Social Atmosphere: What are the people like?

johnnydontcry57 · 06-06-2009, 05:22 PM

I'm a rising senior who has visited Barnard and absolutely fell in love with the academics, the campus, the location, etc. If I can get in and get enough scholarships to afford it, Barnard is definitely my top choice at the moment. However, I have one major question: what are the people like? I lived in NYC until I was 2 and know quite a bit about it from family, but my teenage years have been spent in a town of about 25,000 in Ohio. My family is middle-class, and I attend a public high school of about 1200 kids. I tend to stick to a small group of friends and I'm not an extremely social person. I have this fear that everyone at Barnard will be wealthy, super high-achieving, and totally comfortable being on their own in the city. Am I way off-base here? Based on my description, do you think I'll get along okay in the social environment at Barnard?
I hope that this doesn't come off as whiny or insecure, but this is my one major fear about Barnard and I wanted to see what people thought. Thanks for your help!

mythmom · 06-06-2009, 10:50 PM

My D's roommate frosh year was a girl from a family of modest means from rural Georgia. Few of the women on D's hall had any idea of how to navigate NYC. Barnard's orientation is almost like the treasure hunt of the city, and in groups, usually with their floor, the Barnard women learn to navigate the city.

Of the suite of six my D was in only one woman was wealthy, one was very comfortable and the other four (including my D) came from ordinary middle class families. There were, of course, girls with even less.

You'll be fine.

johnnydontcry57 · 06-06-2009, 10:54 PM

Okay, I figured I was probably overreacting, but I didn't want to get there and find that I didn't get along with the student body.
Thanks for your help.

churchmusicmom · 06-14-2009, 06:36 AM

My d's experience totally concur with mythmom's. Best to you!

rokiracoo · 06-15-2009, 03:30 PM

i would definitely not let this fear deter you from applying to (or eventually attending) barnard. i have found the barnard student population to be an incredibly diverse mix of women from different social, economic, and geographic backgrounds. while "wealthy, super high-achieving" students certainly exist at barnard, they by no means make up a majority.

and i really wouldn't worry about finding your way around in NYC...i've lived here my whole life, but most people i know at BC/CU have no idea where the hell they're going most of the time and they have survived so far

kmhuether · 06-16-2009, 05:45 PM

What's wrong with a wealthy super high achieving student?

mythmom · 06-17-2009, 12:32 AM

Nothing. She is very welcome as part of the mix. However, if 80% of the student population were super wealthy, then those who aren't might feel out of place. And substitute driven for high achieving. All Barnard women are high achieving.

Driven people are cool too (I was one when young), but my D is not, and would not have wanted to be the only one at Barnard not super driven.

She did care passionately about her work, however, and did very well.

musicitylights · 07-10-2009, 11:40 AM

I have to disagree with most of what has been said on this front. As a current Barnard student I have felt rather discouraged at times by the wealth surrounding me, both at Barnard and Columbia. What most people don't realize about the Ivy League atmosphere is that people are selected for their ability to "succeed," not academically, but financially, and to eventually contribute to the college's endowment. Because of this, there is a lot of wealth and privilege here at Barnard, though most students seem more "driven" to party in New York City for four years than to actually do any work.

I'm sorry if this comes off as a bit resentful, but I have often felt unhappy at Barnard for this very reason. I grew up in a small northern Michigan town, went to a public school of 1,500; I was one of only 3 people to actually leave the state. When I came here, I realized that most girls had parents who could just dump money in their hands for any trivial little thing; very few people work, and many aren't even on financial aid. One of my best friends ended up being the daughter of the owner of the Chicago Bears; the others are children of wealthy doctors. There are certainly others in my situation here, but they seem few and far between, and so I feel disadvantaged and jealous a lot of the time. I feel having to work 10 hours a week just to have fun in the city (and by that I mean seeking out free events and going to mid-range restaurants). While all of my friends are flitting off abroad next year, I am facing the possibility of not even being able to return to Barnard. The worst part is that most people just don't "get" this feeling I have, because they've never held a job, never been too hard-pressed financially.

I'm not telling you this to discourage you from applying to Barnard or going there, however. I just wish someone had made me more aware before I arrived here. Barnard still has many amazing opportunities to offer you, and you'll likely find others in your same situation. Not to mentioned that New York, while expensive, is unparalleled; there are plenty of things to do here that cost next to nothing, and you'll get used to navigating the city like a pro in no time. There are also a lot of things going on on campus, and you'll have a lot of company of you hang around uptown for most of your days here. Good luck!

calmom · 07-10-2009, 05:49 PM

Musicitylights -- I'm sorry you are having a rough time financially. The two best sources for income for my daughter have been Barnard Bartending -- and then discovering that work-study at Columbia generally pays a higher hourly rate than work-study at Barnard. Unfortunately Barnard does not give work-study to seniors, so she is not sure what she will be doing next year.

What year are you? I think the meal plan is a tough squeeze financially, so if you are a first year student you may find things easier in later years, as long as you have housing where you can cook for yourself. Once you are off the plan, you've got some more wiggle room, as the financial aid is calculated to include meal plan costs, but the meal plan probably is three times as much as it costs to feed yourself.

mythmom · 07-10-2009, 07:25 PM

calmom, my D had work-study as a senior. She kept the same job.

calmom · 07-10-2009, 08:09 PM

Barnard's policy now is to deny work study to all seniors -- they encourage an off-campus job and expect the earnings from that job to be part of the student's contribution.

They are very, very clear about that. (Believe me.... we had a rather prolonged discussion with the financial aid people, as my daughter was not aware of this when she took off for her semester abroad.... it means she will probably have to spend a lot more time bartending in the fall than she had planned)

Quote:

First-year students work an average of 8 to 10 hours a week and returning students work 10 to 15 hours a week. All first-year aid recipients are guaranteed on-campus jobs. Sophomores and juniors are offered both on- and off-campus job opportunities and most seniors are expected to work off campus.

It is possible for a senior to get a "Barnard College job" (not work-study) but the pay is still pretty low.

Also, I checked the wayback machine (www.archive.org) and the text about seniors working off campus was the same back in April 2006, which is as far back as archived pages go:
Barnard College Financial Aid

Are you sure your daughter was paid from work-study funds?

mythmom · 07-10-2009, 08:16 PM

No. I am not sure. She had exactly the same job, though.

In fact, she is still working at it this summer.

kmhuether · 07-10-2009, 08:50 PM

to music city lights...your post slightly offends me and I want to write a response, making it as brief as possible.
I will be attending Barnard next year, not on financial aid. This doesn't mean I haven't worked just as hard, or harder than many people. I've held a job since the age of thirteen, worked my ass of in a college prep school, and love money. I love it because of the productivity and power of intellect it represents. I love working and earning my own way. I am just cautioning you from generalizing any type of student or student body. I have done this in the past and have come to regret it. I encourage you to work as hard as you can, it will pay off and someday you may land a job which gives you more pride, rewards and money than anyone in your class.

Productiveness is your acceptance of morality, your recognition of the fact that
you choose to live-that productive work is the process by which man’s
consciousness controls his existence, a constant process of acquiring knowledge
and shaping matter to fit one’s purpose -Ayn Rand

calmom · 07-10-2009, 09:29 PM

Mythmom, it sounds like a college job then, but not work-study -- as there is no way that she would qualify for work-study funds after the end of the academic year & after graduation. It could be the same job that once was subsidized by work-study -- its just a matter of the college budget. The financial aid dept. did tell us that my daughter could apply for a Barnard college job -- but as noted my daughter likes the Columbia job much better, so she will have to wait until she returns to campus to see whether she can apply directly for that job (without the work-study funds).