Disappointed with Barnard

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One more reason why Columbia > Barnard

They can take the same classes, and are taught by the same professors. What are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

I have a hard time believing that one has to look hard for challenging coursework at any school at Barnard’s level (and many, many less prestigious, lower ranked schools). I would recommend having your kid talk to an academic advisor about her courses for next semester. Maybe she can petition to get into higher level courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One more reason why Columbia > Barnard

They can take the same classes, and are taught by the same professors. What are you talking about?

OP here- Barnard students can't take classes at Columbia freshman year.

FWIW, she took both STEM and non-STEM classes first semester. No talk of transferring--she loves NYC and knows that she can take classes at Columbia starting next year. She was just surprised at being underwhelmed (and this is not a humblebrag- she was a very good student but not tippy top at her public school and her scores were fine but she didn't submit them at the advice of her counselor).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One more reason why Columbia > Barnard

They can take the same classes, and are taught by the same professors. What are you talking about?

OP here- Barnard students can't take classes at Columbia freshman year.

FWIW, she took both STEM and non-STEM classes first semester. No talk of transferring--she loves NYC and knows that she can take classes at Columbia starting next year. She was just surprised at being underwhelmed (and this is not a humblebrag- she was a very good student but not tippy top at her public school and her scores were fine but she didn't submit them at the advice of her counselor).

Not an uncommon experience.

Students from one super elite prep boarding school handled the courses so well at Harvard (found the courses easy), that Harvard sent a team to the school to understand why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One more reason why Columbia > Barnard

They can take the same classes, and are taught by the same professors. What are you talking about?

OP here- Barnard students can't take classes at Columbia freshman year.

FWIW, she took both STEM and non-STEM classes first semester. No talk of transferring--she loves NYC and knows that she can take classes at Columbia starting next year. She was just surprised at being underwhelmed (and this is not a humblebrag- she was a very good student but not tippy top at her public school and her scores were fine but she didn't submit them at the advice of her counselor).

I know some Barnard kids skip introductory courses by placement/AP credits, so their freshman year taking advanced math and stem courses to challenge themselves. But I think your DC is better off to have a year to adjust and socialize with her classmates, which is more important freshman year.

[Anonymous]

Rules at Barnard have recently changed and there are more restrictions for barnard students taking courses at Columbia for your major, etc. When I was at columbia, there was more flexibility. Some of my favorite classes were at barnard and they were also easier classes/grading. It's something to be aware of if considering barnard these days. Barnard is very small and departmental offerings can be limiting for some. It's unfortunate that op"s kid isn't being academically challenged for the first year. Yes, they can take higher level courses next year, but freshman year is 25% of the experience (and tuition dollars). Our oldest graduated from Columbia a few years ago and he and his peers were definitely challenged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of ways to increase challenge. My kid does this by taking more classes, getting a job or two, taking higher level classes, and adding a second or third major.

This.
If she’s not being challenged, that’s on her.

Frankly, I too found college easier because I wasn’t working 15hrs/wk, in marching band, & participating in clubs (being in leadership in some of them). Just doing school & not school + everything I needed to get into college is obviously going to be easier/less mental load. I still interacted with professors & that ultimately lead me to research & some independent studying courses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One more reason why Columbia > Barnard

They can take the same classes, and are taught by the same professors. What are you talking about?

OP here- Barnard students can't take classes at Columbia freshman year.

FWIW, she took both STEM and non-STEM classes first semester. No talk of transferring--she loves NYC and knows that she can take classes at Columbia starting next year. She was just surprised at being underwhelmed (and this is not a humblebrag- she was a very good student but not tippy top at her public school and her scores were fine but she didn't submit them at the advice of her counselor).

Not an uncommon experience.

Students from one super elite prep boarding school handled the courses so well at Harvard (found the courses easy), that Harvard sent a team to the school to understand why.

OP again- but DD is not from a super elite prep school...I would be far less surprised if that was the case. She went to a solid public school (but not a TJ-type) and got almost all As with a few A minuses...I would definitely have thought that college would be a lot harder. FWIW, she has said that she has a few friends at Barnard that do seem overwhelmed, but she thinks they are having a hard time with the general transition to college more than the academics per se.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One more reason why Columbia > Barnard

They can take the same classes, and are taught by the same professors. What are you talking about?

OP here- Barnard students can't take classes at Columbia freshman year.

FWIW, she took both STEM and non-STEM classes first semester. No talk of transferring--she loves NYC and knows that she can take classes at Columbia starting next year. She was just surprised at being underwhelmed (and this is not a humblebrag- she was a very good student but not tippy top at her public school and her scores were fine but she didn't submit them at the advice of her counselor).

Not an uncommon experience.

Students from one super elite prep boarding school handled the courses so well at Harvard (found the courses easy), that Harvard sent a team to the school to understand why.

OP again- but DD is not from a super elite prep school...I would be far less surprised if that was the case. She went to a solid public school (but not a TJ-type) and got almost all As with a few A minuses...I would definitely have thought that college would be a lot harder. FWIW, she has said that she has a few friends at Barnard that do seem overwhelmed, but she thinks they are having a hard time with the general transition to college more than the academics per se.

Great points. Thank you for the insights.

Yes, I did understand that your student came from a non-elite school. I just wanted to share that it is not an uncommon experience even at some other elite schools.

Environment matters. If your daughter does not feel challenged at Barnard College, then take as many classes as allowed at Columbia University if appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Can she transfer to General Studies so that she could take Columbia classes?

[Anonymous]

My DD is a Barnard Junior. She got a 4.0 freshman year without much effort. It got harder sophomore year, particularly with the addition of looking for internships, club activities etc. She’s very glad to have had the freshman 4.0 as a starting foundation!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One more reason why Columbia > Barnard

They can take the same classes, and are taught by the same professors. What are you talking about?

Nope, not as Freshmen. Half of what any Columbia freshman is taking are Core classes not open to Barnard and this year Barnard announced limits to how many Columbia classes their freshmen can take so it's not at all reflective of Columbia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She has only completed one semester. Too early to tell. Will she be taking high level science or math classes?

+1
Intro classes were easy for DD at a different school first year. She was much more challenged the next year. Tell your DD to take harder classes.

[Anonymous]

There is grade inflation and AI use everywhere, which can make any hard class easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is grade inflation and AI use everywhere, which can make any hard class easy.

DD is a sophomore at Barnard and has been shocked by the grade inflation there...nobody gets lower than an A- if they do the work.