Columbia University in the City of New York Top Questions

Professors know my name because I make it a point to make sure they do, and it's rather easy to do so. Columbia is rather rigorous academically (i.e. the never ending cycle of problem sets--once you finish one another one pops up) but it all works out in the end (i.e. summer vacation/winter holidays).

Professors are very accessible... they are well-known and published scholars but they always have time for their undergraduates. Classes tend to be small except like Intro calculus... obviously. I had a French class with only 6 people in it in my first semester and it was AWESOME. I haven't had many grad students as Professors for class, but when I do have them I really like it because they are easy graders and tend to be lenient. My writing Professor, who was a PhD student, would take us one by one to the Hungarian Pastry Shop to review our papers. =D And there is plenty of class participation... Professors highly encourage people to talk and discuss. IMPORTANT!!!!!!: Columbia has a huge Core Curriculum that you CANNOT test out of with AP classes!! Unless you're in engineering, you HAVE to take Frontiers of Science (an intro to modern science research), University Writing, Music Humanities, Art Humanities, 4 semesters of a language (unless you already speak another language), 2 Phys Ed classes (I took swimming!), Literature humanities (Like AP lit but older books, 2 semesters), Contemporary Civilizations (2 semesters of ancient philosophers), 2 semesters about a non-Western culture, one science class, and you have to pass a swim test. HOWEVER most people REALLY like these classes because they are small and friendly, and you learn a lot of very interesting things you never knew and you come out very well-rounded. However, if you're looking for a school where you can come and take JUST math classes or you dont want to take anything that doesn't have to do with polisci, Columbia is not for you because they want you to be well-rounded.

Don't apply to Columbia unless you love the idea of the Core Curriculum (a broad survey of the "Western Canon"). The Core was the best academic experience of my life, but it was also a lot of work. You won't finish the Core until you're a junior or a senior, so that will make college pretty miserable if you're not enthusiastic about it. A bunch of students went on a hunger strike last semester because they thought the Core was too focused on dead white men... I think they should have known what they were getting themselves into when they applied! Take your Core classes seriously - they're an amazing opportunity to bond with your classmates and learn from the best professors at the university. Find a way to switch classes if your professor sucks - it's difficult but possible. There are way too many great Core professors to justify sitting through a crappy semester. It's an unbelievable experience to sit down at the dining hall with a table full of your friends and discuss Virgil and Dante and Adam Smith and Virginia Woolf... I suggest joining a small department or program. There are a billion econ and poli sci majors, but only a handful of kids in each of the hard sciences, languages and interdisciplinary programs. As a double major in two small departments, I was able to develop relationships with professors and even get help finding a job. Oh, and if you want to get a job in finance or consulting, you'll do fine at Columbia. The career office is a finance and consulting factory.

In small classes (about 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of my classes), yes professors know my name. Favorite class - Economics of Sports. Least favorite class - Intro to Accounting and Finance. Study time depends on the student and the major, but most students study multiple hours a day. Yes, class participation is common. Columbia students have incredibly intellectual conversations outside of class. Some students are competitive, but I would not say that competitiveness is a defining characteristic of the culture of Columbia at all. Most unique class - Freedom of Speech & Press, taught by the President of the University. Economics - Great faculty and course selection, but far too large and a lack of individual attention. Spanish (I'm doing a concentration) - Much more personal, incredibly friendly and helpful department. No, I don't spend time with professors outside of class. Columbia's core is a bit intensive but I still believe it's one of the greatest things about Columbia. Education at Columbia is geared almost entirely toward learning for its own sake.

In some classes, professors know my name and my favorite color, but these tend to be discussion-based. If you make the effort in large lectures, the professor will attempt to get to know you. My favorite classes have been in the core curriculum: Literature Humanities and University Writing. I also enjoyed 20th Century Comparative Literature. My least favorite class was the required Frontiers of Science and Intensive Chemistry Lab. Students study all the time and the library is always packed. Class participation is common throughout all classes, required in seminars, and even found in large lectures. Columbia students have very intellectual conversations outside of class generally encompassing policy, politics, finance, and academics that they have in common. That isn't to say that they only have serious conversations. The economics department at Columbia is one of the most renowned in the world and some of the professors are absolutely amazing. The department provides lots of resources for its students to excel and the advising is pretty good. I spend time with professors outside of class by attending office hours and some teachers conduct class trips and host dinner parties. Columbia's academic requirements are rigorous, but worth it because you come out knowing a lot more than students of other schools. The education at Columbia is definitely learning-based, I can't think of learning anything that I could practically apply to a job.