<p>I’m an applicant and I really really love Barnard. It seems like the perfect school, but I really don’t want to put any one school on a pedestal. That’s why I’d like to know from applicants/students/alum/parents/whatever, what are some things about Barnard that you love and things that you think could use some modification?</p>
<p>PS I live in Queens, NY, but I was thinking of dorming because the place I live in is really bad and I can’t wait to get out of here. How are the dorms? Do you think it would be a good idea for me to get a dorm or should I save my family the expense?</p>
<p>Parent of a recent graduate here:
What I LOVE about Barnard: the excellent education that my daughter received; the environment there which seems to have instilled in her a sense of confidence as well as competence to focus upon her goals; the truly individual support and attention she received in all settings there, from advising to establishing lab experiences, to her on-campus work experiences, all the while knowing that she could and would step out on her own and do it well!</p>
<p>Things I did not like about Barnard: It was expensive. A sacrifice, but well worth it since we are confident that her undergraduate experience at Barnard in the sciences directly resulted in her getting into the fully funded PhD program of her choice; also, Barnard is a long way from Atlanta…but we LOVED getting to travel to NYC for visits, so that is not all that bad; the only other slightly negative thing I can think of is that the student body is very, very liberal and, particularly during the Presidential election, it was at times a bit annoying for my fairly conservative/libertarian daughter.</p>
<p>Sorry this sounds kind of cliche’, but there you go. Barnard was definitely the best possible place for my daughter. of that I am sure…</p>
<p>We had a similar experience with our older daughter. A fairly conservative Republican with a very logical brain (Think Mr Spok in a dress) she had a lot of fun laughing at some of the conclusions her classmates would state during the election season. But with her strong sense of justice there was never any serious conflict.
The location in New York was perfect for us. As parents we are too “hovering”, so it was good for her to be away in terms of independence. Except that there are no more direct flights from Ontario to New York.
At Barnard she did not receive as much personal attention as I would have liked until the last two years, but that is her fault as she didn’t seek any attention. You can get as much as you want.
Barnard also allowed her intellectual freedom and opportunities. As churchmusicmom mentioned her daughter went from dance to neuroscience. Our daughter started as a barely interested premed (because she couldn’t think of anything else) went to economics then to art history. She specialized in non western art, spent a semester in Cairo and a summer in Saudi Arabia, toured Tunisia and Turkey and is now filling out law school applications. Her interest is in Cultural Preservation law.
If you choose to go to Barnard, be prapared for a varied and long intellectual journey. The “nine ways of knowing” are there for a reason. Barnard students are serious intellectuals and as such have a number of talents, so they want you to sample them all. Also women mature in the sciences later than men. I can’t tell you the number of women in Physics I know who hated Physics in high school but loved it in college. Look up Prof. Janna Levin of the Physics department. She started Barnard as a Philosophy major.
In addition, be prepared to study hard: you’ve selected a very strong peer group for yourself. As Dean Denburg said when my older daughter arrived, “This will be the first time in your life you will learn more from your classmates than you will from the faculty.” (And this is not because the faculty is slacking.) Our younger daughter currently at Barnard is loving it even though she is taking 19 hours including an upper level Physics course as a film major.</p>
<p>Sorry, I forgot to address the question about the dorms.
The dorms are nice enough. They are pretty reasonable when you consider that you are living in New York. I like the renovated apartments that you live in after the first year. Cathederal Gardens in my current favorite.
One of my daughter’s friends had family in Queens but live at Barnard. I would recommend it. They say (Don’t ask me who they are) that kids who live at home have trouble integrating into the college scene.</p>
<p>Things I love: It’s in NYC. The advising is great. Classes are interesting. The teachers are accessible. The work load is (somewhat) reasonable. The girls are interesting and friendly. You can really talk to anyone (not too cliquey). It’s very easy to participate in discussions without guys around. Very relaxed atmosphere in most classes – not that competitive. Girls are serious about work, but know how to get down (for the most part). Wonderful place for creative, artsy, music/theater people. Unique opportunities you can’t get anywhere else (my piano teacher is the composer for all of Isaac Mizrahi’s commercials, etc – they’re like, really tight; my theater professor is also a Broadway general manager…etc). Education is really tailored to what you want. Everyone is looking out for YOUR best interests. It’s very easy to succeed here. There’s always something to do…because we’re in New York. You can go out and party or do whatever and come home and it’ll be nice and quiet here.</p>
<p>Things I hate: There’s no sense of community. It’s hard to get involved socially at Columbia sometimes. Not having guys around makes some girls totally wacko-Feminists and others completely boy-crazy – doesn’t foster a healthy view of the opposite sex. Very materialistic. A little homogeneous. Most people have no school spirit or their Barnard pride is completely over the top (again, not really a healthy medium). Not that much to do on campus (even though there are events, they can be pretty lame) until the end of semester when suddenly EVERYTHING is going on…but you have finals. Girls can be a little snotty especially about going to low-income areas of NYC. People totally scatter everywhere over the weekend – again, doesn’t help with the lack of community.</p>
<p>I know that’s a lot of hate, but I love it here. It’s the right place for me, despite the negatives. I think most girls here feel the same. I do know a lot of people transferring. That doesn’t mean that Barnard sucks, it just means that it really isn’t for everybody.</p>
<p>PS - The dorms are alright, but not wonderful – about as good as your going to get at most places, I’m sure. Do live on campus – you miss a lot when you aren’t here.</p>
<p>Sorry I haven’t posted sooner, but thank you everyone for your thoughtful replies. You’ve really helped me to weigh the pros and cons. Barnard still definitely sounds like an amazing place.</p>
<p>-The sense of empowerment that Barnard gave me. A strong feeling of agency regarding both my intellectual knowledge and my ability to do amazing things in life.</p>
<p>-Sisterhood. Knowing that Barnard students and alums are devoted to each other.</p>
<p>-The reputation of Barnard in the job and internship market (especially in NYC where Barnard is well-known). An interviewer once told me that “knowing I was a Barnard student was enough”. She said she had never been unhappy with a Barnard student or alumna.</p>
<p>-I honestly loved every place I was housed through Barnard - and I lived in campus housing all four years. I had, at various times, high-floor Hudson and city views, and a huge apartment that I shared with one other person. </p>
<p>-NYC at large! Love Morningside Heights (city or college town? who knows?); love the Upper West Side; love the city. </p>
<p>Didn’t necessarily love:</p>
<p>-If you are a reader of CC, you have probably noticed that the term “feminism” is usually (always?) used disparagingly in regards to Barnard. Well, I think that sucks. The main reason I love Barnard is because it instills feminist values (Go out there and do what you love! Speak up! Kick some ass!), and I think it’s a shame that some students won’t use the F-word. Speaking of which, the Barnard Center for Research on Women sells a shirt, or at least used to, that says “Dare to say the F-word: Feminism.” If only everyone felt that way!</p>
<p>-Barnard’s (and its students’) identity crisis, especially when the crisis manifested as a) too much competition/cattiness with Columbia and its students, and b) too much obsession with “Boys! Live Boys! - I swear, I still date them!” …fortunately, issues with these things were mostly concentrated around the applying to Barnard and first year time.</p>