Overachievers?

coffeetoffee646 · 01-27-2007, 10:54 PM

How are the girls at Barnard? Are they mostly overachieving perfectionists, or are there only a few? I'm just worried about being stuck with the girls at my school that I am trying to avoid...the girls who work so hard and are involved in so many clubs that they either develop serious disorders or even attempt to run away. I'm not exaggerating and I'm afraid that I'll find many of those girls at Barnard. Is this just a sterotype or truth?

QTPointe · 01-27-2007, 11:32 PM

Hey Coffeetoffee -

Let me put this as nicely as I can...

I think you are WAY too caught up in categorizing people, whether they be "overachievers", "preppy" kids, etc. I understand that you want the atmosphere of the school you attend to be of your liking, but there will always be a little bit of everyone wherever you end up. Out of approximately 2500 people, it's not like every single person will be an overachieving perfectionist. Of course you will run into them here and there at Barnard, as it is a prestigious school with many brilliant women. Asking us to generalize the entire student body of Barnard just does not seem fair to me.

As far as my personal experience goes, I have yet to run into one person who fits the description you gave. In general, college students tend to be more relaxed. PS, most overachieving perfectionists in high school are that way BECAUSE they are trying to get into college. It's not that people are less focused on grades here, but it's not something that is ever really discussed. I'm sure that is found across the board.

Just make sure you want to (or don't want to) go to Barnard for the right reasons.

coffeetoffee646 · 01-28-2007, 09:55 AM

Thanks,
I just want to make sure that I am confortable, that's all.
I don't necessariliy want to categorize people but rather I want to get a feel for the student body. I just don't want to have to transfer.

You see, I can't really make up my mind based on curriculum so I am trying to get a feel for the social aspect to help me make my decision, so I just want to know a bit more about it. I should probably do an overnight or something of the sort but I can't really miss any school right now.

I'd just like to hear about the opinions of the girls at Barnard, in general or not, whatever you think will be helpful. I'm not asking to categorize the girls, but perhaps give me some insight as to what I would find if I were to be accepted and attend.

collegegirl86 · 01-28-2007, 10:46 AM

I agree with QTPointe. I have never discussed grades with my friends here because I don't get the sense that they're that important.

I have lived across the hall from a girl with whom I had a class and there was never any sort of competitive spirit. Often we would ask eachother for feedback on papers or organize study sessions together.

I find that Barnard women compete more with themselves than with eachother. My roommate last semester had 6 classes and a great internship, and still babysat 3-4 nights a week...all while being a super-dedicated member of Amnesty International. I thought she was crazy, but that's how she thrives - and there's nothing wrong with that. I much more prefer to sit at my computer and do homework and AIM my friends all night, but that's just me.

You'll find all kinds of students here, and that is what makes this such a great place.

mysteryflavored · 01-28-2007, 11:09 AM

From what I hear, the only people who are absolutely crazy about grades are the premeds, who'll go so far as to dribble orange juice in your chem experiment so that they can get the better grade. (:

scarfmadness · 01-28-2007, 01:18 PM

I've never heard of anyone being so mean as to intentionally ruin an experiment, but I have had a very different experience from the others who posted. Barnard women are extremely overachieving. I didn't notice how pervasive the culture of stress was, however, until after my first year. Body image is a significant problem on campus; stress and lack of sleep are all very, very common complaints. As, I imagine, they are at all top schools. My adviser says the faculty and administration has to remind us to party, rather than reminding us to study. I do wish sometimes that people here were more chill about school - you don't have to spend your entire weekend studying. I definitely agree that the competition is with yourself rather than with your peers, and Barnard women seem to be quite adept at managing many commitments. There's lots of support available, if you want it, and people are super friendly - just don't come in expecting to be babied, and don't be surprised if you find people who think a B+ is a bad grade.

QTPointe · 01-28-2007, 05:21 PM

I even had two classes with my roommate last semester, and we didn't talk once about our grades in the classes. Sure we vented and complained and talked things out (papers, etc). I never knew how she was doing in the class or vice-versa until I spent some time at her house over winter break and her mother asked how I had done. It seems that she couldn't understand that people don't go around talking about grades either.

churchmusicmom · 01-28-2007, 07:28 PM

My d is very dedicated to earning the best grade she can since she is sure she wants to go to a graduate program and possibly med school. That being said, her "competition" is only with herself. She and one of her suitemates have taken (and are taking) some classes together, and there is NO competition between them! I do not think this is an issue with most Barnard students because they are all very confident, competent and qualified and I believe that is reflected in the ability to be just fine around others just like them. Surely there are exceptions, but I have not heard of any from my kid!