Barnard College Top Questions

Barnard has a huge Jewish community. Barnard women can self-segregate at times. Predominatly affluent. Politically liberal.

I wish there was more racial diversity and more integration between students. The Jewish community is very isolated. I would mind having some Jewish friends. A student that comes from a low income household would definetly feel out of place. Students go to class as if there going to step onto a runway. IT'S JUST CLASS. "Different types of students" usually do not interact.

There is definitely a strong LGBT community on campus, and a large Jewish population. Most students are white and middle-class. Most students are liberal and politically aware. But all kinds of people are represented on campus. People wear really trendy clothes to class or jeans; there's definitely a mix. Most students are from the Northeast (New York, New Jersey, Mass), and there are also many students from California. I think most people would be able to find a niche here.

As is a lot of New York there is a very large Jewish population at Columbia University and Barnard College. I am always surprised how many extremely religiously devote people I meet here. I think this is because at Barnard you can really do your own thing. If you need to practice religious holidays no one will judge you. If you want to go out and party every night no one will judge you for that either. I'm not saying everyone gets along here, but in general people can do their own thing if they need to/want to without any criticism. And there are groups for everyone.

If you pick your friends well, you should have no problems. I haven't had any.

Barnard has a wide range of students. There is a gay/bi community here just like anywhere else but what I didn't know when I came here was that there was such a large Jewish Orthodox community. There is also a large Asian community. I do notice that many of the groups stay together and that does bother me sometimes. The students here are rather liberal.

The women at Barnard are incredible diverse and people are generally very accepting of one another. There is a large Jewish population and also a very active LGBT community. Barnard students tend to be very politically liberal, but there are definitely exceptions to that rule.

There is racism. There is prejudism. But where does this not exist. Actually I have found Barnard to be a very accepting school. YOu must remember that we are an all girls school so there will be drama but overall the school is nothing like high school. There are groups of friends but people are inviting and welcoming and most of the time genuine people. But people are people and you will not always run into the nicest people. Also this being a difficult school, the stress levels are high and people as people always are, are very competitive. But the school overall is wonderful and I have made some wonderful friends.

Barnard girls are characterized by their refusal to eat in public. They look at you like you're crazy if they see you eating (quel horreur!) or if you decline to join their group diet (so antisocial!). Furthermore, they act as though not eating in public makes them somehow morally superior to you, even if you're thinner than they are (not that being thin makes one morally superior either; I'm merely trying to point out that they, like all living beings, clearly do eat, and probably more than I do).

Barnard students are mostly politically active liberals. We sometimes forget conservatives exist for the lack of them on campus. And those who are not politically active feel very out of place here and uncomfortable during the frequent politcial discussions. The hallways on my floor are covered with campaign posters for the '08 election right now. And the CU Democrats is a really active group on campus. There is a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds, but not much middle ground. There's a lot of rich kids that have been to private school their entire life and don't object to dishing out $200 for a textbook. Actually, most students here went to private school. There is also the crowd that has a huge financial aid package and couldn't afford Barnard otherwise. It's sometimes daunting to be around so much wealth and can be uncomfortable when your wealthier friends want to go out and do something expensive (as everything in New York City is!) and you have to explain to them that you can't afford it. It is a foreign concept to many students here to not have a bank account filled with their parents money whenever they need or want it. Some students dress up for class, but usually only because they have a job or internship right after or before it. And some students wear pajama pants or sweatpants. Most students just wear normal clothes: jeans, tee-shirts and sweaters.