Barnard College Top Questions

Just as the admissions office will tell you over and over - Barnard is the best of both worlds, a small college in a big city. People choose to take advantage of this differently. Some people spend most of their time in the Barnard/Columbia/Morningside Heights area while others prefer to spend more time adventuring into the New York. The community can be what you make of it, if you want to find a large, close-knit, group of friends (girls and guys) you will be able to. If you prefer to have one or two close girl friends, you can do that to. The community is a good size, Barnard is small but if you ever feel claustrophobic, Columbia is a much larger community right across the street. Most people hangout on campus in the dorms, or in the Diana Center (newly completed student center). A lot of people also choose to hangout at Columbia, in the libraries or the student center over there. Barnard has a lot of "Barnard Women" pride, but not a lot of pride in the traditional sense. If you really want a rah-rah campus with tons of pride for athletic events and school-sponsored functions, Barnard/Columbia is not the place for you. I love pretty much everything about Barnard, I think its great that you can get the benefits of a women's college (sisterhood and all that jazz) without having to sacrifice men.

barnard prides itself in being small and intimate. there is a nice prof to student ratio making the lecture and learning experience highly gratifying. the profs are really good and efficient. the barnard setup is traditional with a campus, midterms and finals (multiple choice), hardly any papers, major general education requirements and little room for flexibility in terms of academic planning. barnard has a plan and will force you to go by that plan. the lectures are typical lectures but the profs try to be as engaging as possible. this is especially doable due to the smaller class sizes (50 students max). obviously being in nyc is wonderful and makes the entire experience a hundred times better. it is a good feeling to go to a great school made for women that gives every student what they need for their future careers and lives in general.

You really have to go out of your way to form a bond with teachers. Often times, people don't know what/where Barnard is--in the circles where it matters most, your peers will understand (and be impressed with the fact) that you are a "Barnard Woman". Lots of "red tape", crazy course selection processes, millions of mazes and forms and meetings with Deans and Advisers are necessary to get anything done. Recent controversy: Columbia and Barnard students going on a [completely unnecessary] hunger strike in an attempt to demonstrate the need for an "Ethnic Studies" department...even though we already have one... Other recent controversy: Having Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speak on campus Other recent controversy: Columbia expansion into a section of Harlem and the effects of relocating housing for thousands of Harlem residents

The best thing about Barnard is that it really is a big family. I know that most colleges hold the same claim, but at Barnard it's actually true. I'm a commuter student who transferred to Barnard. During orientation, I was scheduled to meet with my new class dean. The first thing she did was hug me and welcome me to the school. During my first semester there and subsequent semesters thereafter, she continued to keep in contact me. All of my professors followed suit. Everyone I came in contact with was genuinely interested in helping me succeed.

The big picture is that Barnard is an all women's college in the middle of New York City. It's small, but you still get the big city atmosphere by just stepping out of the gates. For me, this school is just right and what differentiates it to me apart from the other Sister schools is that it is not a) isolated or in a boring location (sorry if you go to one of the other sister schools; the other sister schools are wonderful, but they just weren't right for me) and b) it doesn't really feel like an all women's college because you're in the city and also because Columbia students are allowed to take Barnard classes and eat in the dining halls and vice versa. You really get the best of both worlds at Barnard. You get the comfort of a school really dedicated to helping women be successful and you get to use all the resources of Columbia University. There is a lot of pride at Barnard and I don't see why there shouldn't be. It is discouraging sometimes when people ask me where I go to College and when I tell them they don't even know or they reply by saying, "You go to an all women's college?!?!" But I just set them straight.

The best thing about Barnard is that whatever interest you have, you will always find means to develop that interest. If you are interested in a certain career, you can use the funding that school provides through the Office of Career Development to attend conferences or get paid for a non-paid internship. Another great thing is that if you don't have enough money to pay for your tuition, they will try to do everything to help you in terms of scholarships, grants and low interest loans. The school is just the right size, it is small enough to provide personal help and support, however, it supplies lots of resources within big campus of Columbia University. Most of my time on campus I usually spend, in libraries, of which there is plenty, beautiful college lawns in spring, campus caffe's and in nearby restaurants. Barnard's administration is really great-everyone is very helpful. The most frequent complaints are about housing-even though the dorms are very nice, you can live in a student's hall or an apartment, further or closer to campus, the administration often has trouble in placing everyone where they want to be, however, the older you get, the better chance you have of getting what you pick.

barnard is full of amazing women who get over the unfortunate fact that their school is not widely known and never gets the credit it deserves, but revel in the great opportunities barnard, columbia, and new york city are able to provide for them, anyway.

liberal, eclectic, prestigious, access to many exciting events and experiences, open-minded

The best thing about Barnard is choice. You get to choose how you want your experience to be. Barnard is a small liberal arts college within a larger universtiy which is then within New York City. So, if you want your experience to be small and communal it can be. Barnard's dedication to creating a sense of community on campus is unbeatable at any school I've seen. But, if you want to feel like you're at a bigger school you can spend more time at Columbia. In regards to the city, you can stay on campus or go out and explore. I personally think it would be a waste to come to school in the city and not use it to your advantage, but you have that choice. New York City is the most incredible place to go to college. There is so much culture and thanks to our student IDs a lot of it is free or heavily discounted. You can have fun in the city doing nothing. My friend and I once had the best night walking around times square for 3 hours. As for administration, the deans work hard to be available as much as possible. That's the beauty of a small school. You can really get to know your dean if you want. They have appointments all the time, but it is often difficult to snag a time that fits your schedule, especially during the first two weeks of every semester - program planning season. Administration is very hands-on at Barnard. There is a lot of school pride rather than school spirit so to speak. Women are proud to be Barnard students, but the bleachers are pretty empty at football games. My biggest complaint is in regards to registering for classes. There are 97 different ways to sign up for a class and different classes require different things. Some have a simple online sign up. Some are limited enrollment so you can be shut out. Some require instructor permission. Some require applications. Any number of them require combinations of these requirements. It can be confusing until you learn to double check everything. Also, Barnard advertises small class size. Seminars and language classes are always small. However, I've found - and maybe it's because I'm pre-med and I am stuck in science classes - that too many of my classes are big lectures. I still have to wait until my upperclassmen days to take specialized classes that will inherently be smaller. The best night of the semester by far is midnight breakfast. The themes get better as the years go on. The event just oozes with Barnard pride - and half of Columbia crashes. Who can refuse free food at midnight?

I have never once thought twice about my decision to come to Barnard. The small classes allow you to make more personal connections with both the professors and the students. Sometimes it may be annoying to have to meet with your adviser at least 4 times a year, but I much prefer that than being at a school where you never once see your adviser.