Columbia University in the City of New York Top Questions

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The academics at Columbia are challenging, but definitely doable. Classes are generally graded on a curve, and sometimes curves are very generous. What it all comes down to, however, is hard-work; even the brightest must study in order to maintain a good standing. Course difficulty also correspond with particular departments and majors; computer science and various fields of engineering, for example, are comparatively hard majors, and, as a result, the average GPA in these fields may be lower than a student majoring in Art History, for example.

Columbia's academics are very strong. Many of the intro classes are lecture based, but there are recitation sections that have only around 20 people. Also, professors always have office hours. I was actually surprised that some of my lecture professors knew my name, where I liked to sit, and what grade I had. Students study quite a lot. The main library is often full, but there are many other places to study. The academics are definitely geared towards learning for its own sake. The core requirements give you a wide range of knowledge. A well-rounded education is really emphasized, even in the engineering school.

1. The graduate school divides all the students into small groups consisting 8-12 people. Professors always know you well and they respect everybody's interests. 2. My personal favourite course is the software course. You can learn really fast due to the help of well-organized classes and assignments. Teachers are always patient and willing to teach you everything they know. 3. You can always choose courses from other school.

A Columbia undergraduate education is truly priceless. I'm not just memorizing facts and verbally vomiting answers on exams, but I'm actually absorbing material, thinking deeply, and learning. The core curriculum is amazing. It consists of: -literature humanities (lit hum): sampling of best works of western literature for freshmen -CC (contemporary civilization): sampling of best works of philosophy for sophomores -frontiers of science: sampling of science fields for freshmen -university writing: writing boot camp for freshmen -art humanities (art hum): sampling of best works of western art -music humanities (music hum): sampling of best works of western music -global core: anything not western -science requirement: straightforward -PE and swim test: lol.

The students are top-notch, so you have to be really top-notch to get noticed, especially in the giant lecture classes. It's easier to be known in the smaller seminar classes with few students. Students are always studying but have healthy social lives too. Intellectual conversations are frequent; competition is heavy. Most students attend office hours - you'll need that to get your way through class. Education is geared towards learning. Every opportunity you could want is here, but you'll have to find it and work for it.

I tend to believe that Columbia offers the most challenging academic program of any school in the nation. I have friends at top schools all over the country, and no one's workload compares to mine. The reason for this starts with the Core. Every undergraduate is required to take a number of classes specializing in Western civilization, aimed at making students well-rounded intellectuals. The classes include Masterpieces of Western Literature, Contemporary Western Civilization, Masterpieces of Western Music, Masterpieces of Western Art, University Writing, Frontiers of Science, and Global Core (classes outside of the Western realm). These classes are capped at roughly 20 students, and are each a healthy amount of work. Most students who come to Columbia want to do the Core, and it is extremely rewarding. That being said, if you have no interest in doing it, you will hate your life, and I advise you to look at Brown or some other school that has no requirements. Most students spend their first two years completing the Core, and then they choose a major. The most popular departments here are Economics, Political Science, History, and Psychology. Often it seems like everyone is majoring in Econ! I started off as a Political Science major, but after taking a class with Eric Foner, I switched to History. The History department here is tremendous, boasting such luminaries as Foner, Barbara Fields, Ken Jackson, Alan Brinkley, Rashid Khalidi, and Richard Billows. American history is the most popular specialization, and the 19th and 20th century programs are the best. Since most classes here are small, most of the professors will learn their students' names (especially in Core classes). Most of the professors are approachable, and many are willing to help you with whatever you need. They all live in the city, so it is never hard to meet up with them if you need something. Because this school is, at its core, a liberal arts college, classes are not geared necessarily towards finding a job. That being said, it is not hard to get a job after college. Most people I know plan on going into the financial industry, and major investment banks and firms are always on campus recruiting. Surprisingly, you don't have to be an Econ major to work for them, but many people here are. Past that, a number of students are pre-law (like myself) and pre-med, and virtually everyone gets into top ranked programs across the country upon graduation.

Columbia's academic reputation stands for itself, I think, in terms of our world-class faculty and successful alumni. On a personal note, though, I love my professors. They will rarely reach out to you as a student first, but they're extremely warm and responsive when you make the first effort to meet them and to ask your questions. They're there for recommendations, office hours, questions about the material, life advice, or just to chat. I've even been to some professors' apartments for dinner! There's nothing like the feeling of being able to spend quality time with these people who have published and who know so much.

From what I gauge, academics are generally a student's first priority here. Our largest library is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there are always people writing, sleeping, eating, or often - literally - living there. The Core is Columbia's academic hallmark. It's difficult to estimate students' overall opinion of the Core. It constitutes such a major courseload (roughly 1/3 of your classes here) so that you are bound to have the world's most pretentious, esoteric, grad student for a teacher in what has to be the University's worst discussion section at some point in your Core experience, but the opposite is equally possible. Overall, people seem to love academics for academics sake.

Academics are difficult, really difficult. If you've gotten into Columbia, it's nothing you can't handle, but expect to be logging plenty of hours each night. You'll be okay as long as you keep up with your work. Plan it out, because the only time you'll find yourself really screwed is if you procrastinate too much and fall behind. Columbia College (humanities) students have to read an absolutely ridiculous amount of literature in a matter of days and write papers constantly, while SEAS (engineering)students like myself breathe problem sets and midterms in classes like physics, calculus, and chemistry. Don't try to take more than five classes unless you absolutely have to. It can be rough at times, but if you keep up you'll survive and learn a lot.