calmom

As a Barnard student, you WILL take classes at Columbia.

That's the difference -- if you don't want to take classes at Columbia, you would probably have to make a conscientious effort to avoid it, and it would be tricky. When Barnard students take classes at Columbia, they don't think about it or plan for it in particular - they simply choose from the catalog. Also, there is no issue about time or schedule -- it is easy to schedule classes back-to-back, with only 10 minutes between classes, because physically, the campuses really occupy only a few city blocks and are adjacent to one another.
Columbia is not "another" school - Barnard is part of Columbia University. I saw it written somewhere that Barnard is Columbia's "sister" college and that makes some sense. There are many, many courses that are defined as "interfaculty" meaning that they aren't officially tied to one school or another, though as a practical matter they are going to be localized on one campus -- but that same course may shift from one campus to another on different semesters. All courses in the catalogue with a "W" or a "V" fit that description - if you were to tell me that there was a class called History W3110 -- I would not be able to tell you from that info alone whether it was a Columbia or a Barnard course.

It works the other way around, though since Columbia is larger and has its core, it is not as dependent on Barnard. But there are plenty of Columbia majors and that rely in part or on whole on courses offered at Barnard -- it just makes sense for the colleges to work cooperatively to maximize their offerings to their students.

Now it is fine for someone to decide that she really doesn't want the affiliated-with-Columbia experience, and to choose a different college, but the concept that Barnard is not "self-sustaining" is silly. Columbia isn't going to go away, and there is no fence between the 2 colleges.

I can understand why someone might want the more insular arrangement of a traditional LAC -- but I just am trying to get across that things are intermixed. Barnard women are attracted to the idea of having the "best of both" -- if that isn't your thing, fine -- but it's not a matter of being uncomfortable or unsure of the situation.

mythmom

Data point: Actually more Columbia students sit in Barnard courses than the other way around. So, we could say that Columbia isn't independent either, but that would be a silly way to look at it.

Wellesley is a bucolic campus steeped in an almost finishing girl atmosphere that now has some of the most pre-professional of the seven sisters. It is beautiful, challenging, rigorous, wonderful.

Barnard is a serene enclave in a gritty city on a postage sized campus. It's history is of a commuter school growing into a dorming college. It's academics are equally rigorous and its crowning glory is turning out writers, though half the female doctors used to hail from Barnard. It never had the "finishing school" atmosphere because it always trained women for careers, whereas Wellesley educated some of the most intelligent wives ever. (See Mona Lisa smile.

But that's all in the past.

Now both are wonderful liberal arts colleges. The choice is yours.

And for my part, as a Barnard mom, I do not want to compete with our Wellesley sisters. I just want to commend them on their really fine school.

LesleyG

I am sorry but I dont agree with the "it's easier to take courses in Mit for wellesley students than barnard students taking courses in columbia" wellesley and mit are still 45 minutes away. Only if you are willing to take a bus everyday to go for one class and then spend another 45 minutes to come back to campus to take the next one....I think one of the major reason for wellesley is more prestigious than barnard is because the alumn. the same thing happend to smith,too. Both Smith and Barnard are just as competitive as Wellesley.

LesleyG

"Columbia is not "another" school - Barnard is part of Columbia University. I saw it written somewhere that Barnard is Columbia's "sister" college and that makes some sense."
I totally agree with that!!!CU used to divide into Columbia college and barnard college and etc.College was for men, and barnard was for women.So I still think Barnard is part of CU

aube88

Technically, Barnard is not part of Columbia but an affiliate. However, it is treated as, and often referred to, as one of the undergraduate schools of Columbia. And some of our letterhead says "Barnard College OF Columbia University"