Barnard College Top Questions

All women's housing is nice because it's a quiet atmosphere (and the bathrooms are always clean). First-years live in corridor-style dorms, where they tend to make some really good friends and have some friendly faces at the other end of the hall. Upperclassmen live in apartment-style housing on 116th st, 110th st, and a few other locations. Again, dorms are mostly used for sleeping/studying. If Barnard students are looking for a party, they go across the street to Columbia. Barnard doesn't have any sports teams, but a number of students play for Columbia teams. I don't think anyone ever goes to the games. Women's college = weird dating scene. If you're a lesbian, you could feasably date another Barnard student. Most people, gay or straight, end up dating Columbia students... or getting drunk and hooking up with them.

The acapella and dance groups are really popular. i'm involved with peace by peace- we teach conflict resolution to students in the neighborhood. Some students leave their doors open, although most do not. Athletic events are not very popular at all. I met my closest friends from Hillel and my hall. People party on weekends. There is so much to do in NYC!

There are so many organizations on campus, and they are all very popular. Obviously the big ones are the racial/ethnic groups, but dance groups are huge as well. Orchesis, the one I am involved with, is campus' largest dance group and we put on a show every semester. Its student choreographed, produced and run, and is really fun. We do modern, jazz, ballet, lyrical, hip-hop, tap...whatever the choreographer wants to do. We accept all levels of dancers, so anyone who is interested can join. I have been a part of orchesis for three years, and was a board member for two years, so it really was a huge part of my college experience. Most of my friends are dancers, since I spend alot of time dancing. But there are other dance groups as well, like Indian dance, hip hop, danceteam, ballroom dance, swing etc. Athletic events are surprisingly popular, considering Columbia's athletics are not very good. But people get excited about games and good out to support the teams, which is nice. These are often followed by parties, usually whether the teams win or lose. Guest speakers are very popular, and tickets usually sell out. Especially if they are controversial. Theater is pretty big too, with the Varsity show being the main theatrical attraction of the year. Literally hundreds of thousands of dollars goes to fund the show, which has been a tradition at Columbia for over a hundred years. There is a good amount of dating...most of my friends though don't date Columbia men, or college guys in general. We use the New York, ny network, which is fabulous because there are sooo many people to meet, but also harder because alot of guys aren't necessarily in for a relationship, so it gets hard sometimes. But dating is fun, definitly, and you can never get bored. Each area of the city has a different type of person, and so you can taste each flavor. In terms of gay and lesbian dating, I don't know the scene personally, but there are endless oppertunities as well, and since the city is so liberal, its one of the best places to be out. Off campus activities are endless...museums, gallery showings, music events/concerts, bars everwhere, clubs, lounges, restaurants, parks etc...its NYC, we have everything!!

I've made incredible friends here and have had wonderful experiences with extra curriculars, however, I had to put myself out there to make it happen. if a student is shy and doesn't want to put herself out there, it can be a difficult to make friends. The dating scene at Barnard can be pretty difficult, because the girl to guy ratio among the schools is 2:1 and some of the columbia guys can be a little anti-social, high-strung or pretentious. At the same time, it depends on your personality. If you put yourself out there, it's totally possible (I'm dating a wonderful Columbia boy!) to find nice guys.

Let's put it this way, a lot of Barnard activities are combine with Columbia activities. It's a really great way to unite the two campuses and to just get to know a lot of new people. Campus unity is better at Barnard than at Columbia, but remember this is New York City. As much as Barnard has wonderful traditions like Midnight Breakfast and spirit day, we're a bunch of independent women who like to do our own thing.

While there are a lot of student organizations, the main social environment of Barnard is New York. A lot of student study very hard during the week and then relax on the weekends. There are always events, whether you choose to attend them or not. The greek scene exists, but it really isn't very big. A lot of girls worry about dating when they come to Barnard. Just because it's a women's college doesn't mean we don't meet guys: Columbia is literally right across the street, and New York itself has tons of guys, so don't worry. If you don't like the city, however Barnard might not be the right place for you.

Theater groups are really big on campus. There are seemingly dozens of them, all for different purposes (straight theater, Shakespeare, student-written, musical). And so there are a lot of performances as well, which appear to be a bit more popular than athletic events. Because it's a big city and the dorm rooms aren't very exciting, campus empties out on the weekends which is fine because New York City is amazing! There are frats and sororities on campus and plenty of people join them but it isn't a big deal. Many Barnard students also babysit on weekends. There is a Barnard Babysitting Agency that allows parents to post jobs and students to call about them. So often my friends and I don't begin to hang out on a weekend night until midnight when we're all back uptown. If you're looking for something on-campus to do that doesn't involve drinking on the weekend you'll be hard-pressed to find something interesting, but if you're willing to go somewhere, New York is full of options. There are so many amazing spots; I know two friends that went to the top of the Empire State Building at midnight a few weeks ago.

I'm ironically awake at 2am on this Tuesday night, and guess what I'm doing? Hanging out with my friends! & no, I do not just spend my time hanging out with my friends! For instance, today I went to my long day of classes, did some homework, grabbed some dinner, and of course did some more homework. Then, I knocked on some friends doors on my hall, grabbed some tea and cookies at the dining hall, and sat chatting with a bunch of them for hours. We talk about everything from discrimination to fashion. In the late hours of the (week)night, many (but not all) Barnard students congregate with each other and have conservations about life and occasionally academics, depending on the group of friends. Students can also be found sleeping soundly or studying over in Butler Library across the street.

BANGHRA! I love them. I would watch them every day. Social life is okay, although I wouldn't call Barnard a "party" school by any means. But personally I like knowing that I have the option to go to different lectures, concerts, etc. on any given night as opposed to a variety of frat parties.

One thing that drives me insane about Barnard is that nobody leaves their doors open when they are in their rooms...makes for a very unsocial (and somewhat unfriendly) hall. Athletic events are not popular. Nobody goes to them. Guest speakers probably get a fair showing but it would depend on the speaker and how well it is advertised. Dating scene? Columbia is across the street but good luck.