<p>Note I said "multimillion dollar mansion". Sachs' house cost $10m, I believe. Of course it isn't a standalone home with a picket fence; what passes for a mansion in Manhattan is more accurately called a townhouse. Semantic point conceded...</p>
<p>I'm curious what you mean exactly by "open space that students can claim as their own"...certainly the ratio of students to Columbia-owned lawn is rather higher than that at the other Ivies, but it doesn't preclude one finding nooks even in the nicest of weather (and it omits all the scenic parks near campus)...by contrast, there's not much of Harvard's muddy grounds I'd ever really want to sit on...</p>
<p>I mean the courtyards and spaces around the dormitories. Columbia has a few good nooks to sit and interact with classmates, such as the library steps, and Barnard is a bit like one long, narrow park, which is also nice. I think the spaces tend to be a bit too small, though, and there certainly aren't enough of them to have different individualized ones. For example, HYP generally have courtyards in their dormitories that a few hundred students can share as their own, and yes, it gets very muddy at Harvard Yard but they have some steps and benches too (the problem there are the tourists!).</p>
<p>You're right that each dorm doesn't have a grassy courtyard...one does have to trade something for the intensity of Manhattan urban life. Of course, the fact that Columbia has so many single rooms...and with some views some Harvard and Yale students would die for...somewhat compensates. The perspective applicant ought to know that the residential college experience cannot be had at Columbia, but it's not very prevalent outside HY and to a lesser extent P anyway. Many of Penn's upperclassmen live in giant concrete towers, for instance, and most of Chicago's dorms are old hotels and apartment houses. </p>
<p>I did a summer program once at Wellesley and even at its most bustling the campus felt somewhat empty, endless nooks and crannies and all. Much of college is a social experience and despite its perceived "lack of community" the fact that Columbia's campus is so small and has communal gathering places like the Low steps forces one to run into their friends whereas they might retreat even further from them if this weren't the case. What's more, in winter or torrential it's really quite nice to have a compact campus...I would imagine trekking all the way across Princeton in a thunderstorm is a chore. Nowhere on Columbia's Morningside campus is more than 10 minutes away.</p>
<p>Since everyone says the social life is so fragmented, what do Columbians typically do for fun?
I'm assuming this about the social life doesn't detract too much from the overall great experience one would have at Columbia?</p>
<p>What a "fragmented" social life means in terms of fun is that you can pretty much do anything. On a typical Thursday night, some students will be studying/prepping for Friday class (there are some), some students will hang out in their rooms, some go out to a movie or play on campus, some go to a house party on campus, some go out to restaurants or bars in the neighborhood, some go to cultural events in the city and others do nightlife stuff downtown. In essence, it means there are a lot of options and that not everyone will be doing the same thing at any given time. What "fragmented" really means is that Columbia students have diverse opinions as to what constitutes fun, and are not interchangeable in this respect, such that one usually has to find a niche of people who share one's interests, or be willing to readily sample very different cultures. Example: there have been nights in which I've gone out to a movie, show, or restaurant downtown only to come back and hang out, anticipating a quiet night in, then be invited out to neighborhood place or suite party on campus. There are even people who just endlessly roam campus alone or with friends at night. </p>
<p>What "fragmented" does not mean is that Columbians make relationships in the city that take priority over their college affiliation. When Columbians do go out, they typically do so in groups of their Columbia friends. I had a girlfriend at NYU for a couple years and I definitely missed out on what is a typical Columbia-centric social life; spending most of your time off campus and/or away from Columbia people is not the norm.</p>
<p>Columbia 2007 -- Keep it up! The way you describe Columbia is very much the sense of it I get from my son.</p>
<p>As far as professors talking to students, the Morningside Heights neighborhood, time spent on the subway -- my son ran into a professor of his on the subway, used the time to chat, ended up doing some work for the prof. Sure, the initiative might have to come from the student, just as at most research universities. But that subway time doesn't have to be wasted. :)</p>
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Yes, I've spent a lot of time at Columbia and Barnard because I lived in the area. I am very familiar with it and know people studying there right now.
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<p>Apparently you've got deep misconceptions about Columbia that you need to seriously reconsider. Living in Morningside doesn't give you an intimate knowledge of Columbia, and your posts demonstrate as much.</p>
<p>I'm still curious to know hear your views on how drug use is "moderated" at the other Ivies. And your views about how the eating clubs at Princeton are egalitarian.</p>
<p>The comments that my daughter has made during her time at Columbia also fall in line with those made by columbia2007. She has thoroughly enjoyed the experience and dreads the thought of graduating next year.</p>
<p>posterX's comments are completely out of line with the feelings of most students on campus....visiting a campus for a few days does not make u an expert.</p>
<p>I've done a lot more than visit for a few days. I was there for a good length of time and still maintain regular contact with a number of current students there.</p>
<p>I didn't claim to be an expert on anything, and wouldn't even if I were a student there for six years. I don't think anyone would be an expert, because people have different experiences there based on their interests, friends and where they end up. The thread is simply asking for opinions.</p>
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I didn't claim to be an expert on anything
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<p>That you don't have a clue about any of this stuff doesn't diminish the informed opinions of the several Columbia students/alums on this board.</p>
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people have different experiences there based on their interests, friends and where they end up. The thread is simply asking for opinions.
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<p>Some of these things are matters of fact, not opinion. Go stand on the 116th Street platform and time the stinkin' train to see how often it comes. It does not take an hour.</p>
<p>Go look up the taxi rates and calculate how much it would cost to take a cab downtown. Split 4 ways, it's only a few bucks a person.</p>
<p>And, go find me faculty members who can't afford to live less than an hour away from Columbia. I can give you a list of subsidized faculty apartment buildings.</p>
<p>I may not be an expert (class of 2010, haven't even started yet), but I've got an opinion. I don't understand why people complain about the percieved "lack of community." Do people really expect to hold hands with their classmates and sing kumbaya around the campfire? (okay, they might do that at Dartmouth... :) )</p>
<p>When I was at DOC/visiting the year before, the a vast majority of the students are approachable. Just take the iniative to talk to people. It definitely pays off.</p>
<p>But cool things that I've experienced so far? COOP, Postcrypt, and the general loopiness of most people here.</p>
<p>not so much with the kumbaya. My impression of columbia students is very down-to-earth and intense. Very low BS quotient. School spirit (except for the band) is nearly nil, but that doesn't mean students don't like it there - it just means they don't consider the cult atmosphere surrounding a lot of college orientations and experiences (the "us vs them" culture) to be worth a damn. Part of that comes from having zero sports success to whip up the mob.</p>
<p>columbia2007 has already done a pretty good job defending the place, so I won't add much. But as a newly minted graduate, I can say the job opportunities are about as good as it gets. If a well-paying job is what you're after, columbia's about top of the line for finance and consulting jobs, and as a qualification for business school.</p>
<p>Cons include: administration that doesn't love its students the way it should, and a constantly protesting / social-activist portion of the student body that can be annoying to those who think they're a bunch of loons.</p>
<p>In all, I don't think I would've enjoyed myself more at any other school, except possibly Stanford. Being in New York with everything at my fingertips was about as close to heaven on earth as I could've asked for.</p>