Columbia University in the City of New York Top Questions

Columbia is best when you are not there and not dealing with it. It is best when you are interviewing for a job, networking with someone, hitting on someone at a bar, talking to someone at a party; etc. It is all name and little else. It lacks the resources and money of other schools, and the result shows it. The Ivy sterotype of accomplished professors who can't teach holds true here to a greater extent than most other schools. But oh how that name can work wonders when trying to impress/get a job/get into grad school.

Columbia's best feature is its beautiful Beaux-Arts campus. For those who want a more campus-y college experience, it's there for them, and for those who want a more independent, city-driven experience, the rest of Manhattan is only a short subway ride away. Despite being a huge university with thousands of grad students, I'd say that the size of Columbia College and Engineering is about the right size and we are certainly the focus of the Columbia administration. The administration as a whole is a notorious bundle of red-tape, and it takes a long time for things to get done, but when they do, Columbia usually does them pretty well (off-campus Flex, housing renovations, etc.). Columbia is known for its controversial speakers (Minutemen, Ahmadinejad, etc.) and so Fox News, especially Bill O'Reilly, has staged a personal vendetta against us for it, which has its pros and cons. So we are known either as a powerhouse of intellectual superiority by our friends, or a center of fascist liberal indoctrination by our enemies. It's an interesting dichotomy.

midsized school in a more suburban part of nyc. overall students do not appreciate teh admin but i think that overall they want to work in our favor. i love columbia including the student body. i would want to make students be more relaxed.

I like that Columbia has a great, small campus but then is in new york city so you have the best of both worlds. Columbia has a little bubble with local stores, restaurants, and bars but we also have the luxury of being able to "go downtown" and get away from campus really easily. Columbia is really passionate and really liberal so it can be overwhelming--there are always protests and rallies and sometimes tempers flare. (Having Ahmadinejad come and speak took over the campus for the entire semester, which after awhile, was pretty annoying...) Columbia's administration is very out of touch with the students' needs and there's a lot of frustration with the curriculum, housing, financial aid, etc. It's nice that because Columbia is so old (over 250 years and still strong), we have a lot of fun traditions, stories, and superstitions.

It's a perfect size school, gives you the feeling of a big city but also a small college campus, makes you feel very intellectual and that you are a part of a long history, has a wonderful library, the sports aren't great but the academics are top noch, great parties, great being in the city

the best thing about columbia is that it's in new york city. the size is just right. people react positively when I tell them I go to Columbia. My professors are fantastic.

The best thing about Columbia is the campus. the literal aesthetic value of Columbia's campus was enough to make me decide to come here over any other (definitely cheaper, and probably more relaxed) schools. I feel like I'm in a college when I wake up in the morning and some days here when the weather is nice are just gorgeous. Also the benefits of being located in Manhattan, but not exactly in the center, are really numerous. I'd change the administration's attitudes towards students. There's this idea at Columbia that students who come here are independent and don't need help with anything. Therefore, the administration likes to emphasize how they don't "hand hold." However, that's just code for they make a lot of really good services that Columbia offers for its students difficult to access because students don't want to ask for help and don't know how to get help when they need it.

I love Columbia- I've had unbelievable opportunities to travel, to meet famous professors and scholars, to see important political figures... the resources are extensive, and are some of the best in the world. The only thing I would change would be the connection between the administration and the students- it always seems to be overly intense, but I think this is half the reason why students choose to come here in the first place. It's tough to find the time to leave campus on occasion, because many of the things that NYC is known for are at least 30 minutes away by subway, but it is doable. The courses can be difficult, but many of the professors are very willing to help students, and as much as the environment is competitive, everyone wants to see everyone else succeed. I'll always remember the main quad in spring- the steps are always covered in students, the fields are full of people playing frizbee, some play guitar and dance troupes are outside practicing.

Columbia is great because there are so many different kinds of people here. i wish that there was more of a campus wide community, but this is new york city, so it will never be like a state school. the school is perfect size for me, just big enough that i can walk on campus and still see someone i know. the hunger strike on campus last semester was interesting, because i saw columbia allowing its students freedom of speech and treating them with respect.

I love Columbia's campus. It is absolutely gorgeous. The dating scene isn't the best but in general I've met a lot of nice boys and girls. Most of them smart, though some are just book smart. Columbia is not a great party school but sometimes the few parties that do happen are fun. Thank God we have bars and places to go out just down the street. Also, the RAs are sometimes way too strict and not very nice (not always of course). And we are in NYC which is awesome! I'm really loving Columbia!