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Columbia University Visit Report by nk9230

Visit to Columbia University in July 2009 by nk9230
(Student, HS Class of 2010)
(Member since January 18 2009 with 423 posts)
 
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Visit Activities:


Information Session: No - But they were setting up for one! I went with a group so there wasnt enough time.

Campus Tour: Yes - The tour guide could tell us some stuff, but not all. Thank goodness for Columbia publications.

Campus:


Friendliness/Courtesy of Students:
5 - Excellent
5 - Excellent
People passing by were courteous, professors seemed interested in prospectives.


Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff:
5 - Excellent
5 - Excellent
Office of the University Chaplain was giving out fans because it was so hot! I really appreciated that.


Appearance of Campus:
5 - Excellent
5 - Excellent
For being in the middle of NYC the campus is amazing. The grandeur of it is amazing too.


Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness:
5 - Excellent
5 - Excellent
Also, considering NYC is not the cleanest, Columbia appeared very clean.


Dormitories:
4 - Very Good
4 - Very Good
One of the dorms is rumored to still have bars on the windows. That doesn't sound good. The others sounded nice. The pics I have seen support that.


Security/Safety:
5 - Excellent
5 - Excellent
Columbia Safety and NYPD. Very good.


Overall Campus Impression:
5 - Excellent
5 - Excellent
Columbia is the Metropolitan Ivy. After visiting, one can see why.

Off-Campus:


Area Immediately Around Campus:
4 - Very Good
4 - Very Good
Anywhere in NYC can be sketchy, but with common sense its not bad.


City/Town/Community:
5 - Excellent
5 - Excellent
NYC has lots of students, I felt safe walking around New York. Again, excericse common sense and everything is fine!

Campus Visit Notes for Columbia University


Visit Description:

Our tour guide as I said earlier did not really know much about SEAS. Columbia has a good website and publications they mail out, so information is not a big deal. Go on the tour to get a feel for the Campus. Compared to other schools in the City, I like how Columbia has a campus, but it is also integrated into the city at the same time. They also have quite a bit of green space, and not to far from Central Park. Overall, I liked the tour, and found the school to be very impressive.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

I did not stay in a hotel,but I recommend the Hotel Bellaclaire in the Upper West Side. It is on the subway line for Columbia, and it is chic yet cheap! Only 99-109 dollars a night, a bargain for NYC.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

Upper West Side has some good restaurants, and there is a frozen yogurt place 2 blocks from Columbia that is amazing.

Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):

Parking in NYC is a disaster. I highly recommend taking the train or bus, and walking/ public transporting everywhere. It is much faster, cheaper and just easier to do.