Barnard College Top Questions

very bright!! you will be schoked at the achievements of all these women. they inspire you daily.

Barnard's student body is a homogenous crowd, at least compared to my highly diversified high school class at a New York City public school. It came as a bit of a shock to me. Most girls, it seems, are highly social, very trendy and into clothes, and if you don't know anyone too well all kind of act the same at first. But they are all extremely busy and motivated, running around doing a million things, highly organized and intelligent, lively beings.

What similarities do I share with the Barnard student body? The three biggest ones: 1) we're women 2) We're intelligent 3) We're driven. However the similarities end there. Whether it is regarding politics, religion, class, hometowns, Barnard is extremely diverse. I would say there is a higher percentage of Jews, but it's new york city, it's expected. And we tend to be liberal, but once again, we're in nyc. When i'm in a classroom arguing liberal fiscal policies, I can be sure someone will have an opposing view and not be afraid to argue against me. When I'm arguing about the Iranian president's right to free speech in the dining hall, I can be sure someone will be there to debate my point. I admire my peers and love engaging in debates with them because I've learned so much from them. They are the future women leaders of the world, it's an honor getting to know them now.

Of course, as an all-women's school, there is a large lesbian population at Bnard. I would say most Bnard students are very active in the community and are socially-conscious: for instance, the Columbia community service umbrella agency is mostly Bnard students. Students who were all into frat parties and the "typical" college experience would feel out of place at Barnard. You have to be independent and willing to put yourself out there. Most people get dressed up for class - you don't see many Bnard students rolling ou of bed in sweat pants.

Students interact well across race lines and and economic lines. Big jewish community at barnard that tends to seclude itself. Many barnard students come from all across the country. The school is world class and attracts women from all over the world. Barnard women are very fashionable and rumored to be gorgeous. (This is true!) Most people politically lean left, but there are plently of old money types too. Students talk about helping the world when they graduate, mostly. Though i would say there is a population that is interested in joining the finance and consulting world, and they are certainly interested in the money that will bring them.

Barnard's student body is not terribly diverse. In fact, Barnard was rated as the third most Jewish college in the U.S. after Yeshiva and Brandeis...so as you can imagine, there are a lot of white, Jewish, liberal, middle-class girls running around. However, since I spent a lot of time on the Columbia campus and in the city in general, this lack of diversity doesn't really bother me and I interact with all different sorts of people. There is definitely a style at Barnard - students tend to look nice and fairly sophisticated compared to students at other colleges, probably because we are in the city...but you can still get away with sweatpants and a t-shirt. Overall, people are pretty friendly and it's easy to make new friends.

diverse, everyone is doing what they are interested in and are not worried about judgement from their peers but this can seem like they are too driven and don't ever leave the library. THere are about a million jewish girls at Barnard which can be overwhelming if you are not Jewish. People are friendly but it is hard to meet people because everyone is so busy and there is little community at the college

Barnard has a very diverse student body

Barnard is very diverse- no one would feel out of place. Dress code caries- some students dress up to class, others wear sweatpants. I would say that students at Barnard dress up more for class than students from non-city schools. Most Barnard students are from NY, NJ, CT, MA, CA. Overall, not pretentious or money-obsessed. If anything, the complete opposite.

The entire campus is very very liberal, as are most of the faculty. Oftentimes I wish there were opposing views just to spice up the conversation. The campus is pretty diverse in terms of race, however for the most part economic status is pretty universal. Many Barnard students are from very wealthy families and are extremely privileged.