Columbia University

Visit Report by advantagious (Member since August 02 2006 with 909 posts) Visit Date - April 2007

6 of 10 people found this visit report helpful
Visit to Columbia University in April 2007 by advantagious (Student, HS Class of 2007)
Visit Activities:
Information Session: Yes - Great info session--the BEST. Adcom was amazing--she knew every single one of the HS's that kids mentioned. She really showcased the Columbia/NYC slightly tough attitude--highly appealing to me. Campus Tour: Yes - Good. TG was cool, laid back guy--like my friends now. Had one
Columbia University Campus:
Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff: 4 - Very Good - I LOVED the people there. I'm only giving it a 4 because I didn't deal with that many people, but the ones that we did talk to were all very nice and knowledgeable. Appearance of Campus: 4 - Very Good - Really liked the campus--and the fact that there IS a campus, with green space too! Most of the buildings were very distinguished looking--very academic. Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness: 4 - Very Good - I liked all of the academic buildings that we saw. I will say that the gym left something to be desired (it seems that college gyms are either brand new and perfect or old/ugly/depressing). Dormitories: - Didn't get to see...I didn't see dorms at ANY of the Ivies. I guess they don't need to show you dorms to get you to apply! Security/Safety: 3 - Good - I thought it was good. It is NYC, but there are plenty of safeguards w/ ID card entrance to buildings, and the campus is more self-contained from the city than other urban colleges I visited. Overall Campus Impression: 4 - Very Good - I really liked it...it makes me happy to picture myself there. I didn't see much of the non-academic buildings, though, so I can't honestly tell too well how I would really feel living there
Off-Campus:
Area Immediately Around Campus: 3 - Good - I thought it was pretty nice--didn't look rough or anything to me. But I'm not a New Yorker..I don't know what was lurking a block or two away! City/Town/Community: 5 - Excellent - Uhhhh....you're either a city person or you're not. I am. It's like a dream for me to live in Manhatten...I wish every college was there!!!!
Campus Visit Notes for Columbia University:
Visit Description: I want to expound and give major credit to the adcom, who was seriously amazing. There were probably 30+ kids at the info session, plus their parents/various hangers on, and she asked each of us where we attended HS--and she knew every.single.high school. She knew where it was, she knew facts about them (quote: "Oh yes. Is (X HS) still pretty small--about 80 kids in a class?" Need I say that the answer was yes?). She knew my HS, which despite graduating 700+ kids each year only sends a very few (1 or 2...almost none, really) to the top colleges, much less to Columbia, which isn't hugely popular for us from the Ivies (Yale and Princeton are tops at my school, and Dartmouth gets no love). She really represented Columbia well--it's not a school for everyone. Don't want to deal with NYC and NYC attitudes/way of life? Don't come--NYC is not going to change. Don't want to be forced study a bunch of old white guys in the core? Don't come--Columbia's not changing for you. Columbia is definitely a school where your personality either jives or it doesn't--and mine most certainly does. I LOVE the idea of the core--it's thrilling to me. I LOVE the take no prisoners attitude--it's just me. Columbia is so definitely not right for everyone--there are so many reasons why any number of people might want to stay away. FWIW, you don't HAVE to visit to get this attitude--it is present in everything they do (in their app, their procedures, everything). If you are unsure, you should probably stay away--I think that Columbia could eat you alive if it wasn't right for you.
6 of 10 people found this visit report helpful