Barnard and Columbia very much have an intertwined symbiotic relationship. In fact, if she majors in CS, stats, or engineering (granted, that one is a 3-2 program where you have to meet the pre-major requirements to be guaranteed the major), most/all of her major classes will be Columbia classes with Columbia faculty.
One of my kids went to school in the area by Barnard and I also had a chance to speak to a few Barnard parents. I can assure you that there are many opportunities to take advantage of. And yes… there is a lot of interaction between Barnard and Columbia.
@PurpleTitan - Good to know. Thank you as D is very interested in statistics…
If schools are in the same hemisphere in terms of quality, as Barnard/Columbia and UChicago certainly are, and there is not a sizable difference in cost (and even sometimes if there is…), then the student should go where he or she feels the level of fit is better/best.
So if she prefers Barnard and they offer majors she’s interested in (the most important fit factor, IMO), then by all means, she should study there. Barnard is part of Columbia, and Columbia is a very close peer of UChicago – so even if prestige were something to worry about, her degree is going to say Columbia University on it, which is mighty prestigious. The Manhattan Project and all the other accolades and advances from centuries of research make Columbia one of the most celebrated universities, and most impactful universities, in world history.
My daughter turned down Chicago in favor of Barnard – the decision was not even close, though she definitely would have accepted Chicago if she had not been accepted to Barnard.
US News rankings have do not reflect the reality of how these colleges are perceived.
To start with, my the name of the university printed on my daughter’s diploma is “Columbia University”. No two ways about that, despite whatever rivalries may exist among the 4 undergraduate colleges of CU.
Even without that Barnard is very well known and well established in its own right.
Given that the student clearly prefers Barnard, it is a mystery to me why there would be any question. What is MORE important than ranking down the line is student satisfaction and what the student does during their 4 years.
US News isn’t some official arbiter of college quality in any case. It is a system designed to sell magazines and online subscriptions. It uses criteria that don’t accurately reflect the quality of education at Barnard because it doesn’t reflect the shared resources with Columbia.
@PurpleTitan Being that Barnard and Columbia have a intertwined symbiotic relationship, do you have any sense as to how the actual vibe is among students? I’ve been trying to work that out in some of the posts on CC and I’m getting mixed messages. Some seem to think it’s very equal an others seem to think there is a hierarchy…
^ Why does it matter to you?
This should be up to your D to decide when it comes to fit, etc., IMO. She has visited so I assume she has an opinion?
@ahsoitgo - Barnard alum here with a daughter at Barnard, who spent a summer after junior year H.S. at U Chicago (in a science program) to help her choose between the two when applying senior year. She loves Barnard. PM me if you or your daughter have any questions. Best of luck to your daughter.
Agree with most posters here that fit is more important than ranking. In the grand scheme of things, 3 is not that different from 26; they are both excellent schools. And you know that colleges make big business out of manipulating every statistic they can to better their ranking (not throwing shade at either Barnard or U Chicago, just speaking generally). If she knows what she’d like to major in, or at least the direction she wants to go in, you may wish to compare that department between the two colleges, and look at where the students get internships, where they end up job-wise etc. The quality of different majors/departments can vary widely among schools, even those with similar rankings. Best of luck to you and your D–and congrats on having many fine choices!
@purpletitan I don’t think she had enough information on her less than 2 hour campus tour to glean that kind of information, but thanks for making me feel badly for asking the question. Why wouldn’t I be concerned about that?
thank you @worriestoomuch (obviously I worry too much too!) I will!
Thanks @gencmom We are in the process of making a spreadsheet of just the things you were suggesting (various majors, where graduates go, retention rate, etc)…but it kind of brings me back to my original question…What if the pros end up being in the U of C column but her heart is in the Barnard column?
If her heart is in the Barnard column and it’s affordable… that is the biggest pro there is. Barnard is a fabulous school. Honestly I am not convinced that there is a need for a spreadsheet… she seems to know what she wants.
If shenwants to go,to Barnard…let her go to Barnard.
Forget the spread sheet.
Sometimes the student gut feeling is the best.
My D is facing a decision between UChicago, Williams and Amherst. I told my D not to base her decision on perceived rankings (though her HS friends are telling her she should go to UChicago). We just returned from the first admitted students overnight at UChicago and my D enjoyed her 2 days there. The campus and resources of UChicago are impressive. However, her host and several of her friends who say they are overall happy at UChicago complained about the Core and the quarter system. D sensed they seemed pretty stressed and didn’t have time to hang out with the admitted “prospies” b/c of their work loads. Does your D intend to attend the admitted student open houses? She can then see both schools close up and make/confirm her decision.
@calmom - thanks for your insight. Barnard is a top choice for my daughter as well (in fact she’s at admitted students day with my husband right now!). She’s very excited. Wondering what you meant by “despite whatever rivalries exist”?My daughter has a pretty good sense of self but I would hate to have her constantly deal with negativity from Columbia students.
Re: bragging rights…I mean you don’t force the highest ranked school just because it is highest ranked
@bopper I think you missed my point. I’ll be bragging about my daughter wherever she ends up going! 
As long as there is nothing glaringly wrong with Barnard (and as a parent, I fully support stepping in and steering them in a different direction if there were any obvious problems with their choice), I would say forget the rankings and go with what your D’s heart is telling her. I don’t think she will miss out on any opportunities, or have her future prospects negatively affected in any way, by going to a school ranked slightly lower. A happy student will make the most of the opportunities at the college they choose, and they will go on to do great things.
@wrenwu – my daughter took about half of her classes at Columbia her first 2 years and tended to have more male friends than female. So pretty much immersed herself in the overall CC environment from the start. The major problem she encountered which engendered frustration and complaints is the social difference of being a middle class kid on financial aid who needed to work during school in an environment with a lot of students from very privileged backgrounds who took their privilege for granted. But I think that would be a problem at any elite private school-- because who the heck can afford to pay $70K plus to send their kids to college.
My daughter’s husband is a Columbia grad, so I personally find the whole CC vs. Barnard thing silly.