Some questions about Columbia

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College Discussion Forums: Ivy League Schools: Columbia University: Some questions about Columbia

Hi, I was largely attracted to this school by its wonderful student body. These are the kinds of people I'd like to surround myself with for four years. Now I'd like to know about everything ELSE:

1) How is the neighborhood? I have heard different things from different people - some think it's great, others think it's a ghetto and dangerous at night.

2) How is the campus. Is it very cramped and just full of buildings? Is there room to breathe? Trees? Fields? Lawns? Lots of oxygen from vegetation that would compensate for the car-fumes of NYC?

3) How are certain departments - astronomy? neuroscience? music?

4) Is there housing for 4 years? Or do you live off campus after the first few and become a commuter?

Thanks a lot!

By Number9 (Number9) on Thursday, September 02, 2004 - 01:15 am: Edit

1. The neighborhood is fine. Read the topic that was at the top recently about it. Naturally, if you make yourself a target, youre going to be a target anywhere. Many people are jaded because Morningside Heights is close to Harlem. Harlem isn't as dangerous as non-NYCers tend to believe. It's a matter of knowing how to act, I think, in most of the city. You'll quickly learn from others the places to avoid (most of the time you'll have no reason to be over in that area anyway).

2. Why don't you take a virtual tour on Columbia's site? Its a nice campus. Lots of land. Columbia owns the most land in Manhattan or something like that...

4. First year you have to live on campus (unless you live in NYC, you can commute). I'm fairly certain they provide housing for 4 years, but they did have a problem with providing dorms for some students a while back. You can commute starting sophomore year I do believe.

That's what I've gathered from my time at the forum here. I haven't actually been there myself.

By Ivyman1 (Ivyman1) on Thursday, September 02, 2004 - 10:48 am: Edit

4) There was a housing crunch - but they still provided 100% housing. Some freshmen just had to live in a 5 star hotel for a semester (the lucky b**tards).
3) Neurosci is an awesome department. That was my major. Columbia has the preeminent neuroscience research center on the east coast - the Neurological Institute of New York. Columbia also has one of the oldest undergraduate neurosci programs in the country.
Music - well if you like the juliard school it is a Columbia affiliate. you can go to Columbia and enter into the Columbia-Juliard joint degree program, get ur A.B. from Columbia and your M.A. from Juliard. Astronomy? Columbia has its own observatory - nice place too - and NASA's Goddard center is right around campus.
1) The neighborhood is gorgeous. I love it. You are sandwiched right between two parks, overlooking the hudson. The res halls have awesome views of the city. The last dorm I was in I woke up every morning to the view of the Empire State Building outside my window. Morningside Heights is also one of the safest precincts in manhattan. Harlem is down the cliff on the otherside of morningside park, and that particular part of harlem is actually rather gentrified - high land values and mostly rich people in that area (right above central park). Bill Clinton works and lives there. But besides, I rarely go over there, Columbia is more of a continuation of the upperwest side which follows the 1-9 IRT subway train (which drops you off right in front of Columbia's gates). Check crime stats at NYC.gov if you are truly worried. You will see there is nothing to be worried about.
Oh i've got a great idea - here are some non-jaded views of morningside heights the whole neighborhood - not produced by Columbia in an effort to recruit students. You will see it is a very affluent and high class neighborhood.
http://www.morningside-heights.net/phocont.htm

By Pebbles (Pebbles) on Thursday, September 02, 2004 - 05:27 pm: Edit

Wow yea, new york is definitely the place to be. I've lived about 1/2 hour away from it for almost 9 years now, and go there often. I have yet to visit columbia though.

But what you said sounds great. I definitely find living in the city much mroe exciting than dangerous, but my parents are a bit worried... I'm thinking of a double major and a minor... may be overloading myself, I'll jsut have to see. I can major in something "practical" and yet interesting - neuroscience, as well as something I love - astronomy (if they DO have that major), and then I'd like to continue my studies in music. Sounds perfect now lemme in :P

By Ivyman1 (Ivyman1) on Thursday, September 02, 2004 - 08:23 pm: Edit

In the sciences double majors are downright impossible - too many credit requirements and the classes are HARD let me tell you. But a major and concentration, or two concentrations (our word for minor) are certainly possible.

By Pebbles (Pebbles) on Thursday, September 02, 2004 - 09:00 pm: Edit

Oh that's fine too, I just want to study some astronomy and music

By Contessa (Contessa) on Thursday, September 02, 2004 - 11:03 pm: Edit

how about a double major in... let say... chemistry and political science- is that possible?

By Ivyman1 (Ivyman1) on Thursday, September 02, 2004 - 11:25 pm: Edit

I tried that. Actually it was Biochem and poli sci. It was way too hard. Wayyy too many credits. You can do it - if you have an IQ of 160 and you dont want a life outside of the classroom. Most people want to be in a club or two or be able to sleep once in a while.

By Knightmare (Knightmare) on Thursday, September 02, 2004 - 11:26 pm: Edit

Just a suggestion for anyone actively interested in pursuing a double major: try taking a look at Penn. Not only do they allow double majors, triple minors, and let people do such things with ease, they even allow dual degrees (meaning majoring in two subjects from different schools within the university). No other ivy (except maybe Brown) allows such flexibility.

Just a thought.

By Pebbles (Pebbles) on Thursday, September 02, 2004 - 11:43 pm: Edit

Eh, I'd rather pursue a major to its fullest at columbia and then take a minor in something I am very interested in. Maybe it's no good to spread myself too thin.

Now there's the whole problem of GETTING IN... RD... b/c ED is binding and we have fianncial problems

By Knightmare (Knightmare) on Friday, September 03, 2004 - 01:21 am: Edit

Good point. Just never forget that you might someday change your mind. Good luck with applications; just emphasize a hook or two and put lots of passion & individuality into your essays, and you should be fine.

By Contessa (Contessa) on Friday, September 03, 2004 - 01:21 pm: Edit

ivyman - how about with ap credits etc? i'm a bit desperate

By Number9 (Number9) on Friday, September 03, 2004 - 03:09 pm: Edit

Pebble: Why don't you apply ED anyway? You can get out of ED only for financial problems.

My family's not rich by any means, and I know we'll have problems paying, but it's not stopping me from applying ED.

By Pebbles (Pebbles) on Friday, September 03, 2004 - 07:33 pm: Edit

it's a lot of trouble to get out of ED and still in the end it might not work. You would have to prove that you absolutely CAN'T pay... but they define "being able to pay" as scraping the bottom of salaries, mostly excluding costs of living etc etc.

By Pebbles (Pebbles) on Friday, September 03, 2004 - 11:18 pm: Edit

I dont want my parents living miserably to just push me through 4 years at columbia

By Ivyman1 (Ivyman1) on Saturday, September 04, 2004 - 10:41 am: Edit

AP Credits - you must have a 5 on in an AP and for many of them you then must take another class in order to get the credits for that class. But remember AP is ONE class - 3 credits worth - which doesnt make much of a dent in your required courses. For bio for instance - the intro bio course is so intense (you must have a yr of Columbia's chemistry b4 taking it) that even if you did get a 5 on the AP Bio course you must still take it if you are majoring in the biosciences.
The AP courses are usually no substitute for Columbia courses - they just cant compete.

By Crazybug (Crazybug) on Saturday, September 04, 2004 - 01:28 pm: Edit

That is defintely true for biology, physics, and any and all forms of humanities.

But Columbia's intro calc and chem courses leave something to be desired.

By Ivyman1 (Ivyman1) on Saturday, September 04, 2004 - 02:30 pm: Edit

I'll second that re: calc and chem... Professor Fine? ::shudder::

By Mparking (Mparking) on Sunday, September 05, 2004 - 01:45 am: Edit

They also have a separate Music department with its own performance program. I'd personally like to know more about that.

By Godis (Godis) on Sunday, September 05, 2004 - 02:31 am: Edit

i might have to take fine's class. how's mcdermott?

By Ivyman1 (Ivyman1) on Sunday, September 05, 2004 - 08:23 pm: Edit

Anyone is better than fine. He is a nice nice man. Great to help u through picking classes etc. But a sucky sucky professor.