<p>Anyone know what chances are of being accepted off the wait list at Barnard?</p>
<p>I sincerely doubt anyone can assess those chances here, siduhey. Sorry. But you can maximize your chances by doing all the appropriate follow-up that is suggested on the Barnard admissions website (such as sending in a letter to the admissions dean about any recent achievements, etc). Since the waitlist is not prepared in any order, your task is to make your application (with any appropriate amendments) stand out amongst the crowd should any spots become available.</p>
<p>Does anyone know of a student who got off Barnard’s waitlist?</p>
<p>In 2007, 742 were waitlisted; 457 accepted a spot on the waitlist; and 15 were admitted</p>
<p>What should someone do, aside from writing a letter and sending updates, to stand out from such a large group of students?</p>
<p>Aside from the things you mentioned, I would suggest a visit if possible. Probably the most important thing is to find a school you will absolutely love attending and plan to go there and then if you are pleasantly surprised and get accepted of the waitlist, you can make a decision at that time.</p>
<p>My D was just accepted off the wait list at Barnard. Any thoughts on Oberlin vs. Barnard?</p>
<p>Yay! Congrats to your d! I know nothing about Oberlin but, you probably can already guess that I think Barnard is fantastic!!! My d graduates from there in about a week and a half, so if I can answer any specific questions about Barnard for you, I would be very happy to do so!</p>
<p>Best to your daughter in making her decision!!!</p>
<p>Wow. You could not find two more different settings.</p>
<p>My D desperately wanted Barnard and only Barnard. I am so glad she was admitted and is graduating with churchmusicmom’s daughter.</p>
<p>Pros of Barnard: City, great advising, very rigorous academics, history of empowerment of women, access to Columbia courses, facilities, sports, clubs.</p>
<p>Pros of Oberlin: A tighter knit community, the music everywhere, more guys.</p>
<p>Oberlin is quite rural. Barnard is a little oasis in the city. Morningside Heights is not at all like midtown Manhattan. It is much quieter and really like a student town. The enclave is home to 25,000 students divided between Barnard, Columbia, Columbia SEAS, graduate students, students of the Manhattan School of Music, Jewish Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary.</p>
<p>However, it is a homey community.</p>
<p>Your D must have some idea of which she’d prefer.</p>
<p>Churchmusicmom and mythmom,</p>
<p>Yes, Oberlin and Barnard are incredibly different atmospheres, but the commonalities are the strengths in foreign languages.</p>
<p>I would love to know what you think about safety and security. While my daughter is by no means timid, and has visited NYC often since we live in Connecticut, I am concerned about walking back from the library or from Columbia at night. Also, what do the kids tend to do on the weekends? Because you need ID to get into the buildings, we couldnot just wanter into the student centers. Where does the social life occur? Do they spend most of their time going elsewhere in NYC? If so where and what do they do? Do they take the subway at night? Did you request that they only travel on the subway at night with friends?</p>
<p>Then, there is the matter of spending money. NYC is very expensive, even to do the simplest things. We were thinking she would need an allowance of $50/week and are still not sure that would be enough. </p>
<p>The attraction of Oberlin is that it is incredibly safe and there is a lot to do because of the Conservatory talent and the policy that the school imports world-class speakers regularly (2-3 time a week, believe it or not). Most of the music, theater and speaker events are free or cost a nominal few dollars to attend.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for any insight you have. My D loves Barnard, but I am not sure whether it is the NYC razzle-dazzle that is attracting her at this point.</p>
<p>Razzle dazzle or not, Barnard is a very rigorous academic institution. I didn’t worry about safety.</p>
<p>Research has shown that rural campuses are more well-known for muggings and rapes, but I probably wouldn’t have worried about that either.</p>
<p>We made an agreement that if she was alone it was cabs after 11:00 pm. Beyond that, I didn’t worry.</p>
<p>The area is extremely well lit, and there are ALWAYS students milling about. Frosh year D called and said, “At 2 am on Broadway there are so many people.” I think it goes without saying that I didn’t like the idea of her being alone on Broadway at 2 am, but she wasn’t. A guy friend from Columbia was walking her across the street.</p>
<p>What do they do on weekends? I’d say a movie about once a month. My kid is isn’t into nightlife and mostly hung out with her friends. Made friends with guys at Columbia and would hang out in their suites. No expensive nightlife.</p>
<p>Daytime would often include time in the Park or a subway ride to a favorite Borders or Barnes and Nobles and book hunting.</p>
<p>Yes, there was SOME traveling downtown (Union Square, Max Brenner for chocolate) but not as much as you would think. Morningside Heights is a pretty self-inclosed neighborhood.</p>
<p>D went to The Metropolitan Museum of Art every week for a while which included walked across town through the Park to get there. Perfectly safe during the day.</p>
<p>There were some off-Broadway plays as part of the curriculum and things like that.</p>
<p>Twice a semester she visited friends at Yale, an easy train ride.</p>
<p>Spending money. I have no idea how much she spent. I didn’t give her anything above book money or an occasional request for a new item of clothing, shoes, etc. She earned her own spending money in the Provost’s Office working six hours a week. She insisted on it.</p>
<p>I never felt nervous. Never.</p>
<p>But your family has to decide what is right for you.</p>
<p>Her friends remained the people she met frosh year and she will have some of them as lifelong friends.</p>
<p>I would consider the area around campus to be pretty safe, well into the night - simply because while Morningside Heights is a relatively “quiet” area of Manhattan, there’s always some activity around. So its quiet, but well-lit and definitely NOT deserted. Actually, I doubt that there would be much reason for a student to be at Columbia REALLY late (like past midnight, which for college students is still early) – and I believe all buildings on the Barnard campus are connected by underground passageways accessible only with a swipe of the CUID. I think there’s some sort of escort service students can call if they want, though my impression is that this is something mostly used by upper class student who live in some of the dorms that are several blocks from campus. </p>
<p>Social life is all over town – my daughter had good friends at NYU so she could have as easily be going down to the village & back as local. </p>
<p>I have NEVER given my daughter any sort of allowance – she is on financial aid, so eligible for work study. As soon as she got to Barnard she signed up for Barnard Bartending – there’s a course fee of about $100, I think its a 6-week course, then they work for the agency. They pay $10 to the agency for every referral, then they get paid $20 an hour for the job. Part of the deal is that the customer is also required to give them cab fare back to campus, but I have learned since that the girls typically pocket the cash and jump on the subway anyway. </p>
<p>I do think $50/week would be a fair estimation of expenses, but probably a tight budget for New York – but the point is that there are easy ways for Barnard kids to earn extra cash. There is also a Barnard Babysitting agency as an alternative to bartending. (The “bartending” tends to be more a matter of being the hired help at catered affairs – very little in the way of serving up mixed drinks, more a matter of opening wine & helping prepare and serve hor doeuvres, and often at very classy gatherings.)</p>
<p>But the subway is pretty safe. I came in to visit my d. arriving late at night, with the plane delayed as well - it was a Thursday night and it was at least 11pm that I was at Penn Station, closer to midnight by the time I arrived at Barnard. The subway was quiet but certainly not empty - I felt perfectly safe – nothing really interesting going on. The subway exit is DIRECTLY in front of Barnard. You walk up the steps and you are at the Barnard gate. </p>
<p>I do think you have to separate maternal worries about safety from your daughter’s concerns. If YOU are afraid… you might just have to get over it. As others have noted, women at suburban or rural campuses end up being victims of crimes too – and the biggest risk is not really at the hands of strangers. In other words… as a parent you can find plenty to worry about wherever your daughter goes, and we moms just have to let go and figure out our own routines for staying in touch with our daughters. (My daughter is studying abroad now but decided to upgrade to a Blackberry for the travels… so she’s pretty easy to reach by email no matter where she goes.)</p>
<p>If YOUR DAUGHTER is nervous or afraid --that is another matter – that could lead to frustrations in terms of her social life on campus, if she tends to be more nervous about such things than her peers. I think Barnard is a place for city lovers, and the overall environment could be intimidating for some. Not because of safety so much - just because New York is a high-stress, everyone-in-a-hurry type of environment – so Barnard is probably best young women who are independent-minded and goal-oriented.</p>
<p>However… you also have to factor in distance. If you are in Connecticut… then Oberlin is a long way from home, Barnard is probably an easy train ride for a weekend. Part of “safety” is simply an emotional sense of well-being – so while Oberlin may be more nurturing overall as a college campus, and definitely provides more of a campus-centric lifestyle – if things go wrong for any reason, then your d. may wish she was closer to home. (“going wrong” could be having a hard time making friends or fitting in, a relationship going sour, etc. )</p>
<p>I must say that I, too, have not once worried about my d’s safety while she has ben at Barnard. In fact, as she gets ready to move back down this way to the Atlanta area for grad school, I actually tend to have more concerns for her safety (but she is indeed an adult and will be self-sufficient, so i must get over it!). She allotted herself around 95 dollars per week for food (once she lived in an apartment style dorm where she prepares her own meals) and entertainment. She has been working all during college at an on-campus job and has managed to save up for a car and such upon graduation. </p>
<p>I would not let fears for your d’s safety AT ALL keep you from giving Barnard strong consideration. Bet to you both as you make the decision!</p>
<p>I wanted to add that Barnard/Columbia kids have free access to all NYC museums and deep discounts to theater and music. My daughter has enjoyed readings, speakers, opera, museums, and theater without straining her budget. Some of this is in Brooklyn, some in Manhattan, some of it free and some of it low cost. There is also plenty of time spent hanging around with friends, cooking or watching movies in someone’s suite.</p>
<p>I also haven’t worried about safety.</p>
<p>My d is on the wait list for Barnard. We were advised that some students have been contacted by phone but that the process has not been concluded. They said that all candidates will be advised when the process is complete. Anyone hear anything else?</p>
<p>My daughter was called last Friday. The financial aid came Wed. It was not much.</p>
<p>waitlist…</p>
<p>I still haven’t heard anything. Do you think they would tell me what’s going on if I emailed them? I really want to know, but I don’t want to be annoying.</p>
<p>My daughter sent an email Thursday evening. No response yet.</p>