Barnard - Social Scene and Academics?

lieselli
Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:09:18 +0000

Hi all, I’m a high school senior who was recently admitted to Barnard. From the way things look, I will be attending Barnard in the fall.

I’ve never been to an all-girls school before, and having done a bit of research, I’ve found that the general consensus is that many of the girls at Barnard are spoiled, preppy rich girls. Is this true? Furthermore, I would greatly appreciate it if a current Barnard student could elaborate a bit on the social scene: I understand parties are not a big part of Barnard, and that it may be difficult meeting guys. What do you recommend, then, to meet guys? What types of clubs might one join? I am big on philosophy, politics, international relations, and such. Are there any specific clubs you might recommend? Is the social scene at Barnard hard to break into? Do you ever find that Barnard is cliquey?

Also, in terms of academics, what do the professors go for here? I’m sure classes vary depending on the teacher and subject, but for any political science/philosophy student, what has your experience been? Do the gunners get the top grades? Are grades given based on discussion and participation or exams? Or am I completely misconstruing the college academic scene?

Please be completely honest. I don’t need anyone to “sell” Barnard to me, given that I’m probably going there regardless of what people say. I would, however, like to get a good, candid idea of what Barnard is like before I attend.

Thanks!