<p>Applied here ED (ahh!), for current students, what are the students like and what do they do for fun? Are people generally friendly? And do most people go clubbing downtown (I'm not into that scene at all!) or do they stay on campus for frat parties or bars? </p>
<p>What is the dating scene like?</p>
<p>I’m a current freshman at the engineering school :)</p>
<p>What are the students like: well, like anywhere, all the students are really different. If I had to generalize, they’re all freakishly involved, active, and independent people. They have strong opinions and stand up for what they believe in. In terms of socializing, they tend to have stronger personalities and are incredibly fashionable lol. It can be really intimidating sometimes. I’ve had to up my fashion sense. But they’re all wonderful people, and I haven’t met a bad soul among the bunch yet. </p>
<p>Are people generally friendly?: Yes and no. Most people are quite nice and don’t mean any harm. But there can be a significant aristocratic feel in terms of the rich international kids. Without meaning to, they can alienate a lot of the other students and it’s awkward and rude and blah. But overall everyone is very polite and friendly, especially during the first week. Remember, no one else has friends, either!</p>
<p>For parties: it depends on who you hang out with. The jocks stay on campus or within ten blocks (sometimes they go to bars). A lot of the international kids go downtown to nice bars or restaurants. For most people, on a special night they’ll go downtown, but we honestly don’t have that much time. Usually we’ll just stay on campus for dorm parties and frat parties and sometimes stop by a few bars near campus. You get to know pretty quickly how the bouncers work at each, when you should arrive, etc.</p>
<p>The dating scene: A surprising amount of people come here in a relationship. It’s really adorable. Since most people are from the east coast, their significant others tend to go to schools along the east coast, too ,such as Boston University or NYU. I wouldn’t say the dating scene is THAT strong-- not any stronger than any other school. We all have a lot of work to do so it can be difficult, but people definitely meet. I mean, it really works the way it would at any other school. You can have a quick hook up at a frat party or invest some time in one specific person.</p>
<p>I hope this helped :)</p>
<p>I’m also a freshman, but in the College. </p>
<p>What are students like:
Students at Columbia tend to be extremely dedicated to their interests. I know people who skipped the introductory sequences of their courses, not just because they had taken lots of courses in that subject area, but because of their desire to take more advanced courses. Basically, the atmosphere is extremely academic and it really shows. And I agree with the above, students tend to dress quite well.</p>
<p>Friendliness: Especially on the first week of school everyone is friendly. This changes significantly afterwards. While people are generally friendly, some will stop acknowledging you even though you have met before. On the whole though, it is not that difficult to make friends because you will find people you can easily relate too. Ironically (especially related to the post above), most of my friends happen to be international students, but then again this is probably because I am one (US citizen living abroad) myself. That is not say that I don’t have friends from here as well. You will also find that some of the people who you will get along with the most are the people on your floor, just because you see them all the time. </p>
<p>Parties: I don’t really go to many parties. The parties I have been to are usually in cramped suites. There is also a fraternity scene though I can’t say much about that as I have not attended any parties there. Not many students at all go downtown, as the student above me said; there’s just no time. Most students tend to have dorm parties, or go to bars, or simply just hang out with friends in someone’s room. </p>
<p>Dating Scene: I really can’t say much about this at all, as none of my friends or anyone I know are currently in a relationship. From what I’ve seen, there seem to be a fair number of people dating, though I can’t really say for sure.</p>
<p>Hi isabelwhatx,</p>
<p>Could you talk a little bit more about ppl graduate from Columbia?
Do they usually go to grads school or firms?</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>It really depends, honestly, on the person and the major. I know a lot of people in the engineering school (which I attend) that left undergrad school right after graduation and went straight to an interview with Google. I also know people who are going to med school or grad school for archaeology. It ranges so much. You have a very good shot at most grad schools if you graduate for Columbia, but sometimes, especially in engineering, going to graduate school is not necessary or not right for the person.</p>
<p>So you absolutely have the option, but it’s important to remember that a lot of people actively make the choice not to go.</p>
<p>In a place where taking 4 classes is tantamount to slacking, be prepared to work harder than you’ve ever done so before. There are fewer assignments than in HS, but each one will be worth a decent chunk of your grade, so you must take them seriously. Your competition can be fierce, esp. in the science classes.</p>
<p>Most importantly, expect surprises on a weekly basis. Go out and see the city, check out one of the hundreds of clubs here, and make friends with your very friendly and unique classmates. Your activities will likely be highly dependent on who you hang out with.</p>
<p>There’s something for everyone here, you just have to search for it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. </p>
<p>I’ve always wanted to be in a sorority, but do they exist at Columbia? And if so, is it very hard to get a bid, and are the girls nice or snobby? Clubbing at fancy places downtown is just SO not my thing, so its nice to know people stay around campus for stuff. </p>
<p>I have so many activities i’m interested in, I don’t know how I’ll be able to choose.</p>
<p>All this is conditional on me getting in-tomorrow! ahh!</p>
<p>Current students: do any of you do club or intramural sports? Is it common for people to do them, and do you think the system is well organized?</p>
<p>bumping this after results came out–I’m IN</p>
<p>More questions, guys, as a future student:</p>
<ol>
<li>Is CUE a good pre-orientation program? Should I do it?</li>
<li>How popular are political organizations, specifically college republicans?</li>
<li>Does one need to be recruited to be on the debate team? I’ve won a few county awards, but nothing national…could I join?</li>
</ol>
<p>I’m actually planning on rushing for a sorority next semester 
The rushing process for sororities here is very different than other places. There are four in total, and they all work together in a four day rushing phase in February (for freshman). One holds a party each night, and you attend each party. At the end of the rush week, you rank the sororities from one to four on which ones you like best. The sororities do the same for you. Some computer program matches you up. It’s a bit strange, but apparently it ends up working out really well. If you wanna know more about it, PM me. Since I’m planning on rushing, I’m finding out things as well And I’d be happy to answer your questions and fill you in as I go through the process.</p>
<ol>
<li>I was not part of it so I can’t tell you if it’s “good”, but the people in the pre orientation programs are all really good friends now. You form a really close bond with people and, if you’re afraid about the social scene, that would be a really good idea. COOP was also great for social bonding. I know so many people who still regularly hang out with their pre-orientation friends. It’s a really, really great way to bond. </li>
<li>SUPER POPULAR!! Every side of the spectrum is HEAVILY represented. You’d be surprised how many republicans are here! I was very afraid I would feel isolated, but I am not at all And people here are very… intellectual. No one (well, very few people) will write you off immediately just because you are a republican. There are quite a few clubs available for republicans. They’ve been very active with the OWS phenomenon (yuck)</li>
<li>I don’t believe so. A few people on my floor are part of the debate team, and I was thinking of joining. It’s apparently what you make of it. There’s a huge contrast between those who take it seriously and those who don’t. It can be a light, side activity or a complete dedication thing. They also have lots of parties with LOTS of alcohol. So yeah. I’m sure you would have no problem joining :)</li>
</ol>
<p>I’m so confused by hippychick being a republican.</p>
<p>muahaha. the perfect paradox.</p>
<p>Isabel, what sorority?</p>
<p>Re: debate. I believe Parli, which is pretty competitive with top teams like Harvard and Yale, does require try-outs. Unfortunately, unlike Harvard and Yale, they don’t get any institutional assistance from the university (aside from the $$$ that every student group gets) so they can’t actually recruit. If you don’t want to do Parli, though, there’s always CIRCA (which has a Model UN team) and the Philolexian Society, which holds weekly philosophical debates. There may also be a Model Congress team, though I’m not sure. I’m not really involved in any of those groups, but I have friends who are.</p>
<p>Anybody know anything more about Model Congress? I looked at their website but all the information was for the conferences they hold for HS kids. I’m doing Youth and Government right now and I’m kind of looking for a similar experience…</p>