| I transferred out of Columbia to Dartmouth. I found Dartmouth to be more student friendly in terms of access to resources and less bureaucratic. Columbia feels incredible with the core (less than 20 people per class), but the big classes are WAY too big (300 people in General chemistry). Also the school is run like the government, everything has a rule and a department. Whether its Acis (computer services), the registrar, the deans, whatever it feels like you have to go through alot of hoops to get things done.
At Dartmouth the registrar's office feels almost like your grandmother's home compared to Columbia's Kent Hall. The president waves hello and you see him park his car on the way to class. Just a totally different feeling, its a place you feel comfortable walking into and talking to anyone.
At Dartmouth I also found much more available to me in terms of resources; grants (I got $10K for my thesis research), money for trips, etc. I know Columbia has alot of resources but you have to seek things out much more. Dartmouth hosts your email for life as an alum, Columbia you have to get it forwarded. Its just a small example of the difference.
Columbia is a great school and you have access to some of the best minds in the world but it is a big university. |