Eliana
03-24-2010, 09:59 PM
dd#1 has been off visiting colleges this week, and I wanted to share some of her reports here.
She arrived at Barnard mid-afternoon on Sunday & was met by her host* who gave her a personal tour of the Barnard and Columbia campuses. She was, at first, a little disappointed by the size of the Barnard campus (it is *lovely*, but its green outdoor spaces are very small), but then she saw Columbia's campus (to which Barnard students have full access), and was more than satisfied. She appreciated the way the noise of the city disappeared once she was on each campus, she found the living arrangements to be pleasant and comfortable, and she loved the communal atmosphere. When we spoke late that evening she said she already felt so at home there.
She saw only a little bit of the surrounding neighborhood, but loved what she saw. The neighborhood felt more small-town university than big city - at least in that area - and the subway system was easy and pleasant to use (she went with her host to a dance performance put on by students from Stern College), and she was overjoyed to discover that the Met is an easy bus ride from campus.
She sat in on three classes (a biology, a Jewish history (at Columbia), and modern history) and enjoyed them all very much. The learning environment was rigorous, but supportive and collaborative.
She appreciated the quality and selection at the kosher dining hall - and the sense of community there. She was excited by the opportunities for Jewish learning - her host has a regular chevrusa (learning partner) & there is a shiur (~lecture/talk) at lunch time.
She had a marvelous time and was very sorry to leave!
I felt from her reports that the blurbs we'd read in various publications had described Barnard very well, and we're both even more excited about it than ever!
ETA: I don't think I did justice to how very nice the dorms were... and I forgot to mention that dd's host was still studying when dd went to sleep at 11pm... and had another study session scheduled for 12:30 that night! At each school dd has commented on the late hours students keep, and how hard they are working - not in a pressured, stressed out way, but they took their studies very seriously.
(*Barnard doesn't do official overnights, but dd was the guest of a student we'd been put in touch with through Jewish connections)
She arrived at Barnard mid-afternoon on Sunday & was met by her host* who gave her a personal tour of the Barnard and Columbia campuses. She was, at first, a little disappointed by the size of the Barnard campus (it is *lovely*, but its green outdoor spaces are very small), but then she saw Columbia's campus (to which Barnard students have full access), and was more than satisfied. She appreciated the way the noise of the city disappeared once she was on each campus, she found the living arrangements to be pleasant and comfortable, and she loved the communal atmosphere. When we spoke late that evening she said she already felt so at home there.
She saw only a little bit of the surrounding neighborhood, but loved what she saw. The neighborhood felt more small-town university than big city - at least in that area - and the subway system was easy and pleasant to use (she went with her host to a dance performance put on by students from Stern College), and she was overjoyed to discover that the Met is an easy bus ride from campus.
She sat in on three classes (a biology, a Jewish history (at Columbia), and modern history) and enjoyed them all very much. The learning environment was rigorous, but supportive and collaborative.
She appreciated the quality and selection at the kosher dining hall - and the sense of community there. She was excited by the opportunities for Jewish learning - her host has a regular chevrusa (learning partner) & there is a shiur (~lecture/talk) at lunch time.
She had a marvelous time and was very sorry to leave!
I felt from her reports that the blurbs we'd read in various publications had described Barnard very well, and we're both even more excited about it than ever!
ETA: I don't think I did justice to how very nice the dorms were... and I forgot to mention that dd's host was still studying when dd went to sleep at 11pm... and had another study session scheduled for 12:30 that night! At each school dd has commented on the late hours students keep, and how hard they are working - not in a pressured, stressed out way, but they took their studies very seriously.
(*Barnard doesn't do official overnights, but dd was the guest of a student we'd been put in touch with through Jewish connections)