Hello. Thank you to all the contributors to this forum. My daughter got accepted last night. Barnard was her first choice by far. Now it’s not. Now that they dragged us through this process without a returned email or phone call, and hearing how other people had been similarly ignored, we started to sour on them. My daughter is a creative writing major and she learned that she would have to apply and be accepted for her creative writing classes, instead of just taking the classes she wants. Also, the Barnard website looks like my middle-schooler created it, with basic text and not enough information. I heard the mental health support they have isn’t great. It also seems potentially “too” feministy? Meaning, is the culture equal rights and empowering women, or is this a man-hating environment? Finally, do Barnard women get 2nd billing with classes desired at Columbia? Are they 2nd class citizens to CU students? I would love to learn all this by someone other than the people with canned answers.
By the way, my daughter didn’t have great grades or ACT scores, but her writing is excellent and she wanted to have Russian language/culture path as well. So she might have filled a need with her interests. Plus we didn’t apply for financial aid. I’m telling people this in case it’s helpful in understanding a far-from-understandable process. Also, my daughter wants to decide asap, so if we are convinced Barnard isn’t the right place, we will immediately give up her spot in the hopes one of you on the waitlist will benefit.
Could anyone help me in learning more?
My daughter was accepted at Barnard and chose not to go because she got a full ride offer at a different school. Our neighbor goes to Barnard and will be a junior. She told my daughter when she applied you can take classes at both Columbia and Barnard pretty easily and the faculty was top notch. My daughter visited the campus and loved it. One of the reasons in the end she decided to turn down her offer right away was so people off the waitlist could get in and being a need based vs merit based school it was another deciding factor. In the end, I have to say excellent faculty, committed student body to what they believe in and great location. If my daughter didn’t get a full ride offer at different school, Barnard was in her top three with Brown and U Chicago.
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Barnard is one of four undergraduate colleges of Columbia University (the other three being Columbia College – what most people think of when they say “Columbia” – SEAS the engineering schools and GS the school of general studies for students who have had a gap in their education for whatever reason. )As one of four of Columbia’s undergraduate schools, Barnard students enjoy all of what Columbia offers – the clubs, the classes, the mentorship, the co-ed classes, the job opportunities, the panache, the opportunities to explore NYC for low-cost or for free (free entrance to many of the major museums including for example the Metropolitan Museum of Art – any time she wishes she can walk in flash her ID and walk through as much or as little of the collection of some of the world’s greatest art, similarly she can listen to some of the best performances of opera, Broadway performances, dance etc. for extremely low-price tickets through CU’s arts initiative) She is entitled to all of what CU offers without needing to take the core courses, which are on the heavy side IMHO. Barnard is exempt from those. Barnard is a self-contained culture and it’s possible for her to never leave the campus and achieve a full education, she can as she wishes access all else that’s offered her through CUs largesse. So: she can choose co-ed courses at CU in creative writing or predominantly women’s courses at Barnard. Men from CU can attend classes at Barnard as well. Barnard houses CU’s drama department, for example, and so CU in some ways depends on Barnard as well. There are many advantages to attending Barnard. In addition to getting an Ivy education she will be doing so in NYC–the city is part of her campus. The Red 1 Train line stops at Barnard’s doorstep and takes her to every part of the city, with connections. She can experience the arts, the various neighborhoods where she will not recognize what language people are speaking, taste food that she hasn 't imagined exists and in one evening can go all of the way to the ocean to surf and return, if she likes. She could bring a short board on the subway. My neighbor did this. Just an example of the many wondrous things of this city. If she becomes a creative writer, she will need IMHO first and foremost experience in life and while she has garnered experience in her life leading up to Barnard, NYC will provide her with contrast and nuance that she can barely imagine – it is something that experience alone can provide. In the end writing is about people, how humans change internally based on the experiences they have in the world. NYC is a wonderful petri dish for that sort of knowledge. I say: Barnard is a wonderful opportunity for your daughter. NYC is not a coddling place. Normally CU is quite responsive. I can’t speak for Barnard but it’s been covid central here in NYC for several weeks. The casualties suffered here amount to 1/4 of all in the entire country. That might account for the radio silence. We have had tents in Central Park as extensions of hospitals and in the CU neighborhood the massive cathedral of St. John the Divine (with peacocks on the campus) was turned into a temporary hospital. These are getting packed up now as COVID is going away. Everyone I know working at those campuses are working from home and haven’t been out of doors for more than an hour and at 6-15 feet apart for about 8-9 weeks. I personally haven’t been in a grocery store for 2 months and haven’t seen a friend in person for about three months. Barnard Gates, I jog past them daily, they have been 100% locked like a castle in siege for 8-9 weeks. No one is there. NYC is scheduled to begin opening (as we actually have been quite compliant regarding using masks etc and our COVID seems to be on the run) on May 28th. Hopefully you will receive more response at that time. FYI–it’s possible for her to walk to the Met through Central Park from Barnard. It’s a gorgeous walk and when not COVID era, my husband and I (we live in the neighborhood) walk almost every weekend to the Met and other museums. After 20+ years of living here and doing that, we still manage to “get lost” in the Met–that’s how big the collection is and how special. She will love Barnard. NYC is a special place.
Barnard is a great, but I know someone who went there that didn’t enjoy it. My friend said that Barnard students can sometimes be “looked down upon” by Columbia students, and my cousin who goes to Columbia confirmed this. They see Barnard students as people who got Columbia without the work.
This is one of the big cons about Barnard other than the fact that going to school in New York is a money sucker.
Even so it’s still a great liberal arts school, and if your daughter feels that she can handle the problems above and still loves Barnard then she should go.
Also if you don’t mind me asking, what were her other choices?
It’s a sign of insecurity to my mind if a person has to be unkind or judgmental over petty things. At some point, IMO, as with most things in life, it’s best to go about your business and ignore people who need to diminish others, or you won’t do anything in life. There are always people who are unpleasant and don’t agree with your choices.
There is so much Barnard pride and one would be surrounded by the brightest Barnard women, with potential employers fawning over you. I dont think a Barnard student feels any Columbia superiority. At least I didnt, and I think that is still the case.
Hello! I see that you said her grades/ACT weren’t that good. Do you mind sharing her GPA? Barnard is my dream school and I just want to wage my chances/I’m curious.