Lesbians, bookworms, feminists? The TRUTH about Barnard
Written: Mar 26 '01 (Updated Mar 26 '01)
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Pros: diversity, small college feel of Barnard with large university options of Columbia, New York City!
Cons: time-consuming first year program, some confusion about the Barnard-Columbia relationship, cliques
The Bottom Line: A college for strong women who want more than beer-chugging parties for their college experience.
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| barnardcol's Full Review: Barnard College |
I'm not going to pretend like I haven't heard that Barnard women are supposed to be man-hating, hairy lesbians or awkward, bookish plain-Janes. I'll tell you that most people change their minds about those stereotypes when they meet a Barnard woman. Barnard women are diverse. And like any college in New York City, students who attend Barnard should be comfortable with diversity and meeting many different types of people.
Barnard has a strong academic program that is intertwined with the strengths of Columbia University, but is also well-respected on its own. Many students attend Barnard (BC) rather than Columbia College (CC) for the excellent psychology and English departments.
BC women have the best of both worlds because they have the course selection that Columbia University (CU) has to offer, but with the benefits of a smaller administration (i.e. talk to advisors, not phone registration) and programs for women such as a great women's health services center. So far, the only drawback I could find about Barnard as part of CU is that BC alumnae don't get to keep their CU email addresses forever like CC grads do.
One complaint I have about Barnard is that people seem to have a core group of friends from their first year dorms, and it is difficult to become friends after first year. This is especially a problem for transfers who are only allowed to transfer to Barnard after their first year. Barnard tends to throw transfers together with non-transfers in the hopes of uniting the group as friends. (As far as I know, this very rarely works!) I got lucky and joined a special interest housing group (theme-based suites like Music, Safer Sex, Book Club) who needed an extra person at the last minute and met them on move-in day and I've been friends with them ever since. Other transfers I know just moved into apartments off campus with non-Barnard friends. Having said this about transferring, I was very happy to transfer to Barnard and even being shy, I was able to fit in nicely. Academically, transferring to Barnard is a wonderful decision and advisors are very knowledgeable and helpful about transferring credits and fulfilling requirements. (I didn't lose a single credit and I was even able to fulfill core requirements with my transfer credits.)
The Nitty-Gritty:
Barnard students must take a core set of courses to graduate. This core is part of Barnard's philosophy of having many "ways of knowing." (You can read all about it in the handbook!) These include several courses to be taken during your first year such as First-Year Seminar and First-Year English, at least two years of a language, one year of a science with lab, and one course in the categories of Reason and Value, Social Analysis, Historical Studies, Cultures in Comparison, Laboratory Science, Quantitative and Deductive Reasoning, Literature, and The Visual and Performing Arts. Most students find that the requirements are easily fulfilled due to a large selection in each category and that the core encourages students to take courses they may not have considered.
Living:
Believe it or not, I didn't think the cafeteria food was that bad! Senior year, we were given free meal passes before graduation and we were nostalgic about the all-you-can-eat dorm food! The cafeteria offers a kosher meal plan for a different fee and Columbia students must eat at Barnard for the kosher meal plan because CC doesn't offer one. People usually tried to sneak over to the kosher line because the food looked better, but the staff always catch you.
The dorms are typical college dorms for first years. All first year students live in "The Quad" right on the main Barnard campus at Broadway and 116th. All first year students have at least one roommate, no kitchen, required meal plan, and a communal bathroom (shower and toilet stalls) on their hall. (Yuck!) But you pay your dues and second year, you're rewarded with suite-style living. This means single rooms, sharing a common area (living room, kitchen, bathroom) with 3-5 other people that you get to choose. Some people complain that the housing system is unfair because sometimes second year students get stuck with awful housing because they fall through the cracks. Housing is based on who you've chosen to live with and how lucky you are. After first year, BC students may live in CC dorms and vice versa. In fact, CC men can live in BC suites as long as they have single rooms. There are certain dorms each year that can be designated as female-only.
Courses: (wait, isn't THAT what you're there for???)
While you're worrying about completing that core list over four years, you have to pay attention to your major's requirements (and your minor, if you have one!). Sometimes requirements can overlap, so it's not as bad as it seems. But you will have a list of courses you must take, so plan ahead! You should always talk to other students to see what they recommend because that's how I discovered my best classes. The first two weeks is the "shopping period" where you can go to any class you want to see if it's for you. Most students pack their first two weeks with back-to-back classes and weed out the classes that they don't want. Also, Barnard now has a policy where you can take up to 21 credits per semester for no additional fees, so many students take extra classes and drop ones that they don't want (or aren't doing well in!) before the drop deadline which is months away!
Here is a list of courses that I recommend:
Developmental Psychology (at Barnard)
Indo-Tibetan Buddhism with Robert A.F. Thurman (at Columbia)
The Modern Novel with Mary Gordon (at Barnard)
Scuba diving - P.E. class for PADI certification! (at Columbia)
The History of the City of New York with Kenneth T. Jackson (at Columbia)
The Toddler Center Seminar - teach in a school for 1-3 year olds and research child development in a class of 16 students (at Barnard)
Financial Aid:
I've never been able to understand the criteria for financial aid at any college. My scholarships and financial aid ranged from $3000 in loans at one college to a full scholarship at another and everything in between. Barnard was somewhere in the middle, but did not seem to be as sympathetic about the divorced parent situation. They factor a step-parent in as contributing to your education, even if it's your unmarried parent that has sole custody. It seems that personal circumstance determines whether the rules are fair, too generous, or unfair.
And finally, NEW YORK CITY:
You love it or you hate it. Or you simply reap the benefits for four years and get out after graduation. Barnard is not the place for someone who can't survive city life. Columbia University is a nice little haven from city life, but sooner or later, your friends will have you on the subway on a Friday night heading down to the madness that makes this place great.
Safety is always a big topic on the Columbia campus. But you just have to be smart about what you're doing and where you're going. Don't venture near any parks or down to Riverside Drive after dark. Stay with friends. The crimes seem to happen to people who were out alone between midnight and morning. You can stay safe if you pay attention. Also, the university provides a shuttle around campus after dark, so that is always an option.
New York is the best for jobs and internships! Barnard women are ambitious (example: Martha Stewart) and they get great internships all around the city. The college encourages students to learn outside of the campus environment and provides excellent career development services including an internship search. Take advantage of this great resource because internships give you a great headstart when you graduate. In fact, I was a psychology major, but I got offered several jobs after graduation because I had worked for children's educational websites and software companies as an intern!
As a final note, I should clear up a few things about Barnard. Barnard is part of Columbia University. No one is really sure where the boundary lies, but you can be assured that Barnard students get almost all of the same benefits as CC students. You can join the teams, clubs, classes, dorms, etc. BC has a different way of registering for classes and doing certain things, so it can get confusing because CC administration doesn't know about any of it, so you should always listen to BC administration to understand what you should be doing.
Barnard is a great college for strong women. The community, the courses and the city life are perfect for ambitious women who see college as a time for making friends, learning, experiencing life outside of college, and preparing for post-graduation life. No fraternity-influenced college life here. You won't find a party culture here unless you are actively seeking it and who wants to go to a college party when you can go somewhere else in the city anyway!
Recommended:
Yes
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barnardcol
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Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Reviews written: 25
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