Columbia University

Review #800. Since my previous special review was dedicated to my alma mater, it is only fitting that I am dedicating this one to Columbia.
Let’s go straight to the facts and myths:
1. You can cross-​register within the 16 graduate/​professional schools of Columbia.
MYTH. Priority is always given to the students enrolled in that particular department. If you are from a different department or graduate school, you will need special permission (from the registrar and the professor him/​herself) and it is not guaranteed until other students have registered first. But this can be done, it’s just not the norm
2. The campus is unsafe.
MYTH. Use your best judgment (i.e. avoid using cellphones while walking in MoHi at 3:30 AM)
3. They have the best professors in the world.
MYTH. the best professors are not equivalent to the best lecturers. Best practitioners (with great public speaking skills) are not the equivalent to the best teachers
4. Food haven!
MYTH. This applies to NYU and NYU only, not MoHi (FACT: a student left CC and transferred elsewhere because of the limited food options in MoHi)
5. A world-​class institution.
FACT. I don’t know how you can dispute this when the school name has «The City of New York» in it. Make sure you attend at least one of the World Leaders Series (generally taking place in October and April)
6. It is a small campus.
FACT. But so is everything else in Manhattan
7. Do people have sex in Butler?
FACT. No need to elaborate
8. Why 4 stars for Columbia but only 3 stars for my alma mater? PM me for details. XOXO, that is a secret I will never tell

Long standing, magnificent buildings opportune for an Ivy League school. As the students are already into winter break, things have been closed;‘yet I can imagine how lively it might look with all the students selected from a expansive, global candidate pool. Next time, I would like to have lunch at the canteen.

Campus is beautiful and there’s plenty of space for non-​Columbia affiliates to hang out and enjoy the scenery and architecture on a lazy weekend.
As a student here I will say that the insides of the buildings are a little dated compared to NYU, especially the Mathematics department. But these buildings are also super old so I’ll give it a pass.
Low library is beautiful, with 24-​hour lounges for students. The School of Social Work building is also pretty updated and pretty inside.

This is one of my most favorite spots in the whole city. Just sitting on the steps in front of Low Library and watching life pass by, it’s so relaxing and soothing. And it’s pretty no matter what season you come and visit. The architecture is stunning of both the libraries. Definitely worth a visit!

beautiful campus. breath of fresh air amidst the manhattan madness.

I love this place! My alma mater! The campus is breathtakingly beautiful and conveniently located right by the train. There are tons of food options so you can definitely try out quite a bit if cuisine. There is a park near by so one can pack a lunch and go to the park and eat. Be prepared to bump into some famous lecturers such as Dr. Cornell West. I can’t say enough wonderful things about this place.

This is such a great school. My son graduated this week from here, and I’ve been following especially how the staff reacted to his several dilemmas throughout his educational time at this learning establishment. The staff literally bent over backwards to accommodate his needs, both emotional and physical, when his wife and toddler daughters left him in the middle of his education. He was still able to graduate with great grades, and it was because of the compassionate hearts of the folks at this university. I cannot say enough about this beautiful place of learning! While academically challenging (that’s putting it mildly), the staff will do everything they can to help their students succeed. They care first about the students as individuals, because they realize that success for these young men and women depends on the students seeing themselves as successes. It’s absolutely wonderful!

The Quick: This university kind of makes me wish I studied harder in high school… Great architecture, gorgeous green to play frisbee or study. A real oasis all the way up on 125^th.

Spring has sprung and the students are on the quad lounging bugger than life. The backdrop in the green is truly amazing with frisbee, reading, socializing and architectural details to blow your mind. Speaking of mind — some of the brightest in the world and it is apparent!
My afternoon was spent looking at the grand pillars of the library, feeling the sun warm my face, and pondering how and why such an amazing institution was built. I never concluded the thought but did realize the formidable buildings are just mere reflections of the equally impressive intellectuality floating through the air here.

Lovely, power-​hungry institution. Lots of great minds being pushed beyond reason to become future capital resources for administrators. Looks great in the snow and at sunset.

I think the University is beautiful and the people are great too.
However, can we talk about the architecture of the place? For instance, Low Library was literally built as a monument to University President Low himself, as he was about to launch a bid for NYC Mayor.

Come here for the academics, stay for JJ’s place.
–Justin Calamari

Beautiful campus, inside and out (at least the hall I was visiting). You can see where the students’ (and donors’) money is going.

Is there really anything bad you can possibly say about Columbia University (unless you are from a different university of course…)? It’s an open campus which allows everybody to walk around and to get an impression about what it means to study at one of the most prestigious university in the world.
The buildings, especially the library is very pretty and the campus has several restaurants and cafés. There are people at the main entrance helping you to find your way around and due to the presence of the Columbia security driving/​walking around you feel perfectly safe.
Definitely worth a visit if you are in New York.

This school has some of the most arrogant staff and equally arrogant students. I was accepted here and declined after one visit. I was excited after having heard such good things about this school but once I spoke to students and staff, it became very clear that I was mistaken.
DO NOT GO HERE! It’s wayyy overrated, overpriced, and not worth it.

I’ve attended Columbia, and I’ve attended NYU, and let me just say, once and for all, that Columbia is no NYU.
(Disclaimer: I assume that you’re not picking your college by reference to Unilocal reviews. Please tell me that you’re not using Unilocal to help you pick a school. And if you are doing that with this, please completely disregard this review.)

I go to school here and I breathe in the Ivy League air every time I’m on campus.
Suck a noodle.

Looks nice! Outdated facility is well managed. However, still clumsy if you use them every day.
People are nice though.

This review is based solely on a visit to Manhattan with occasional walks through the university. I’m not a Columbia student.
I had an extended weekend so I decided to use it to get into the city and visit one of my former undergrad roommates who is currently a grad student at Columbia. His apartment is just a few blocks away from campus so I checked it out while he had class one day.
It’s a really small campus since they have to pack it into Manhattan, but there are still lots of buildings to see. I love how it blends well with the surrounding buildings. We walked through it again at night and there are lots of students just hanging out around campus, mostly at the steps leading up to the library.
What’s also nice is that despite the fact it’s in Manhattan, it’s further north and not too busy, so you get the whole New York vibe without the atmosphere of stress and chaos that can be found further south. I think that’s why Columbia really reminds both of us of our undergrad days in Berkeley — being part of a busy metropolitan area but located just outside where all the major commotion is, and having a nice community directly surrounding the campus, with your occasional hobo here and there.
I really wish that I could have studied at Columbia for grad school, but unfortunately they didn’t have the specialization of civil engineering I am focusing in. I just love the urban setting so much more, and am not too big of a fan of the remoteness and middle-​of-​freakin-​nowhere that is Cornell (no offense, fellow Cornellians).

Immense Université. On se perdrai presque. Magnifique. Propre, verdoyante, ça donne envi d’étudier.

I visited for Business School graduation this year. The tents were huge and thankfully had flaps to block out the pouring rain. The TVs and sound were large and clear enough to be able to participate even from the very back of the tents.
Unfortunately did not get to see or enjoy much more of campus because of the weather. I’ll have to visit again sometime.