Columbia University in the City of New York Top Questions

The most frustrating thing about school would probably be having to juggle school and social life. The school is very rigorous and serious commitment is required to accel at Columbia. However, the harder you study, the more rewarding the time in which you do get to play becomes. So while being frustrating, it is also an extremely rewarding experience for a job well done.

I think it's frustrating that we don't have a good football team.

The most frustrating thing about my school is the about of red tape that has to be dealt with every time that anything administrative must be completed. This includes getting classes changed, applying for programs, and maintenance of housing. That last one especially.

Being a large research university, one often finds that professors, while wonderful and utterly inspiring in the classroom, are inaccessible outside of the class due to the many research projects in which they have invested themselves. While this is hardly a major issue, naturally one would appreciate a professor who was better able to balance time between his students and his research.

Being the hotbed of social controversy that it is, Columbia can often feel like a negative place. It's important to keep your head above the water. Don't be afraid to think for yourself, even if other people are shouting their opinions from the steps. Everyone will always find something to be pessimistic about; make sure you don't let the haters get you down.

for those in liberal arts: the core curriculum -- classes you must take to graduate, including Art Humanities, Music Humanities, Frontiers of Science, University of Writing, Contemporary Civlizations, Major Cultures, etc. for those in engineering: lack of advising to remind you of the level of difficulty of classes you should be taking

The exams are too hard so everyone fails them...yet there is such a high curve that failing an exam doesn't really matter.

The campus dies during the winter. The cold weather matches the cold atmosphere.

Living in the city was really expensive.

The way it inevitably forces me to weed out and view, with clarity, my weaknesses.