So I’m planning on applying to Barnard College and Emory University, but I was wondering why Emory has a higher acceptance rate than Barnard when Emory is ranked 21 in the U.S. and Barnard is ranked 27. Is it because Barnard has access to the resources of Columbia and it’s located in Manhattan? Also, I’d like to major in chemistry, which I know Columbia has a better department in, so I am wondering if I am allowed to conduct research at Columbia instead of Barnard. I know they’re financially and legally independent of each other and that Columbia and Barnard students share clubs, classes, libraries, and so on, but I’m unsure about research.
Volume of applicants. Supply and Demand. Just like rankings, your choice of school is technically an opinion
@AcademiaSavvy
But Emory is a University while Barnard is a small LAC. That’s not a fair comparison. Their rankings aren’t comparable either. There both great schools so it shouldn’t matter.
@VANDEMORY1342 By Emory University I meant Emory College of Arts and Sciences, which I thought was a LAC and research university?
Ranking does not equate with selectivity, because the ranking algorithm considers other factors as well. One of the factors is size of endowment and other resources, and Barnard looks resource-poor on paper, but that is because Barnard benefits from its association with Columbia in ways that aren’t measured in the rankings. Barnard does have gaps in its own offerings that would be a problem if it were a stand-alone college, but are meaningless when the resources are available from Columbia— and it wouldn’t make sense for Barnard and Columbia to have unnecessarily redundant offerings in any case. Much better to work in partnership.
In terms of overall academic offerings and course quality, Barnard and Columbia are equivalent, and in many cases the students are taking the same courses, often from the same faculty members. And yes, Barnard students can participate in many research opportunities open to undergrads at Columbia.
In any case you really shouldn’t choose a college based on ranking or apply to Barnard as a way of accessing Columbia.