Columbia University in the City of New York Top Questions

The choice to attend Columbia University was an easy one. The moment I walked on campus during a high school open house, I knew that it was where I was meant to be. The tough part was applying and waiting for the acceptance decision. Overall, my experience has been rewarding. I have been immersed in the culture that is New York City and have chosen to remain in the city after graduation. The experience of the college campus in the heart of the city cannot be replaced!

I have been exposed to more of the world in the short time I have spent here at Columbia University than in the rest of my lifetime. Having lived in Miami my whole life and traveled extensively, that's saying something. But the incredible diversity of students, the unparalleled knowledge, experience and enthusiasm of faculty, and the countless opportunities and experiences available here are almost overwhelming. It's impossible to leave Columbia without feeling inspired by something, passionate about something, and absolutey qualified to put that passion and inspiration to good use in the professional world. People often describe college in terms of how well it prepares you for the "real world". From the service organizations to the student asociations to the hands-on research and multicultural events, I would venture to say that Columbia, in many crucial ways, IS the real world, representing all it's facets in one way or another.

Oh wow, how am I supposed to answer this in only 200 words? I have become accustomed to writing pages and pages of academic dithering, and now I have to reduce my experience down to a mere paragraph? It's actually refreshing, and a lead in to my realization on what, exactly, it is that I have gained from my college experience. It has been valuable for me to attend Columbia, if only for two semesters, because being here has taught me to value the simple things in life. I have felt completely and utterly overwhelmed at many times in my brief time at this school, and I have questioned my purpose in being here. I value 200 words now, as I value my own personal worth in attending Columbia, whereas before, I would have reduced them both to being inconsequential. That would have been my presumptious high brow Ivy League talk talking. A semester or two of being humbled, however, in the presence of smarter kids with higher I.Q.'s than me, however, has taught me the invaluable lesson of pride and how to curb it. I will never forget it. And I am grateful.

I have gotten a lot out of my experience at college. There are so many opportunities available to students. There is so much help available to pursue anything one wishes to pursue, I have found it most exciting to explore into all the avenues that I have ever wanted to, and this has been a very liberating experience, as nothing is out of reach here at Columbia. It is almost as if someone had waived a wand and asked what I wanted from life, it would be to gain fulfilling career opportunities and an outlet for intellectual creativity, stimulation and depth into every subject area that I have wanted to learn about. I have fortunately found all of those at columbia, including the immense help and support that is available for students on campus for everything from financial aid to student housing; there is a resource center for every imaginable query. It has been a great experience so far.

I really thought college was going to be like high school. Just a bunch of boring classes all day and I would just wait to get out of class. Then I got there and something happened. I wasn't bored! I found myself interested in what my professors were saying and I wanted to learn more. Then I got a job and realized that I wanted to be in health care. My school provided emergency medical technician training. So I enrolled in the program! Just a semester later I was a licensed EMT. I know that if I never went to school, I would never have been able to make that happen. I still wouldn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I think that is what college is there to do. It is there to help people realize what they want to do in life, and then provide the resources and learning opportunities needed in order to allow people to achieve there goals.

By attending Columbia University I have been given the opportunity to meet the most facinating intellects of the world, and been given the chance to learn, live, and play with them. The university has this mist of intellegence that floats above it, and with every breath it fills you. Here you are able to work to solve the biggest issues of the world or invent the new biggest idea in the world. My experience with Columbia has been something that I would never return nor regret because now since I have attended the university every opportunity I can imagine has been opened up, and all I need to do is choose which one I wish to acquire. The university strives to build your understanding of the world we live in and build your knowledge of everything our world has to offer us, and this is something I highly value out of a higher education.

A college education is a blessing that only some can experience. Being a first-generation immigrant, my parents did not have the fortune of attending an ivy league institution so my college experience have taught me to cherish any opportunity given to me and take nothing for granted. College has also bolstered my potential. With every class attended and exam passed, I am brought one step closer to making my dreams a reality and that is exactly what college is supposed to do. I would not trade in my college experience for anything in the world-- it has helped me realize who I am and who I want to be. Thanks to my college experience, I want to become a Rhodes Scholar and I also want to attend Harvard Law. Fifteen years from now, once I become a successful attorney, I am going to look back and be thankful for my time at college and the doors it has opened for me.

My college experience so far has been outstanding. It is amazing when one thinks about the areas of study that are available to a person, how your entire world changes as soon as you take your classroom education and apply it to the streets. I have grown as a person, as an academic and I consider myself and every student I have studied with very lucky to be able to obtain new and challenging perspectives, and I think with fondness how lucky we all are to have that opportunity available to each and every one of us.

At my high school, I was placed within the top percentile, but after entering college, I have been knocked down a few pegs. The people I study and learn with are well at my level and some are far more intelligent. Therefore, I am now far more humble about my education and about my achievements in general because I know I am far from the best. Also, by becoming more humble and not bragging about what I have done, I feel that I make friends much more easily, which for me, is one of the most important parts of college and of life. The friends I have made in college are invaluable and by being with them I am learning new things all the time. But that is not to say that I don't have anything to offer; they teach me just as I teach them. Because of my college experience and the people I have talked to, I have learned that you are never the best, so why brag about your achievements? People do not wish to hear about you bragging, rather, people want to know you as a person.

What i have gotten out of my college experience so far is a chance to learn something i actually enjoy learning. I can wake up everyday knowing i am going to learn something new everyday that is going to better me in the career i have chosen to experience. The ability to meet new people and make new friends that will be in the same field that i am. Getting the full hands on experience on what i am to encounter in the field of my career. It has been valuable to attend because everyday i walk down the halls all i see is smiling faces. It makes you feel proud that you are in school. The most valuable thing is that i dont have to enjoy attending school alone becuase my brother is there with me helping me every step of the way.

My college experience has allowed me to mature. I was able to be involved with campus activities while also studying hard for my classes. I have learned how to make friends, get involved, study and enjoy myself while at college.

I was able to explore intellectually with like-minded students and faculty who actually cared about the subjects at hand. I took classes ranging from music history to the history of philosophy. My entire class took two full years of the same seminar courses, so that we could stay up late in our dorm rooms arguing about what Adam Smith really meant and whether or not we believed Freud?s theories. At graduation, the speaker made a joke about Boccaccio, and the entire graduating class laughed. There are very few colleges left that dare to maintain base curricula of major texts for every student to learn, even the biology majors. I went to the Met, MoMa, the Guggenheim, and P.S. 1 for free for four years. I took a class with Orhan Pamuk after he won the Nobel Prize. My roommate heard Iran?s President Ahmadinejad speak in person. Even after I?ve graduated, most of my professors still make time to have coffee with me and check how I?m doing.

Breathe. There's no need to go away to school and have a career immediately after graduation. You enjoy travel. Work! You're young and you're able to get a position waiting on tables or as part of a kitchen staff. Retail is not your thing so don't bother. Earn the money required that will allow you to visit the South American and European countries that you read about in The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Gabriela, Clavo y Canela. Once you're in those countries, breathe again. Enjoy it and I mean give yourself over to the experience, the aromas, the voices around you, the colors, the warmth or coldness of the people, and give back. Remember, you're in their country and a person's home is sacred. You will meet people and discover all the wonderful things you're capable of because you're living instead of waiting to live. After your time away, you might decide to go to either a college or university or you might not. Either decision works because it's your decision and only you answer to you.

I would tell myself to stay in school. I dropped out of high school as a senior. I spent many years, after that, getting into trouble and learning many hard lessons about life. I am now completely dedicated to taking my education as far as it can go and I am enjoying the process. Telling myself as a high school senior that life is an educational process would be invaluable. I'd let myself know that dropping out of school is not an escape from mental challenges. I would impart words of encouragement to myself that would've allowed me to push through my struggles, at the time. College is a foundation for a challenging and rewarding life. If i could tell myself this before I made the biggest mistake of my life, I could've accepted one of many college scholarship offers instead of struggling, now, to pay for school while supporting a family. Last, but not least, I'd tell myself not to regret any mistake in life, if you choose to make amends.

Think about what you are interested in. What do you like to learn about? What do you like to do? What do you get excited to learn about? College is, in part, a time to build up your knowledge in a field that interests you, and sometimes thinking about it this way rather than as a specific step en route to a specific career can be better. Many of my friends began the way I did: "After college, I want to be a ____." But many of us have found that we might not be interested in the classes required for a specific job, or don't like the practical reality of a specific job. "Wannabe" doctors who hate biology pr journailsts who don't like to talk to strangers have to find a subject - not a title - that really interests them. So, pursue your interests and explore new ones - take every opportunity to try something new or chase after a passing fancy. And if you find yourself missing something you used to love, whether it's badminton, volunteering or playing the violin, get back into it! New academic, career, and personal interests might develop!

Treat the college-selection process like a game of ?Hot or Cold?. As you consider each of your choices, garner a sense of ?how warm it feels?. The warmer a choice feels, the more it is in alignment with what you want and expect from college. This, of course, encompasses everything from the perks of moving away or staying near and surrounding environment to the financial burden and school strength in your intended degree program. It is a decision that your personality should dictate: you?ve always been one to climb to the highest ledge and then take a leap of faith. Direct yourself toward a population that you either already enjoy or aspire to be more alike. Socially speaking, personas are fine to have, but just be sure they are all naturally occurring and true to you. When in doubt, be yourself and treat every new face like a potential friend. Be aware that your resources extend beyond your immediate family and friends, and utilize those resources like an RA, a professor?s office hours, or career center services to your greatest advantage. Remind yourself that everyone wants you to succeed, but nobody expects you to do it alone.

If I could go back, I would tell myself to always try to be ten steps ahead of the next challenge. Preparation and hard-work are the keys to success and procrastination never helps a situation. Although, you should never apologize for taking some time out if you really need it. I would tell myself not to be afraid to take on things that seem impossible because failure only stems from lack of effort. I would say that your life will be far from ordinary or predictable, but then again it never has been. Besides, predictability is boring and prevents you from truly pushing yourself. I would tell myself that it's okay to cry when tragedy strikes as long as you don't let others see it. And although it's harder to see the pages, you can still work with tears in your eyes. I would tell myself to be more optimistic because everything tends to go smoother. Finally, I would tell myself to stop trying to be all things to all people, and simply search my soul for what I want out of life. Then work tirelessly to make it happen.

College, it seems, is all about testing your limits, be they academic, social or even financial. I think the most important thing I've learned in the last couple of months is that it's okay to do something that doesn't turn out in the perfect way you might have hoped. You don't have to know everything - you DON'T know everything, and that's really okay. Chances are, everyone around you is in the same boat. So go ahead, take that class that sounds kind of interesting even if you have no idea what anthropologic engineering means - you might end up finding your major. Introduce yourself to the nice looking girl sitting at the end of the table in the dining hall - she could be your next best friend. Join that club - it may lead you to your passion. Take some risks, put yourself out there - it is in the connections we forge and the passions we discover that the transition to college doesn't even feel like a threatening life change, but rather the beginning of a fantastic new chapter in our lives.

"Welcome to college," I would say. "Here begins the most challenging and best four years of your life." Throw aside claims about your ability to never be homesick, to always use your newfound freedom responsibly and to get a perfect GPA, you are now entering into the real world, and realistic expectations are a part of the game. Columbia is a challenging school and environment, and when it seems like the next four years are too harsh to handle remember why you decided to attend college in the first place. When the experience is over, and you glance back on the snippets of memories you have acquired what did you do? Work, so that when this day comes you can say proudly, I tried my hardest academically and athletically, I made friends that will stay with me for the rest of my life and I never once doubted my ability to achieve all the goals my naive high school self threw out into the future for the taking. Four years may seem like forever, but your predecessors are not lying when they say it passes by in all but a moment. Enjoy every second, the good and the bad.

Dont be afraid, it's only the beginning of everything for you. Just hold onto the fact that you are strong, and only you know exactly who you want to be and what kind of life you want to lead. Although your career choice or even major may not be set in stone, theres no reason to panic because ultimately, this panic may lead you to choose something you dread doing. Listen to yourself, and if you need, take some time off and so some soul searching. Even though this time off may seem like wasted time, its not. Taking this time off will be able to get your bearings straight and take you away from the fervor of college life which can sometimes be blinding. Dont be pressured into doing something just to finish, take your time, and really take this transition as a blessing. It's a time not only to get somewhere in life, but 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of what should come out of this transition is knowing your core being.