What do you hate about Columbia University?

collegemom3717
Thu, 09 Apr 2020 07:11:47 +0000

More usefully, you might focus on figuring out what you like about Columbia and finding other places with those elements.

First, last and always: what can you afford?

Next, college is not a goal in itself- it is preparing you for your move into adult life. What do you imagine that to be? If you are pre-med, your first priorities in choosing a college are 1) ability to be a star- high GPA and 2) no debt for undergrad. If your goal is a life of challenging neuroscience research by day and a rich life of the mind by night, then your priority will be a place where profs in both fields are engaged with undergrads. And so on.

From your post the first 2 things you love about Columbia are that it is in NYC & that it has a good neuroscience program, so start there:

=what are the other NYC colleges & universities? go through them to see what looks interesting
=what are other cities that you think you would like? look at the universities based in them
=learn more about the pros & cons of living in urban-based schools / living in a city (working in a place is never the same as being there on holiday)

Then go learn more about Columbia College @ Columbia U: does the Common Core / lots of reading and writing excite you? if so, look for other colleges & universities that have a strong humanities/intellectual thrust (Jesuit schools, such as Georgetown, come to mind, but there are others).

Fwiw, after 2 years of college shopping, collegekid #1 had chosen her ED school (visited twice, spent the night on campus, sat in on a class, etc) and a list of RD schools all sorted by April of Junior year. She was ready! And…in October she applied to a completely different set of colleges… Her list changed that much in just 6 months.

It’s not a matter of hating on Columbia. It’s a matter of moving past having a crush (which is where you are) and developing a deeper, more realistic understanding of what you like about your first crush, and finding a range of colleges - from certains to lottery tickets- any of which will suit you and your goals.