Yale vs. Columbia

swingtime
Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:58:50 +0000

RE: YaleGradandDad’s comparison of Columbia’s vs Yale’s undergraduate experiences: “number of students that stay on campus on a given weekend [Yale] vs. head out to the surrounding city [Columbia]…I suspect that Columbia has a smaller percentage of students living in its dormitories and using its meal plan.” One could interpret his comments to mean that the environments have significant impacts on the possible undergraduate community and bonding experience, with Yale offering a more intimate, “traditional” (satisfying?) undergraduate experience by comparison with Columbia, where your child may feel (by implication) less connected.

As someone with a “little one” at Columbia let me rejoin, here. Our expectation WAS that “little one” would do as YaleGradandDad has suggested Columbia students do: spend so much time absorbing the culture of NY that she would have less time than your typical Yalie to forge those tight bonds in dormitories and dining halls that contribute to a more traditional campus-bound undergraduate experience.

Fact: despite her intentions to spend significant time soaking up the culture of greater NY, she very rarely goes into New York because she has NO TIME!!! She is campus-bound to the extent that she wants to spend three weeks after classes end in May specifically and exclusively to tour and absorb New York. Columbia students tend to discover after matriculation that they spend far less time off campus than they expected because of (a) the workload and (b) the vibrancy of the Morningside Heights campus. She is having a more traditional, deeply-bonding undergraduate campus experience, though not a traditional YALE experience.

I believe almost all Columbia undergrads live all four years ON campus, as that is the university’s expectation. And, really, WHO can afford to live in NYC???

As Gibby has cogently argued, the two schools are very different, but neither is BETTER than the other. Your decision will ultimately need to be a financial decision, as your child will receive an exceptional education at either Yale or Columbia. He or she will not be intellectually, or personally, DEPRIVED by choosing one over the other, and that is the crucial point to be made here. You need to make the wisest FINANCIAL decision for your family.

However, if you have made your own peace with the finances, then, whatever campus feels like home to your child. At any rate, what a great decision to be “forced” to make. Congratulations to your child!