f
When I first started considering colleges, I didn't even think about Columbia. I dismissed it as too academically pressured and filled with cold, slick hipsters. I couldn't have been more wrong. It is true that Columbia is not an entirely warm-and-fuzzy place--nobody holds your hand here!--but it has really become my new home. I think it takes a few specific personality traits for someone to enjoy Columbia: if you're not independent and confident, don't come here. As corny as it sounds, Columbia has been the perfect place for me to "spread my wings." As for the nerds and the hipsters, sure they're everywhere. But so are the jocks, the frat boys, the interesting internationals, the southerners, etc etc. Columbia is as diverse as it gets
f
When I first started considering colleges, I didn't even think about Columbia. I dismissed it as too academically pressured and filled with cold, slick hipsters. I couldn't have been more wrong. It is true that Columbia is not an entirely warm-and-fuzzy place--nobody holds your hand here!--but it has really become my new home. I think it takes a few specific personality traits for someone to enjoy Columbia: if you're not independent and confident, don't come here. As corny as it sounds, Columbia has been the perfect place for me to "spread my wings." As for the nerds and the hipsters, sure they're everywhere. But so are the jocks, the frat boys, the interesting internationals, the southerners, etc etc. Columbia is as diverse as it gets
Amy
I think Columbia students are ususally characterized as being very liberal and always protesting for different causes. This sterotype does tend to be pretty accurate. College Dems is one of the biggest groups on campus, and lots of students support Occupy Wall Street and are very politicaly active. Those students tend to be the most vocal, but there are also large contingents of students who are interested in finance and are more conservative.
Shruti
The 'Jock' stereotype is not so common but there are many dedicated and talented athletes. There is also a dedicated group of 'Frat kids' although Greek life is not so popular. The positive aspects of the 'Nerd'/'Geek' stereotype are everywhere!
Matthew
One of the things that sets Columbia apart is its diversity. We have students from all over the country, all over the world, and from all different socio-economic backgrounds. That being said, one of the common stereotypes about our students is that we are all crazy workaholics, and in a lot of ways this is true. Columbia does not hold your hand, and you have to work hard to succeed here. Students will spend hours in the library on any given weekend, and one midterms come around, the social scene basically shuts down. Also, we are known to all be overachievers, and this is also pretty true. Every student here did something remarkable in high school beyond getting stellar grades. Some students started their own companies, some are published authors, and others are even math or science prodigies. However, not many people here are great at everything. Everyone is essentially good at everything, but each student has one thing that sets them apart from the crowd.
Veronique
Columbia definitely doesn't lie when it calls itself diverse; besides the many different cultures and countries represented on campus, students also embody many different stereotypes. You have your classy hipsters, your grassy hipsters, your foreign bookworms, your diehard premeds, your very-recruited athletes... but the one thing we all have in common? Everyone thinks they're hot shit. Whether this be because you're rich, smart, athletically-inclined, musically gifted.. everyone here is good at something, and believe me, we definitely know it
Simon
If I had to give a simple description, it would be this: unique. Honestly, every student you meet at Columbia is going to be different, and it's something I really love about the school. We have students from a huge number of countries and nearly every state in the U.S., and everyone brings their own story and perspective to your classes and dorms. The tremendous level of diversity is one of the main reasons I chose to attend school here.