What is life at Columbia really like?

[Anonymous]

My daughter (rising junior) wants to Columbia but we know very little about the school.
If you have a kid there or know it well, can you comment on quality of life? Is your child having a good experience?
Have they made friends and found community?

[Anonymous]

I live near Columbia and know lots of kids there. It is a very diverse community and most kids find their niche and friend group. There is no stereotypical "Columbia student." There are some kids who see the city as their classroom and are less involved, but that is the exception, not the rule.

Incredible opportunities to get involved due to its location, whether on Wall Street, volunteering, museum, or whatever else.

The protest situation has definitely been disruptive but it is not as bad as the news makes it out to be. There is a bit of uneasiness around it but there are lots of kids who just live their lives and largely ignore it.

Kids from very remote locations quickly become street smart to NYC and it is a great learning experience. You learn where to go and when to go there. Most of the area around Columbia is fine. If you are dumb enough to walk 20 blocks north by yourself at 2 am, that's on you.

[Anonymous]

“The protest situation has definitely been disruptive but it is not as bad as the news makes it out to be”

Strongly disagree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The protest situation has definitely been disruptive but it is not as bad as the news makes it out to be. There is a bit of uneasiness around it but there are lots of kids who just live their lives and largely ignore it.

This is consistent with what I’ve heard, at least for this past year. DC has friends there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“The protest situation has definitely been disruptive but it is not as bad as the news makes it out to be”

Strongly disagree.

Writes the person in rural Maryland who has never set foot in NYC and knows no one at Columbia.

[Anonymous]

It's an urban lifestyle. Columbia is famous for its mandatory Core Curriculum, which is fantastic and includes classics from all cultures, which I think is sorely missing in a lot of universities these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“The protest situation has definitely been disruptive but it is not as bad as the news makes it out to be”

Strongly disagree.

Writes the person in rural Maryland who has never set foot in NYC and knows no one at Columbia.

Yeah no

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“The protest situation has definitely been disruptive but it is not as bad as the news makes it out to be”

Strongly disagree.

Writes the person in rural Maryland who has never set foot in NYC and knows no one at Columbia.

Yeah no

Sorry. Rural Virginia. And you once spent an hour on Staten Island because you got lost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live near Columbia and know lots of kids there. It is a very diverse community and most kids find their niche and friend group. There is no stereotypical "Columbia student." There are some kids who see the city as their classroom and are less involved, but that is the exception, not the rule.

Incredible opportunities to get involved due to its location, whether on Wall Street, volunteering, museum, or whatever else.

The protest situation has definitely been disruptive but it is not as bad as the news makes it out to be. There is a bit of uneasiness around it but there are lots of kids who just live their lives and largely ignore it.

Kids from very remote locations quickly become street smart to NYC and it is a great learning experience. You learn where to go and when to go there. Most of the area around Columbia is fine. If you are dumb enough to walk 20 blocks north by yourself at 2 am, that's on you.

My daughter is a student at Columbia. She is very happy there. The above poster gave an accurate description. Your child should visit and see what she thinks

[Anonymous]

Does she know what field she wants to go into. A lot of hiring managers are avoiding certain ivies because it's too much of a risk. Also, think about what happens if they not only lose federal funding, but we put limits on foreign donations in some way or they find all the loopholes places like Qatar use and limit them.

[Anonymous]

It's great for a city loving kid. So many cultural opportunities, employment/internship opportunities, yet it still manages to maintain a strong college community, since it's a fairly small group of undergraduates in a gated campus.

[Anonymous]

I live 10 blocks from Columbia and the protests are much less of a big deal than the media makes it seem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live 10 blocks from Columbia and the protests are much less of a big deal than the media makes it seem.

Hi neighbor! Meet you at Koronet for a jumbo slice in an hour!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter (rising junior) wants to Columbia but we know very little about the school.
If you have a kid there or know it well, can you comment on quality of life? Is your child having a good experience?
Have they made friends and found community?

It is a great community down here in South Carolina. You daughter is gonna love it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a great community down here in South Carolina. You daughter is gonna love it!

The real USC is in Los Angeles.