
<p>Oasis, sorry :o</p>
<p>ok, i think slipper may have some points, but I think that the people at columbia are gonna be the same ppl elsewhere. When I went to Days on Campus, one day after ADOCH at Brown, the ppl were basically exactly the same. People were chilling in dorms, talking about how they party a lot, and how cool the lax policies are at the school, etc. </p>
<p>So the message I got was that by no means would going to Columbia mean being dropped into a pool of isolation and such. You're there with the same guys looking to have fun as you would at Brown, Dartmouth, etc. The difference is that these people love the city, and want to utilize it as well.</p>
<p>Ill elaborate a little more. </p>
<p>What I got from current freshmen as well as upperclassmen was that the social scene EVOLVES basically.</p>
<p>It seems that yes, its an atypical college experience. But that doesn't mean it's bad. Parties are frequent freshmen year, yes, and as your work changes and as the dorm parties decrease, your knowledge of the city and closeness with friends increases. You meet more people through clubs and activities, and you become more fully able to take advantage of the city, and go downtown, to clubs etc.</p>
<p>So, although freshman year has the typical like "get wasted all the time" mentality, and the other years don't, that doesn't mean that fun ceases. It just changes. Whereas Dartmouth (dont get me wrong, i like dartmouth) would be a continuous string of similar activities, much like living in the suburbs (like me), Columbia has a changing scene, ever-evolving and influencing, more like you would imagine a city does. </p>
<p>Makes sense, right?</p>
<p>I attended Columbia for FOUR years and did not experience what slipper1234 describes.
I lived in Carman, Schapiro, Broadway, River, and EC and never had any trouble finding a community. In all of my dorms, with the exception of Carman, we had a lounge/living room with a kitchen and a TV, and people would hang out and talk and eat dinner and whatnot.
I met my friends for dinner at the John Jay dining hall (which, make no mistake, is a real dining hall) at least twice a week, and would have lunch with a friend of mine every day at Ferris. From my perspective, this was a common experience for most of us Columbians.
Princeton's dining hall arrangement is nice and all, for instance, but it pretty well limits you. Not much room for options and variation. Columbia has at least 12 different places to eat on campus.
And as for the community...I fail to see how students at Dartmouth and Yale come together any more than Columbia students. The college just had their student council elections. Tons of students voted. We have annual event like Bacchanal or the Varsity Show that huge numbers of students show up to. Recently, the undergraduate body had a rousingly successful party in Lerner Hall called "Glass House Rocks," again tons of people showed up. There are class dances, an annual winter ball, etc etc. So don't worry about this community deal. Its there.</p>
<p>Plus, you've got NYC there if you get bored on campus. I have to say, there is no better city in the world to go on dates with your girlfriend (or boyfriend) in than NYC. Plays, broadway, museums, ice skating in central park, restaurants in little italy, times square....sweep her off her feet (or him...).</p>
<p>Ivyman,</p>
<p>I am not trying to make Columbia look bad, I am just trying to point out that community IS a consideration in choosing Columbia. In fact last night I was at 1020 talking with a girl about how she thought there was a lack of community at Columbia. Let me put it this was, Columbia is College of course so sure there are some events, but they are really nothing compared to the way people get together at other schools.</p>
<p>Honestly Ivyman, you really haven't been anywhere else if you think bacchanal is a "big weekend" you really havent been elsewhere. Most colleges have much much bigger big weekends. And as for the "evolving social scene", I mentioned that as well, they are called "cliques" and people tend to jump into them at Columbia.</p>
<p>BTW- sorry for the grammer in that last post!</p>