Columbia University in the City of New York Top Questions

The professors here love too see you at their office hours and they are extremely helpful. Meeting with them before a big essay helps a lot. or if your struggling they will take the time out to explain the material too you. Some professors are more boring that the others but I've definitely had some amazing professors here.

My favorite class that I have taken in my time at Columbia was called Sex and Gender in Ancient Greece. We studied the different ways both sex and gender were seen in the society in ancient Greece through the use of medical texts, legal documents, novels, poetry, and artifacts, among other resources. My final paper compared the story of the Immaculate Conception to the stories of the Greek gods raping mortal women who would then have "hero" children.

My professors all know me by name. My favorite class this term is my French Poetry class. We are 5 students in the class and the teacher is amazing. Students study, depending on the student of course, all the time. One of my upper classmen friends told em that "the coolest thign about columbia is that everyone hangs out at the library, and it's great", which i think is really very true. Students are very competitive, but more because they have high standards for themselves, not because they're trying to win against others. INtellectual discussions are also extremely prevalent all around campus, all times of day and night. politics are a hige favorite right now. Columbia certainly encourages its students to learn everywhere they can, especially outside the classroom. One of the places ive learnt most is talking and debating with my own friends and listening to them argue and philosophize. I believe though that the very fact that columbia enforces learning for the sake of learning is appealing to jobs seeking weel rounded intelligent students, because what kind of employer wans an employee who doesn't like to learn?

Students are wayyy too competitive here! But it is an Ivy League, so I guess that's understandable.

Columbia's core curriculum dominates a large portion of your course schedule. It is incredibly time consuming and there are a few courses I would remove (Frontiers of Science, a Major Cultures course), but students graduate from Columbia well rounded in all areas of study. Professors for large lecture classes rarely know your name, but professors in smaller seminars and the T.A.s for the large lectures always do. Class participation is common and often weighed into your final grade. Many students leave class and continue discussing what they left behind. Students are competitive, but not in an unpleasant way that I have encountered. They are more than willing to work together and often do. The most unique class I've taken so far is Environmental Risks and Disasters. It falls under my major requirements for Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Sustainable Development. With the Earth Institute led by Jeffrey Sachs right on campus, and the Earth Observatory as a satellite campus in NYC, Columbia is a prime spot for the forefront of environmental studies today. There are also internships available through the institute as well as through other campus organizations. As a freshman I feel as though I am learning for the sake of learning, though I don't doubt that will change as I approach my senior year. There are constantly workshops on campus about how to write resumes and cover letters and how to interview successfully or where to job-hunt, so the university definitely prepares its students for life after college.

Because of the Core Curriculum, it is a classical education rooted in the classics and philosophy. Kids and professors often complain about the "dead-white man curriculum." But the topics in classes get kids going, and because we're all taking some of the same classes, yes, we debate about religion when we're sitting around hanging out. But only sometimes. More often than not, students have to take the initiative themselves to get to know their professors. No one here is babying you. Well, maybe a little babying; there is a nice Ivy League curve...

Not that many professors know my name. My least favorite class is economics because it is at 9 in the morning and we always have to be worried about a quiz, which I don't think learning should focus on.

my profs all know me by name and have no problem chating after class. my advisors are great too, they always know whats up and help you when you need it the most.

Professors do know my name, and especially in the smaller-sized classes in more advanced courses, class participation is quite frequent and encouraged. Students are competitive, and occasionally have intellectual conversations outside of class. The education at Columbia is geared for learning for its own sake.

Columbia University has the best of all worlds in terms of academics. The University itself includes not just four undergraduate institutions but a wide variety of post-grad schools ranging from the law school, to the school of journalism, of business, of international and public affairs, medical school, or to the school of social work. As an undergrad you develop a close relationship with your advisers and professors-- it is common to be invited to dine at your professor's apartment. Classes range from large lectures to small seminars depending on major, and general preference. The best part is that an education at Columbia is about combining the quest for knowledge with applicable skills for the "real world." I am not worried about finding employment after graduation.