Academics
Barnard is a small school, an urban school, a resource-rich school, a school that “offers so many opportunities.” In some ways, Barnard College combines all the desirable traits one would want from an all-women’s liberal arts college. Located in New York City, here “you get the best of both worlds,” both a “small academic setting” as well as having “full access to the Ivy League institution (Columbia University) right across the street.” The school’s size means it “provides a small, close community” where students will “see familiar faces often.” Among those familiar faces are the professors themselves, who are “really engaging and make the material approachable and interesting.” Classes are a mix between lectures and discussions, and even in the larger classes professors “definitely make time for students to come talk to them.” Students say educators here are adept at “creating an environment to learn from and be inspired by classmates through the discussions held.” The “phenomenal” education experience at Barnard may be “challenging and very stressful” at times, but students are “so grateful” for those challenges. And while the school itself may be small, “you can cross Broadway and feel that large, Ivy League University feel.” Graduates from Barnard should expect to experience a “transition from a young female college student to an adjusted global citizen.”
Student Body
Finding a single trait to define a school full of “cool, creative, confident, well-spoken, and determined” women who are “aware that [they are] in the cosmopolitan NYC” may seem difficult, but the repeated refrain of students makes it clear that there is something that unites Barnard students: they are ambitious. These are “driven, intelligent” women who are “extremely interested, dedicated, and passionate about something.” What that something may be varies—“biology, dance, theatre, architecture, economics, or international relations” and more—but the “strong, powerful, intelligent personalities” make them who they are. These “motivated individuals” sometimes “have a tendency to overload,” but “all Barnard women are very proactive and use all resources available...to achieve their goals.” That said, while students here are “ambitious, driven, and hard workers,” it is “not at the cost of physical or mental health: they know how to have fun, too.” Barnard women tend to be well-dressed and embrace the cosmopolitan side of New York City. One student comments, “I know of very few students here who feel they don’t fit in or haven’t found their niche,” and maybe that is because a Barnard student is one who is “smart, independent, and ready to take on the world.”
Campus Life
Finding things to do at Barnard? “It’s easy—we live in New York.” When you live in “one of the greatest cities on Earth,” you are “open to a wide range of things to do such as shows, film festivals, amazing restaurants, etc.” As one student puts it, while there is a thriving party scene on campus, “put down your vodka and go to the Met.” Students even enjoy free admission to many such attractions. But while the opportunities for entertainment and cultural activities are limitless in a city like New York—the museums, sports venues, book stores, music venues, cultural centers, and more are too numerous to list—“a lot of fun events take place on campus.” There are a number of clubs on campus, busy students often spend time “just chilling” because “everyone is working or going to office hours, or pursuing an internship, a personal job, etc.,” and neighboring Columbia offers a “phenomenal Greek life” for those interested in that scene. No matter their chosen form of distraction from school work and extracurriculars, students here “are intensely dedicated to pursuing their interests, whether that be artistic, academic, pre-professional, or athletic ones.”
Save School
