Barnard - Social Scene and Academics?

octothorpe
Wed, 16 Jul 2014 18:23:25 +0000

Hello!
Rising senior here. I don’t normally comment here but I feel the need to add some information, because a lot of people who answer these questions are either students who are in love with the school or parents who may be too removed from the culture to provide an inside perspective.
Barnard doesn’t neccessarily consist solely of "spoiled, preppy rich girls"but it can still be very difficult to connect with people or find a solid community. If you go to Barnard, or any school in New York City, people usually don’t spend nearly as much time on campus as they would at other colleges. People tend to go off campus a lot and as a result there aren’t nearly as many opportunities to form close bonds. Barnard often boasts that they’re a “small tight-knit community” in a larger city but this only goes so far. I personally have found other students to be very independent and often cold towards one another.
Also, in my opinion, Barnard is cliquey in the sense that if you’re not a stereo-typical “hipster” you won’t have much to talk about with other people. My interests usually don’t align with the other girls’ which I can move past sometimes, but often becomes a barrier in meeting people.
Finally, people keep saying that it’s easy to meet boys if you just join a club. Keep in mind, that at best, Columbia students are prejudiced against us and, at worst, they despise us. I’m not going to sugar-coat the relationship between the two schools. It’s bad and there’s a lot of tension on the other side of the street. This will be the main thing that can prevent you from meeting guys and other Columbia students in general.
I have made much better friends out in the city than in school. As a senior, I feel like I only take classes at Barnard, while the rest of my life is elsewhere. I know this all sounds really negative but I still view my experience here as a positive one. The academics have been amazing and I think Barnard has made me a better person because it has challenged me to branch out. If you love New York City and are willing to get out into the city and meet people and experience new things it’s a great place to be. But, IF HAVING A COMMUNITY IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, DO NOT COME HERE. Look for a more traditional college.