Barnard vs Columbia women

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- thank you, this is helpful. DD loves the idea of a small women’s college with all of the opportunities of a large research university…but not if there are going to be eye rolls when she opens her mouth in class.

This never happens. And if it does, the Barnard girls don’t notice or care. The communities are so integrated. Girls are active in pre-professional clubs, sororities etc and Barnard students hold offices in them all. This is not a thing. At all. Look at the IG pages for the Colombia sororities, clubs etc. Barnard students are well represented and NO ONE cares except parents here who have no idea what they’re talking about.

The above post is hard to take seriously for two reasons.

First, had they started with "This problem is rare" or "This is not the norm" I'd be fine...but starting with "This never happens" is absurd. Other people on this thread have reported that it, in fact, does exist.

Second...Barnard "girls"? Anyone with actual experience at Barnard (or any women's college) would not refer to college women as "girls."

[Anonymous]

My daughter is a student athlete who had the option from the coach to choose either CC or Barnard. She chose Barnard because she liked its more flexible class options vs. CC's required core curriculum. She loves Barnard. There is no animosity from CC students. None. Especially now after going through the protests and Trump admin attacks together, all 4 Columbia University colleges are one family. If someone says otherwise on here they either have a very insecure daughter or are trolling after an admission denial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a student athlete who had the option from the coach to choose either CC or Barnard. She chose Barnard because she liked its more flexible class options vs. CC's required core curriculum. She loves Barnard. There is no animosity from CC students. None. Especially now after going through the protests and Trump admin attacks together, all 4 Columbia University colleges are one family. If someone says otherwise on here they either have a very insecure daughter or are trolling after an admission denial.

This may be true, but I am a BC alum from the 90s soon after CC went co-ed. At that time there was some negative sentiment toward BC students, i.e. it there's nothing holding you back from applying to CC, you must not be smart enough. But that was also 30 years ago already. I am happy to hear what your daughter says and hope it is universally valid.

[Anonymous]

I am a CC alum (one of the earlier coed classes), and took many classes at Barnard. If considering these schools, carefully read the new rules. There are new restrictions that will limit the ability to cross register for classes in one's major beyween Columbia and Barnard. Maybe its a financial issue between the 2 schools? I was just reading about this in my alum pages. Regarding BC vs CC, they're very different schools, different requirements, different student bodies and different admission standards. There are some who view CC students as stronger (not me) so it is important to know that there is some bias in perceived reputation. (It is easier to get into barnard v columbia) . I also have a son who is a recent grad so I have a pretty good sense of the school beyond my memories...

[Anonymous]

Sounds like everyone else at Harvard vs the Kennedy School.

I went to Columbia for grad school and agree this Columbia vs Barnard dynamic is real

[Anonymous]

It may depend on the social circles. My Barnard daughter is in a sorority. It’s the Columbia chapter and is pretty evenly split between Barnard and Columbia students. This seems to be the case with all of the sororities. At the end of the day, your DD should choose Barnard for Barnard, not Columbia. My DD loves her Columbia greek life circle and has a very active social life and friend group across both schools, but also really loves Barnard and is very active in some Barnard-only activities as well. She is a Columbia legacy and did not apply to Columbia, only wanted Barnard. No complaints at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is simply not true! if anything columbia women envy that barnard women are like..... cooler and smarter? better freshman community building so the wheels are greased socially and everything sort of falls from there. if anything barnard students are often more self-directed/curious/intellectual as opposed to the head-down grindset that leads a lot of kids to ivys. i say this as a columbia woman! my cc classmates were nerds, often boring, had a hard time with ideas because they were trying to be right all the time and struggled with nuance or criticism (which is.... where real thinking happens.......). it's one school, with shared libraries and classes and dining halls, but everyone knows you have a better time at barnard.

PP here with dd at Columbia. I agree with this. The Barnard girls seem to be somewhat more sophisticated and the men are often more intrigued with them.

Definitely a true stereotype. They say that Barnard girls dress up for class and Columbia girls wear sweats.

[Anonymous]

Of course it's true.

[Anonymous]

The Columbia Core is the big differentiator and a bit of a badge of honor and shared experience among alums of all Columbia College generations. Very heavy reading and more restrictive requirements vs Barnard foundations curriculum. I agree that socially, the 2 schools are very integrated in terms of greek and clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: My DD was advised by a friend’s sister (who goes to Columbia) not to apply to Barnard unless she can handle feeling “looked down upon” by Columbia women. She wasn’t trying to be mean- in fact, she suggested that she hates that there’s this attitude among her Columbia peers but wanted my DD to go in eyes wide open. Curious if others have heard or experienced this.

DD graduated from Columbia and this is correct.

[Anonymous]

Barnard, for such a great institution, still amazes me that their endowment is so low compared to other LACs. quite frankly they have a JOKE of an endowment. No wonder they are about to go bankrupt and need Columbia to save them from themselves.

[Anonymous]

Why do the kids care? Sounds like many dont and some do. And for the one who
"Look down on BCers" does that mean they look down on everyone that doesn't go to
an Ivy? Do they look down on kids from Wellesley, U Michigan, USC, Tufts, etc

[Anonymous]

My DD went to Barnard and loved it but definitely felt that some (not all) CC students looked down on Barnard women. It was a thing. Having said that, she had plenty of CC friends and had a great overall experience.

[Anonymous]

This is messed up. Barnard has a 7% acceptance rate and Columbia has a 4.2%. the admissions difference between them could be a paragraph on their personal essay.

Didn't attend either but reading through this thread. If Columbia women are like this to Barnard women that is really messed up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is messed up. Barnard has a 7% acceptance rate and Columbia has a 4.2%. the admissions difference between them could be a paragraph on their personal essay.

Didn't attend either but reading through this thread. If Columbia women are like this to Barnard women that is really messed up.

Barnard acceptance rate is a little deceiving. They get significantly fewer applications v columbia. It is more of niche self selecting group as a Women's institution. (Approx 10k apps for barnard vs 60k for columbia)