Im a high school junior and i’m weighing all of my choices! Please help!
In my opinion (having worked at Barnard, but not having gone there):
-You get the best of both worlds! It’s a small liberal arts college with its own small campus, library, dining hall, etc., but you also get to share in the resources of a world-renowned research university. You can take small focused classes at Barnard and take larger or more specialized classes at Columbia. You can do research with the top research faculty at Columbia, but Barnard’s faculty also do research and you can work with them.
-Similar to the above, if you want to go to a women’s college but are concerned about feeling cloistered and isolated from a co-ed experience, Columbia is literally right across the street. Barnard women can participate in virtually all the extracurriculars at Columbia, plus there are some BC only clubs, and if you want to do Greek life the sororities at CU/BC are joint between both campuses.
-Being a top college Barnard has a rigorous education, but being a small liberal arts college means a more generally supportive environment.
-Being located in NYC means you can do internships at top companies year-round. I worked at both Barnard and Columbia, and most of my students had at least one internship during the academic year, a lot of them at fancy NYC companies.
-Barnard is very diverse! Not only racially/ethnically, but also in terms of geographic (students are from all over the U.S. and the world), socioeconomically (good financial aid means they attract students across the spectrum), and religiously/culturally.
I had a friend that chose Bowdoin over Barnard.
@NASA2014 I’m not really sure how that’s relevant…
A couple of friends of mine have gone to Banard. They have said their professors are just as good as the one’s at Colombia, and in some cases better. I think you’ll be able to have a strong educational background if you end up going there
Every former student of mine who’s attended has fallen in love, even though several of them were (foolishly) disappointed not to have gotten into other colleges. Great school, great relationship with Columbia, great people all around. Barnard is fantastic.
Thank you all! You are very kind people, I love to hear feedback!!
My daughter graduated from Barnard in 2009. I would say that some of the “best things” for her and for us were:
-first, excellent academics in a supportive environment, all the while being challenged to do your absolute best;
-my daughter was a dancer and the opportunity to get top-notch dance training with fantastic academics at the college level was a deal maker for her. AND, I will say, that is not something we found to be available at many colleges!
-My D LOVED living in NYC.
-Attending a women’s college was NEVER on her radar. She found out about Barnard while attending a dance summer intensive at NYU the summer before her Senior year in HS and decided to apply then. She has since done some college level teaching while working on her PhD. Seeing young women in these large undergraduate science classes in a co-ed (top rated) University made her realize that the environment at Barnard was quantitatively more supportive and encouraging to women.
-The traditions and the fellowship of alumnae (I will also note that Lauren Graham was seen just last night sporting a Barnard cap in an episode of the show Parenthood).
- she has precious friendships made from her time there
The best thing about Barnard is being across the street from Columbia. You cannot take that fact lightly.
@ricck1 if you think that’s the best thing I’d say it’s better to be on the SAME side of the street as Columbia.
I don’t think anyone attends Barnard without being aware of the advantages of being part of Columbia University, but if Columbia College or Fu SEAS is what is actually wanted, why not apply to one of those instead?
@OHMomof2 I completely agree with you. But the question was “what is the best thing about Barnard?”
USC or Barnard? Just made it to USC and I am confused now if I get into Barnard.
Jazzdancer, assuming you mean Univ. of Southern California (and not South Carolina, which I know nothing about) – those are two very different options. Probably best to spend time now learning more about USC and what it offers. But I don’t think it’s possible to make a direct comparison because the environments are so different: West coast vs. east coast; large university vs. LAC affiliated with Ivy university, etc. Focus on USC right now because you know you have been admitted – with Barnard you are probably better off to wait until decision time.
Is financial aid a factor? In addition to directly comparing aid offers, you might also check into each college’s policy concerning application of AP credits, and also registration and course fees. I remember a CC parent running into a problem at USC a few years back because of their fee policies for students who want to take more than 18 units in a semester-- my daughter was quite happy at Barnard to take 4 years to get her degree and stick to a reasonable course load, but she had a suitemate one year who seemed to take the Hermione Granger approach to her education – I think she was taking about 27 points the semester that I visited! (and of course that remarkable young woman was pre-med with a triple major). But definitely once you are admitted it helps to delve into aspects of finances that might not be apparent at first glance. You might also find significant disparities in policies and costs related to housing and meal plans. On the other hand, if USC is offering merit aid, there is another sets of pros & cons to consider.
Does your s/n here reflect something you want to pursue in college? Barnard has strong offerings in ballet and modern dance, but my daughter – who had strong training in jazz as well as other dance forms – found the offerings for jazz dance to at Barnard to be minimal. So if it comes down to comparing dance departments, I’d suggest that you also delve into the specific course offerings to be sure that your needs will be met.
If you’re going to apply to Barnard for Columbia- don’t. apply to Columbia, don’t treat Barnard like that. On its own, Barnard is a wonderful college. It’s in the heart of New York which makes internships and jobs great, they have amazing campus traditions, and they have a special legacy as one of the first schools to offer women the same Columbia education as men were receiving…warning: they have a very rigorous curriculum- so if you’re going to get a Columbia diploma with easier academics, you’re mistaken. I fell in love with the school my junior year- and I’m sure if you do your research on it you will too- you should check out their youtube channel
@churchmusicmom gotta love Lauren Graham.