Barnard College Top Questions

There are a lot of JAPs here, but honestly, this is Manhattan. There are JAPs all over this city. Yes, there are lesbians here, but this is not quite the stronghold of lesbians that ignorant Columbia students like to think it is. There are plenty of lesbians at Columbia University overall - this is a liberal campus in New York City - what else would you expect. But in terms of numbers, the lesbian population at Barnard is insignificant and pretty minute compared to what you see at other women's colleges (and compared to the gay population you see at NYU downtown.) We get a Columbia University degree at the end of 4 years because we take COLUMBIA CLASSES for four years. Whether Barnard girls like it or not, there is cross-registration here at CU, and some departments are only at Barnard or at Columbia. So sometimes we HAVE to take Columbia classes. And what about the fact that there are more Columbia students taking Barnard classes than Barnard students taking Columbia classes? Moreover, the students in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences don't have to take the Core requirements, nor do the students in the School of General Studies. Do they not deserve the CU degree?

Obviously not. It's a ridiculous notion. A Columbia professor once told me that he can always tell the difference between the Columbia and Barnard women in his classes, because the Barnard students are more engaged, more involved, and better communicators.

The stereotype of Barnard does not give the college enough credit. Although Barnard is slightly easier to get into than Columbia, the courses are usually at the same level of difficulty. Also, most students enrolled at Barnard tend to take most classes on their own campus. As for the social aspect, there is some friction between Barnard and Columbia women; however, when standing next to each other, they are impossible to tell apart.

Of course not. To the chagrin of many Columbia boys, most Barnard students are not hungrily looking around for mating prospects- on the contrary, I've found the supportive environment to foster confidence, independence, and careful decision making among myself and my friends. Of course, I cannot speak on behalf of the entire student population- college is a time when people question, test, and figure out their ideas about their own sexuality, and I don't think it is too different here from any co-ed institution. As for the Columbia issue, nobody worth their salt actually believes this (or at least says it out loud). Everyone here loves Barnard for what makes it special (more on that later). For the record, I went on tours of both Barnard and Columbia and decided to apply early decision to Barnard, specifically because it was a women's college with a warm atmosphere and strong academics, not to mention it felt like home.

Yes and no. Those of the occidental opinion are far more accurate than Columbia College students who either feel they must compensate for some twisted superiority complex or just really hate Barnard. Of course there is a contingent of Barnard students who may have come here just to be in New York and don't really have a lot of intellectual capital, but for the most part Barnard girls are extremely well-read, talented, sophisticated, and intelligent. Any professor, either at Barnard or Columbia, will tell you that he or she would not be able to tell the difference between a Barnard or Columbia student in class, except maybe that Barnard students tend to be a bit more stylish.of Barnard students who may have come here just to be in New York and don't really have a lot of intellectual capital, but for the most part Barnard girls are extremely well-read, talented, sophisticated, and intelligent. Any professor, either at Barnard or Columbia, will tell you that he or she would not be able to tell the difference between a Barnard or Columbia student in class, except maybe that Barnard students tend to be a bit more stylish.