Thoughts on Columbia? Intensity? Social life?

[Anonymous]

Intense.

A good friend went to Columbia and had to drop out of a pretty famous band because the demands of the school were too much. She dropped out of the band to edit the school newspaper. She has always regretted the decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Your child has won an intellectual/cultural lottery, Congratulations."

While I agree with much the teacher wrote, THIS IS NOT TRUE, and I don't think she meant luck was involved in getting into Columbia.

There was no lottery about it. Columbia WANTS your daughter. They chose her over people with better and worse stats, ECs, essays and recs.

There is something in her application that stood out, showed initiative or indicated future greatness.

They have spent a huge amount of effort figuring out how to find what they WANT in students and in a class.

You don't have to understand it, just know it was NOT AN ACCIDENT.

I'm not talking about putting extreme faith in experts or "Ivies", I'm saying that there is skill involved in human resources and college ad coms.

You need to make sure your DD understands this as well. Of course, you have to get this across without swelling her head, no easy task.



Hello : I am the teacher who used the noun 'lottery'. for a student who is selected to benefit from the vast array of intellectual and cultural opportunities at Columbia. Of course, it is no accident that this high school student was selected out of 60,500 applicants to the College and SEAS. Columbia clearly wants her. That is a nice position to be in, and she earned her place.

I have many students who would love to get into one of these select schools. The competition is just so great to get in. Outstanding students from all over the world are beating on the doors to try to get in a limited entering class of 1390 students. I myself as a teacher and advisor do not even have the answers as to who is accepted from a such large number of very qualified candidates. Her acceptance is a feather in her cap based on her achievements.

I hope that the parents will contact Columbia staff and speak to the relevant people and possibly the 'Parents at Columbia' website to get any and all questions answered.

I wish that many of my own wonderfully qualified, outstanding students could be accepted to such places, try as hard as I can to help them get in.

Good luck

[Anonymous]

Hello : I am the teacher who used the noun 'lottery'. for a student who is selected to benefit from the vast array of intellectual and cultural opportunities at Columbia. Of course, it is no accident that this high school student was selected out of 60,500 applicants to the College and SEAS. Columbia clearly wants her. That is a nice position to be in, and she earned her place.

I have many students who would love to get into one of these select schools. The competition is just so great to get in. Outstanding students from all over the world are beating on the doors to try to get in a limited entering class of 1390 students. I myself as a teacher and advisor do not even have the answers as to who is accepted from a such large number of very qualified candidates. Her acceptance is a feather in her cap based on her achievements.

I hope that the parents will contact Columbia staff and speak to the relevant people and possibly the 'Parents at Columbia' website to get any and all questions answered.

I wish that many of my own wonderfully qualified, outstanding students could be accepted to such places, try as hard as I can to help them get in.

Good luck

[Anonymous]

You sound like a good teacher. Wish more teachers had your commitment. I agree with your points. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

I think Columbia is way overrated. About as good as Duke imo

[Anonymous]

duke is fantastic, too.

Nothing overrated about either. Both are outstanding.

Look through the course catalog before offering opinions on which you do not seem to know about. After scouring the course catalog offerings and significance of the core courses,with80% of classes at Columbia with 20 students or fewer in a class.Then come back to this board and let us know what you think, after informed research.

[Anonymous]

Columbia's closest peer school in prestige is Duke. It's just my subjective view - both amazing institutions

[Anonymous]

Don’t expect much from the Columbia advisors. They are pretty lame and don’t really care about doing their job. In general, the administration is pretty bad. No, they will not care about your child and will be annoyed at your emails and phone calls. Very different from a slac experience. I still recommend going there though. It can be a great experience and in normal years, you don’t have to deal with administrators much. Some of the dorms are pretty crappy. The gym is old and awful, food is meh but campus is lovely and you have all of NYC to explore. No school spirit. Interesting mix of kids. Go for it and good luck. Your kid will need to make an effort to make friends but that is a good skill in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Columbia's closest peer school in prestige is Duke. It's just my subjective view - both amazing institutions

Columbia’s closest peer is Chicago. They are both slightly better than Duke

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Columbia's closest peer school in prestige is Duke. It's just my subjective view - both amazing institutions

Columbia’s closest peer is Chicago. They are both slightly better than Duke

Based on what? Columbia and Duke are equals in my eyes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Columbia's closest peer school in prestige is Duke. It's just my subjective view - both amazing institutions

Columbia’s closest peer is Chicago. They are both slightly better than Duke

Based on what? Columbia and Duke are equals in my eyes.

For students who need FA, Columbia FA will make that dream possible. Schools like Duke are more for people who are willing to pay for the degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t expect much from the Columbia advisors. They are pretty lame and don’t really care about doing their job. In general, the administration is pretty bad. No, they will not care about your child and will be annoyed at your emails and phone calls. Very different from a slac experience. I still recommend going there though. It can be a great experience and in normal years, you don’t have to deal with administrators much. Some of the dorms are pretty crappy. The gym is old and awful, food is meh but campus is lovely and you have all of NYC to explore. No school spirit. An interesting mix of kids. Go for it and good luck. Your kid will need to make an effort to make friends but that is a good skill in life.

When were you at Columbia ? I had a blast, lived in great dorms and even lived in Herman Wouk's dorm room which was shaped like a submarine. He wrote about this dorm room on the first page and the first sentence in his Caine Mutiny.

Columbia's food was rated number 2 of all colleges a few years ago, and I think number 1 also. there is plenty of great food, including in the dining hall with buffets and at JJ's where you can eat in your pajamas if you live nearby.
The classes are mostly small, over 80% are 20 students or less in a class. The core courses are great training and will last a lifetime.

The college administration was always helpful, certainly to me. I was from Massachusetts, and never had anything but nice people in Hamilton Hall, the main college building for the College deans, etc.

The students were tops and many loved the intellectual and cultural stimulation. The campus is a Mackim, mead and White gem of buildings, the largest collection of these famed architect's buildings anywhere in the world. I had million-dollar views of campus each year from my dorm windows. To this day, I feel very very lucky to have been a student at Columbia.

[Anonymous]

75 Best Colleges for Food for 2018 Ranking - The Daily Meal
https://www.thedailymeal.com/travel/75-best-colleges-food-2018
Estimated Reading Time: 8 mins
Published: 2018-10-24




https://www.thedailymeal.com/travel/75-best-colleges-food-2018/slide-76

Columbia University (New York, New York) Coming out on top is none other than …Coming out on top is none other than Columbia University, rising up from the second place spot last year ( in 2017). New York is the city of dreams, and Columbia is making dreams come true by consistently proving to their students that the 600 menu items served on campus daily are just as good as, if not better than, anything else New York City has to offer.

[Anonymous]

Number 1 in the US for all colleges for food quality in 2018, and number 2 in 2017.

https://www.thedailymeal.com/travel/75-best-colleges-food-2018/slide-76

'Since last year, Columbia University has gone even further in its goal of zero waste, with its Ferris Booth Commons becoming its first zero-waste facility this year. Columbia also consistently donates both food and money to City Harvest, and around 52 percent of all of the food purchased comes from vendors within 250 miles of campus. It has also addressed food insecurity among students, offering free meals to students in need, no questions asked. The registered dietitian on campus is available both online and in person for one-on-one consultations with students.'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Number 1 in the US for all colleges for food quality in 2018, and number 2 in 2017.

https://www.thedailymeal.com/travel/75-best-colleges-food-2018/slide-76

'Since last year, Columbia University has gone even further in its goal of zero waste, with its Ferris Booth Commons becoming its first zero-waste facility this year. Columbia also consistently donates both food and money to City Harvest, and around 52 percent of all of the food purchased comes from vendors within 250 miles of campus. It has also addressed food insecurity among students, offering free meals to students in need, no questions asked. The registered dietitian on campus is available both online and in person for one-on-one consultations with students.'

Columbia’s dining plans let you use Flex Dollars at a slew of local restaurants and grocery stores, including Chipotle, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Five Guys Burgers and Whole Foods. You'll always find something to eat no matter the hour, and dining facilities are also open during breaks, giving students 17 more days of dining at no extra cost.

Since last year, Columbia University has gone even further in its goal of zero waste, with its Ferris Booth Commons becoming its first zero-waste facility this year. Columbia also consistently donates both food and money to City Harvest, and around 52 percent of all of the food purchased comes from vendors within 250 miles of campus. It has also addressed food insecurity among students, offering free meals to students in need, no questions asked. The registered dietitian on campus is available both online and in person for one-on-one consultations with students. Columbia’s halal and kosher dining options are also notable, with an all-kosher dining location offering traditional kosher deli items and a halal dining plan at no extra cost with delicious meals, such as Mediterranean fish, roasted lemon chicken, and curried beef. The university has a plethora of special food events such as culinary competitions, pop-culture themed parties, and national holidays. This year, it’s added special pop-up tastings as well as events such as Back to the ‘90s, Bob’s Burgers Bash, and Pancakes & Pajamas for when students are looking for something different and don't feel like trying to remember the cooking skills they learned at home.