<p>I think it’s somewhat of an overblown myth that students in the Ivy League work THAT much harder than students at other universities. Most I knew at Columbia understood that the hardest part about it was getting in. Yes, the classes are tough, but if you’re smart enough (and most who get into these schools are) and motivated enough it doesn’t take too much effort to succeed.</p>
<p>I don’t agree with this at all. I’m a graduate student who went to a good liberal arts college outside of the Ivy League, but in the top 100, when I was an undergrad. Now I’m a grad at Columbia who TAs and works with undergraduates in a variety of capacities. The students here study longer and harder than students at any other undergraduate college I’ve ever gone to or visited. They’re in the library on the weekends, which was pretty much unheard of at my campus. Most people don’t get straight As, that’s true - but for Columbia undergrads, the pace of life is ridiculous. The atmosphere here is quite stressful.</p>
<p>But, comparing the stats class I’m TAing to the stats class I took in undergrad - as well as other classes I’ve TA’ed or been involved with (some grad classes here are mixed with undergrad classes) - I don’t believe that any of the things that iggs99988 asked are true, at least not in my department. I’ve actually noticed less work, as students are in my home department were required to write research papers for almost every class in the psych department but I have yet to TA or witness any class that requires one here (there was a group project that I supervised, but it’s not the same). None of the classes I have TA’ed were graded on a competitive curve, and the analysis doesn’t seem to be different or more intense. In fact, since I went to a small LAC I’ve noticed that there was more discussion and intensity in my home classes; the format here is mostly lecture. Even the few seminars I’ve taken didn’t seem very different from my undergraduate experience, except people were a bit more afraid to talk here.</p>
<p>I’m a graduate student at Columbia and I have a social life, so I’m pretty sure it’s possible to be an undergrad and have a social life.</p>