Columbia University in the City of New York

The city is incredibile. the core classes will kick your ass or be a breeze, depending on the professor you get. check culpa.info for student reviews of the professors. if you get bored easily, the city tends to do a good job of keeping people entertained. if you're a perfectionist on your homework and in your studies, kick the habit or stay away; learn to either get the job done well enough or plan to have many a sleepless night. besides, homework will only be 10% of your grade- your exams, some curved, some not, will be the majority of your grade. don't plan on grade inflation, either- I was in a calc class where the average grade on the midterm was a 52 and the professor didn't curve. don't expect much help from the administration here, either. however, most of your professors, or at least the TA's, will be able to help if you need it.

1st Year Male -- Class 2008

Surrounding City: A+, Scholastic Success: D-

I applied early to Columbia, having fallen in love with the core and the city. The core did not disappoint -- I have worked closely with excellent professors and have read and thought and explored to my nerdy little heart's content.

The city did disappoint. My main problem is that it's so effin' expensive. Every time you think you just had a grand night on the town (maybe free passes to a comedy club or a few drinks and laughs with friends or a hip indie rock concert), you'll realize you burned through more cash than you could have ever expected. Oops, no food for the next week or two! And the school is extremely cliquey. You didn't want more than five friends, right? Anyway, I hide in the library many a weekend night, in an effort to save money more so than gpa, and I work throughout the year part-time and whenever school is out, full-time. It's an expensive place to live. I do realize, though, that I wouldn't have my wonderful job if I weren't in the city.

Speaking of the library: Butler is great. You'll love it, you'll hate it, you'll love it again. If you spend enough time there, you'll have an imaginary social life revolving around the recurring characters of 'your' reading room.

anyway, i am frustrated by the lack of advising given to the students, as is everyone else i know. it's a general fact of columbian life that you'll plunge blindly into major decisions. i have thought about transferring, to u chicago or yale (schools i should have considered in the first place). but i'm not really sure either of those schools would be better. when it comes down to it, i'm deeply engaged in my academics, and i've met a handful of good folk. i'm a misanthrope in general, so i can't really be a good judge of how likable the student body is (shiver, student body is a terrible term). but the kids aren't all so bad, as far as people go. most of them are sad and confused, but the blame for this can't really be pinned on columbia. smart young people *should* be sad and confused, right?if you, poor soul, like me thrive on depression and intellectual angst, choose columbia. you'll regret your decision, but then, you were built to regret. it could be no other way.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2007

Scholastic Success: A+, Individual Value: C+