Why you shouldn’t come to Columbia
After many voiced their Columbia concerns in response to my post a few weeks ago on why you should come to Columbia, I decided to present some cons to Columbia that I think are really worth considering.
1. Some people are annoying: People will ask questions that will make you roll your eyes until someone says heteronormative and you have to start rolling your eyes in the opposite direction. But if you got into Columbia, I’m sure the other schools you’re considering have people who are also pretentious at times—after having grown up with your back being patted by parents, teachers, and peers, I find it hard to believe that it wouldn’t get to some people’s heads.
2. The facilities suck: Usually one of the two printers in a room are broken, and the elevator in John Jay has broken down at least three times this year.
3. The food isn’t great: They only have real bacon every other day at Ferris Booth.
4. Sometimes you feel stuck: It’s hard to get the courage or time to leave Columbia at times, but at least it’s an option. I doubt the kids in Ithaca or Hanover get out more often than we do.
All joking aside, there were some genuine concerns expressed in the comments.
Columbia is pretty hard sometimes. We’ve been called the most stressful school in the country, and the week before finals when people are sleeping in Butler or the many times you hear people trying to outdo each other on how little they slept the night before can bring this home.
Sure, we have more work than kids at other schools, and yeah there might not be parties to go to every day of the week. But part of what makes Columbia great is how focused everyone is. I know that being around motivated and ambitious people this year has made me work harder and be better.
And the Core is annoying sometimes—as I work on my problem sets late into the night, I often ask myself why I’m taking a physics class as a computer science major. But at the end of the day, I do feel a little more informed.
I think it would be pretty weird to leave college with my only chemistry or physics background being AP classes I took in high school. And in the College, I can’t imagine people thinking they’re qualified for the real world without having taken a writing course or a class on the scientific issues that affect our everyday lives.
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you don’t have to take physics (you could opt for an easier science for your requirement).
columbia is also a lot of work because students chose to make it so. most people think taking 4 classes is taking it easy (it’s not)..or that they need to take 17+++ credits or else they won’t be meeting some ridiculous standard. people do take 15 credits a semester and still graduate and get jobs.
but that’s why coming here sucks – you become a part of that stressful culture. it seeps into you like osmosis.
people are annoying everywhere you go. you will also meet people here who will challenge you and make you think like never before – you’ll find that in some classes, you prefer to listen to your classmates’ insight than that of your texts/professors. you just have to search/hang out with the right kinds of people and avoid the wrong ones.
Obviously not a seas student…
also not all of brown’s classes are pass/fail, i have no idea where you got that from. they have grades too.
damnit that didn’t go to the right place. should be the next comment down.
Im taking 23 credits triple majoring (comp sci, econ, bio (i know I just want to be a doctor-investment banker- mark zuckerberg when i grow up)) and I put in maybe 10 hours a week total for hw /study and I has me a 3.9 gpa, 4.2 without core classes (yes i got a c+ in lit hum and B-s in CC, and AHum, MHum)
…are exactly the kind of kind of “Some people are annoying” person the author mentions.
If your defense of Columbia includes a detailed description of your majors and grades, down to the class, and completely fails to discuss social life, a sense of place and purpose, meaningful learning opportunities, and clubs and organizations, you represent exactly the over-competitiveness present at the school. Very sadly, much of the concentrated talent Columbia has to offer in terms of its bright and motivated student body is misdirected towards competition with one another.
This is what you, as a potential freshman, would have to look forward to. Go to Brown, where they’ve eliminated the need to compete by making all their classes pass/fail and doing away with requirements. If I could go back and do it again, that’s what I’d do.
Loser. I’m taking 37 credits a semester.
pretty sure this is a troll, to all you down voters who don’t get what joke means
major are you in?
you do need to take physics. college students can “opt for an easier science,” but engineers aren’t afforded that luxury
What was the point of your comment? To emphasize the limited amount of time you spend studying? Good for you…? You seem like a bag full of douche. I would like to fill a sock with pennies, and chase you around campus.
im taking a 53-credit major and have taken basically half my semesters with 4 classes, and 4 semesters with 5 (not including gyms). people definitely feel a need to take more than they have to. what happens is you see a lot of classes you think would be interesting so you sign up for them, only to realize too late that you hate the class or its a lot of work and don’t want to drop it because then you’d feel bad about yourself.
Facilities: the gym sucks. they need an extra satellite gym.
Campbell sports center at Baker field will be opening this September.
As far as we know, that’s for athletes… And it’s 100 blocks away…
All you people complaining about the number of classes you have to take are funny. I have never taken fewer than 18 credits in a semester, and have still managed to be heavily involved in Greek life (read social), club sports and cultural campus organizations. Time management people…….
Yes, time management but because you are willing to take part in the incredibly stressful culture at Columbia. There is no reason you should be taking always more than 18 credits a semester. I have studied abroad for a whole year, am completing Econ-Math, and have basically always taken 15 creds (except for on 19 cred semester).
Lulz, if I want to graduate in 5 full years plus summers I could do 15…. as it stands now I’m graduating in 4.5.
Columbia admissions needs to screen-out these hyper-competitive students who think it is cool to talk about how hard they are studying and enjoy putting other people down.
I say, the more recruited athletes and legacies and arts types the better! I want to be with interesting people who are comfortable with themselves and don’t feel the need to prove they are better than their classmates. Student athletes, legacies and arts people tend to have the composure to enjoy their time at Columbia. They don’t constantly complain about the school and they get the most out of their college years.
I was with you until you said more recruited athletes and legacies and arts types. How will that fix anything? With more recruited athletes you’ll get much less people who are involved in campus organizations, with legacies you’ll just get more entitled rich people, and with arts types you’ll just get more hipsters.
Hmm, but what about voices of DISSENT, like specsucks!??! why are they not represented
In defense of the question askers: http://tmac721.tumblr.com/post/17500383225/what-ive-learned-about-smart-people
I will argue that physics is an important class for any science or engineering major. Why exactly do you dislike it?
Important =/= Like
There are so many amazing students and opportunities at Columbia. If you do not enjoy it here, it is your own fault.
Number 1 is highly hypocritical.
Do you even lift?
The guy in this video can bench 500 pounds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHD9H7pHDBE
If you don’t lift then you obviously do not know what you are talking about. Also what sort of protein shakes do you use? I like Muscle Milk, but what do you all think? Anyway Sara you probably don’t lift so you can SHUT UP NOW!
can bench 700: http://stephen_the_man.tripod.com/id15.html
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