Barnard v Columbia

havenoidea
Sat, 04 Sep 2021 21:02:28 +0000

I’m chiming in as my D just started at Barnard. The biggest draw for her, and the women she is meeting, was 1) a strong focus on empowering women (she applied to most of the other historically women’s colleges as well) 2) a smaller, LAC environment, and 3) NYC. She does like that the # of classes and peers are amplified by Columbia. But, she had no interest in going to Columbia and didn’t apply there. (And, she had “higher ranked/prestigious” options, including an Ivy).

Barnard has amazing programs for women, though it is true that if it weren’t technically a college of Columbia University (while maintaining its own Board and admin), it’s small endowment could be a problem. The courses, clubs, and other resources of Columbia help Barnard immensely in this regard.

Just FYI, our daughter knows a Columbia woman who just transferred to Barnard. The “vibe” at Barnard is quite different from that at Columbia. Unless one looks for colleges based solely on rankings or perceived prestige, a student is sure to prefer one to the other. And, there’s also the Columbia Core. You either want that or you don’t. Barnard has some more interesting and modern foundational requirements - again, for some women.