Visit Report by MLeigh (Member since June 22 2007 with 76 posts) Visit Date - June 2007
Visit to Columbia University in June 2007 by MLeigh (Student, HS Class of 2008)
Visit Activities:
Information Session:
Yes - Been to two; first was EXCELLENT, sold me on the school, and the admissions counselor was just lovely. Second was pretty forgettable. Campus Tour:
Yes - It rained on both of my tours, and it was cold, but you know immediately whether or not it's for you. There's a very intense, very intellectual feel to the campus.
Columbia University Campus:
Friendliness/Courtesy of Students: 4 - Very Good -
I only really interacted with the tour guides, but they were both great.
Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff: 5 - Excellent Appearance of Campus: 5 - Excellent -
It was cold and raining, and still managed to be gorgeous.
Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness: 5 - Excellent -
From what I could see both times I went, everything seemed great.
Dormitories: 3 - Good -
Eh. We saw a room in JJ and it was all right. Certainly not un-livable.
Security/Safety: 4 - Very Good -
Despite its location, I got the impression that it was safe.
Overall Campus Impression: 5 - Excellent -
Incredible.
Off-Campus:
Area Immediately Around Campus: 4 - Very Good -
We didn't see much, but what we did I liked.
City/Town/Community: 5 - Excellent -
NYC > everything.
Campus Visit Notes for Columbia University:
Visit Description:
If you have the opportunity to do so, I would absolutely recommend a visit. You can tell whether you fit instantly. The overall impression of the school I got was this incredibly strong feeling of intensity. It just *feels* intellectual, academic to you: you can feel in you walking around the sense that it's been there for a long, long time, but not that it's archaic in any way. It's not conceited or stuffy. I know it may sound ridiculous to say that a place wasn't conceited (personification much?), but it's really the only way I can describe it.
The buildings are very compact, concentrated. It felt like everything had been shoved forcibly into this relatively small area and I loved that feeling. A lot of people wouldn't. I visited Williams, for instance, because it was my parents' alma mater, and I hated it. It's a great school and a great place, but it was the complete antithesis of Columbia: it's larger in terms of area, but the smaller buildings sort of scattered around campus (in addition, of course, to the fact that it is IN THE BOONIES) make it feel, at least for me, tiny.
I had two great tour guides, but to be honest it wouldn't have mattered if I'd had deadbeats. I stepped onto that campus at 9 in the morning, having been awake for four hours, in a freezing bus for three (I visited with a camp), in absolutely FREEZING rain, and generally furious with the world, and I just *knew* that it was for me. Alternately, I have a friend who visited and she hated it. Though I hope this is a bit helpful, you really can't know for certain until you've seen it for yourself.
Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):
TAKE THE SUBWAY.
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I only really interacted with the tour guides, but they were both great.
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Eh. We saw a room in JJ and it was all right. Certainly not un-livable.