Columbia University in the City of New York

I'd highly recommend the academics at Columbia to everyone. However, the rest of the university experience can be somewhat lacking. While having a unified campus is nice (though be advised, upcoming expansion may change this), there's not a real sense of community since the city is so enticing. The student body is also too largely composed of students who went to elite prep schools - very clique-y as a result.

4th Year Female -- Class 2005

Education Quality: A+, Individual Value: B-

Professors won't give a dime of their time unless you meet their snooty expectations. At Columbia, "dumb questions" are simply dumb, not simply because they are *dumb*, because they make you *look* dumb. Most do not participate in class because they're afraid of looking stupid, while those that do participate really don't say anything but appear somewhat intelligent. Students are very divided and competitive. Campus life is awful. Columbia is very far away from city life. The institution splits the haves and the have-nots, as apparent from the view of Harlem down below. If you want to find a community, find it in the city, and not from Columbia. Most students would claim that they "experienced the city", but more often than not, they only experienced the privilege of living with over privileged brats on campus and not the *real* people.

3rd Year Female -- Class 2007

Useful Schoolwork: A+, Individual Value: F