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.