At brown when you want to learn art history on the side, you take a course largely with art history majors who will likely do better than you.
I'm sorry, I know it's off topic and nitpicking and this is the Columbia forum and not the Brown forum, but I JUST want to mention that this is exactly why Brown has the option to take classes Pass/Fail - so you can take Art History classes with Art History majors and not wreck your GPA.
point well taken, but to be clear - columbia lets you pass fail classes too (one a semester that isn't a major/core class). it isn't as broad as brown's system, but i think it provides that fall back mechanism that students want, particularly if you did bad on a midterm.
i could go off more about what i think about brown and the new curriculum, but i'll avoid being too controversial, if you're interested, feel free to message.
Some people have told me that undergrad attention at Columbia is horrible...but I'd like some opinions from current and former Columbia undergrads. I'm not looking to get coddled but is it true that Columbia is bad for undergrad? Do most professors only care about their research? How easy is it to get to know a professor if you make the effort?
no columbia is not horrible for ugrads. it is the opposite.
profs i would say probably consider dealing with ugrads over grads their primary responsability, especially among profs that select to teach in the core. plus even the times you face a grad student, i have enjoyed every interaction, and count them as some of my greatest mentors while at columbia.
as for only caring about research - it is fascinating thing, a lot of profs will use their class as a means to test out their own research hypotheses, and so they will openly be like, i'm working through this idea, and presenting it to you, what do you think. as a prof at columbia once called it, he considers students his 'co-investigators' in his research helping challenge your presumptions (it also tells you in what kind of esteem they hold their ugrads). it also means that you are always aware and involved in current debates in the subject matter (which actually is more interesting, considering i've visited a few LACs where they are still text-booking issues).
i was a research asst for a prof just by asking. i grab coffee with him anytime i'm back in nyc, he's acknowledged me in a handful of books. i actually have a close relationship with one of the Deans at the uni (he wrote my grad school recommendation, and same thing, i just give him a call when i'm in town). and i always formed good relationships with profs it made life easier (so when i would invariably need an extension, or was late for class they were okay with it).
i might have an exceptionally rosy picture for you, but i feel like i really maximized my time there, and if you make the effort columbia really is easy to harness all of its potential.
This is a very useful thread! I feel that I know a good bit more about Columbia now.
However, my question is about potential theater major or minor students. Does Columbia have a solid program that also allows participation in extracurricular drama? I found one thread but didn't really get a good sense of this aspect of the program.
this is pretty awesome. i just read all of your original posts, and concollege's as well. unfortunately, they've all made me want to go to columbia even more passionately, urgently, and singularly than before, which sucks given that i am pretty sure i'll be rejected. ah well. thanks a ton anyway.
it's also interesting, because my "why columbia?" essay focused on precisely the duality that you discuss (i believe i said that columbia is a "synthesis of two worlds"); dynamic city/Core comparison...
This thread has been an incredible read. Thank you so much for the great insight on Columbia, makes me really happy that I applied ED!! Hopefully I'll get in
Good luck everyone finishing up! Perhaps inspiration here, or maybe it will give you the final straw to decide not to apply. I just hope it helps you think about things in your final hours.
To get some other opinions on Columbia you might want to check Truazn's thread right below (4 years later...). I don't want to put a damper on admissionsgeek's positive intentions, but not all Columbian's are as universally strong on the institution as he is. That's all I will say here.
alma - was that really necessary? people can see the post is on one of the more recently updated ones. and second of all i stated this is something worth giving you something to think about, not an indoctrination. i just think it is a rather unnecessary jab.
i welcome you to start a thread of your own with your perspective though.
