<p>I go to NYC every summer to visit family, so I just plan on being a commuter.</p>
<p>People that were commuters in 2010 did you feel left out?
Did you really not get invited to the goodbye party???
Also, did you not get invited to some (or any) of the evening activities?</p>
<p>Knowing that will help a lot in my decision for applying for this years program in 2011.</p>
<p>is this for HS seniors? Do they have org chemistry?</p>
<p>I attended Columbia’s Summer HSP back in Summer of 2009 and it was a blast, (although i was a resident, not a commuter, since I live in DC.) I did know a few commuters but it was hard for them to hang after classes because they had to be home by a certain time, and it usually took them between 1-2 hours to get home. I really think that if you can afford it you should be a resident, especially if Columbia is on your list of schools. Right now, Columbia is close to the top of my list because I attended this program. Attending this is just like attending college for 3 weeks; as long as you go to classes and are back by curfew you can literally do whatever you want, so you really get to feel what attending CU is like. </p>
<p>Also, MyCollegeKid, as far as I know, Seniors that will be entering college in Fall '11 are allowed to attend. At least that’s how it was when I attended. At the time, I was a rising junior, and most of the kids there are rising juniors and seniors.</p>
<p>just20706: I wouldn’t be able to afford residency, and I want to spend time with my family too. The trip would only be 15-20 minutes. Staying out late to hang wouldn’t be a problem, but I wasn’t sure if I would feel too left out.
It’s a great school, and I look forward to applying there in a year. I can’t get enough of the City! Haha. Thank you for the info!
Did you have a strong Personal Statement??</p>
<p>Yeah, I understand. Residency is pretty expensive. It sounds like you’re staying close by so it shouldn’t be a problem. </p>
<p>As far as my personal statement, I honestly don’t even remember what I wrote about. I tried to search for it but I think it was on an old computer that died out on me last year. From what I remember, I obviously tried my best, but I don’t think it was anything out of this world. I know I didn’t spend as much time on it as I did for my real RD app to Columbia. I honestly don’t think it’s necessarily as “selective” as they claim it to be, so don’t stress over it. As long as you have good grades and are an all around good student, you shouldn’t have a problem getting in. You know what class you’re signing up for?</p>
<p>I’m interested in the Law and Business programs, Conflict Resolution and Corporate Valuation. But, I also like Psychology so I might go with the Science of Psychology. That’s the one I think I’m going to pick for my first choice.</p>
<p>Oh I’m commuting too. At first I was going just to actually learn something and see Columbia (top college choice) but now that I’ve heard how awesome the parties are, I’m a bit bummed out. I really hope making friends and maybe partying it up a bit won’t be a problem if I can hang around a couple of hours after class. :S</p>
<p>I attended the summer program last summer, and I would suggest NOT commuting. If you can afford it (which I understand not many people can), please live in the dorms.</p>
<p>It honestly changes the entire experience. You really get the feeling of what it’s like to live in Manhattan and experience Columbia’s atmoshpere. Commuters cannot go into dorms, cannot participate in most activities, cannot enter the dining hall, and cannot attend the very informative college fair at the end of the program. </p>
<p>A lot of the students in my class (Theoretical and Experimental Physics) were commuters, and it was hard to get to know any of them. I just stuck to the people living in my suite (I lived in Hartley). The commuters really didn’t interact that much with the people not commuting.</p>
<p>It’s a completely different experience to live on campus. If you can, please do (:</p>
<p>I applied to the summer program for the advanced philosophy class but i live in queens so my parents want me to live off campus since the residency price is sooooo ridiculous. That really sucks, I wanted to make friends and stuff but i guess thats going to be really hard if there are such huge restrictions 
im a uber outgoing person and that just puts a damper on everything. do you happen to know if i can still use the facilities even if im not a residential ? like, can i use the pool and whatnot after 4:00 PM after classes end? and if i made friends with the residentials, would i be invited to the parties?
also, why cant i go to the informational college fair at the end? that sounds like such an amazing opportunity, why would they purposefully bar us from that?</p>
<p>You basically cannot use any of the Columbia buildings because you won’t have a Columbia ID. The college fair is held in Lerner Hall, and in order to enter you need to swipe your Columbia ID (although I snuck in a friend from my Physics class by us both going through together lol). The gym also needs a Columbia ID. As do the dorms, the dining hall, Butler Library, etc etc. So you can’t really use the facilities. </p>
<p>The parties are exaggerated in my experience. I heard of maybe one or two, but never bothered to attend any because I was afraid of being expelled. My parents spent a lot of money on the program and it would be WAY too good of an opportunity to throw away because I wanted to get wasted one night. They’re actually really strict about that stuff. I know a few kids got expelled my session because they came back after hours. There was a kid the year before who had wine for Sabbath and mentioned it to his RA. They had no choice but to expel him because, technically, you are not allowed to drink period during those three weeks. </p>
<p>You’ll still have friends, but just don’t be an idiot. It’s a lot of money.</p>
<p>Haha, thanks isabelwhatx. I really don’t plan on acting a fool this summer anyway, I have a strict parent also. But I would have the freedom. Columbia is my second choice after NYU’s pre college program, because earning credits now at NYU will help a lot!</p>
<p>My friend did the program at NYU while I did mine at Columbia. I had a MUCH better time, but she got more bang for her buck. Well, that’s actually debatable. I’m pretty convinced my summer program experience played a major decision in my admittance into Columbia. I think it was well worth the money.</p>
<p>Just found out I was accepted to the advanced creative writing program. i am super excited <3</p>
<p>Kirwin Congrats! How long did it take for them to make the decision?</p>
<p>Thanks! Not very long! They were quite fast actually…I applied a month earlier than the Feb.11 deadline though. I was accepted to Stanford’s writing program too but sent my deposit to Columbia…</p>
<p>While I have not attended the program (I will be this summer though, to those of you who are as well! Genetics & Microbiology!) a friend of mine attended summer '08. She says that there weren’t very many parties at all and that you should not expect them, the RA’s are apparently very strict and you WILL be kicked out if you’re caught doing anything. She also said that some of the kids had fake ID’s and would hang out around the Village because that’s where you can get into 18 and over clubs easily, but that was the farthest she heard of any partying. It probably varies year by year, but I doubt that partying is prominent.
Anyway, I’m really excited and glad that other people are as well.
I’m not super excited about the area, I know that Harlem was rougher back in the day and that it has been cleaned up considerably but it still isn’t great. I don’t think I’ve ever been above 80th street on the Upper WS, so it’ll be a change, for sure.</p>
<p>congratulations, kirwin!</p>
<p>Has anyone taken the advanced workshop and/or master class in prose writing? I’m considering which one to take and reviews would be extremely helpful. The course description for the master class says it’s geared towards producing fiction, and being an aspiring novelist myself, I’m wondering if that’s better suited for me than the advanced workshop. I’m looking for a dedicated class which provides lots of peer and teacher interaction and input. I’d love to hear your experience in detail in either or both classes.</p>
<p>Does anyone know anything about the Engineering Design via Community Service Projects program? i’m most likely attending this summer but i want to know if going for the engineering program is worth it since all i’ve heard about is the more writing based classes. Also…what kind of activities do you do during the nights? are they planned by Columbia?</p>
<p>Yes! I did Engineering Design etc. etc. back in Summer 09. Every year they do a different type of project with the summer students, and it’s actually a shortened version of an actual freshmen class you take at Columbia. My year was a bit different though… We were separated into groups and given a community center, and we were supposed to suggest and design ways for them to use less energy, (i.e. be greener). Previous years they had to do things like design playground equipment for kids with disabilities. Those years they actually designed something, but my year unfortunately we didn’t do quite as much design, instead we were looking more at cost effectiveness and things like that. All in all it actually is a really good program, cause you use things like Maya and CAD which are programs that engineers use every day. Plus it was cool because we went on site visits out to the community centers and we really got to see the neighborhood. </p>
<p>For those of you that are worried about Columbia being right next to Harlem, don’t be. It’s not a bad neighborhood at all. We went off-campus around the area all the time to grab a bite to eat (cause the dining hall food wasn’t that great…). And besides everything you need is on Broadway, no one really ventured out in the opposite direction towards Harlem anyways. I also read somewhere that someone said you don’t get Columbia IDs. I can’t speak for commuters but as a resident they do give you real CIDs. You can use all of the facilities, without really any limits. Heck, my RA took our suite to a jazz club type place one night where you had to be over 18, and we just flashed our CIDs to get in. Also, Columbia has an online site which helps students get cheap Braodway tickets with their CID, and I used mine to get a sub-$40 ticket to Next to Normal (like 4th row Mezzanine!). </p>
<p>All in all, there’s no reason NOT to go to this thing if you’re interested in applying to Columbia. I will admit, the RA’s are strict about curfew, and I wouldn’t advise on getting wasted while you’re out there either, but besides that and going to class, you have complete freedom to do whatever you want.</p>
<p>anybody applying this year? my son was thinking of the materials course. anyone with experience taking this course?? thanks in advance!</p>