I guess that the biggest stereotype about Barnard women is that we are all somewhat wealthy, Jewish, don't deserve to be a part of the Columbia community, and/or are extremely liberal about sex and sexuality. While there definitely is a strong contingent of the opulent 1%, most of the people I know are on some type of financial aid and/or are working. I am Jewish, Barnard is one of the most "Jewish" schools in the country (there is a ridiculous proportion of Jewish women at Barnard), and the Barnard/Columbia Hillel definitely has a strong presence on campus. While Barnard is more "Jewish" than your average school, it's dual degree program with the Jewish Theological Seminary, location in the largest city in the country, and relationship with Columbia University make it seem like the perfect place to be if you are Jewish. That being said, other ethnic and religious groups do have a presence on campus, and there are groups from almost every background at either Barnard or Columbia. The "unintelligent" stereotype is probably the least true out of all of them, and you would only hear that one thrown anonymously at Barnard students on blogs. Barnard women, overall, have worked to get to where they are. I have met some of the most intelligent people I've ever met in my life at Barnard, and I have also met some people who just didn't really seem to want to get involved in academics. That seems to be the case with most colleges, so I've never held this against Barnard or Columbia. The "sexually active" stereotype is partially true; there are plenty of people on campus who are open about their sexuality, but it isn't the whole community, and it's definitely handled tastefully. Barnard women aren't, as any stereotype of a women's college would say, all lesbians. There are many people in the LGBTQA community, and they have an extremely important and meaningful place in the campus culture, as the community does on any campus. One of the main reasons why I'd say that the stereotype about sexual activity persists is because of the amazing health services we have at Barnard and the general push for knowledge about sex and sexuality. It is easy to go to Health Services for morning after pill, if you so need them, or to fill a birth control prescription. It is also easy to get condoms (while not as easy to get other forms of contraceptive, especially if you aren't having heterosexual intercourse). Barnard is fairly open and diverse, but not in an extreme way. It is probably one of the more, relatively, conservative women's colleges.

I don't have class on Fridays! (Most people don't, unless you are a science major - then you definitely will). Go out with my best friend on the Lower East Side on Thursday night, maybe at a new (cheap - we're broke!) dinner place or to a (free - still broke!) concert. Go out for drinks after at one of our favorite bars. Friday wake up and do some work, go to Dodge (the gym) and go out with some other friends for dinner. Maybe see a comedy show or a student play (free!) on Friday or Saturday night. Weekends can be what you make of them, depending on how much work you have. If you have midterms (or finals) you probably aren't going anywhere besides the library during the day. If you don't, New York offers limitless possibilities (some of which are cheap, or free!)

This is so far from true! Barnard students are awesome, end of story. Barnard is one of the most selective schools in the country. We go to Barnard because we enjoy having a smaller community that fosters leadership and personal development. We love our advising system and the personal care we get within the larger context of the University (Columbia) as a whole! A lot of my Columbia friends are jealous of all the awesome programs Barnard has!

Barnard is awesome...there was no better place for me. No regrets in the least. The most important thing is to find a place that fits with you...and you'll know it when you find it. Best of luck with your college search!!

Writing all this down reminded me what I actually LIKE about Barnard...I am debating transferring...

The stereotypes about Barnard women are so passé and so OLD. Half of those Columbia boys have Barnard girlfriends, half those Columbia girls have Barnard best friends. Columbia was the last Ivy League institution to become co-ed, back in 1983!! That's just 25 years ago! Barnard and Columbia girls have nothing to compete over, except for perhaps the occasional lame Columbia fraternity boy. We are mostly not interested in the same careers, we don't compete for spots in classes, or for spots in dorms, or for connections with alumni because we have different alumni. I'm not even a die-hard Barnard fan, but I can objectively tell you that Barnard offers the most ideal academic experience you could ever ask for. We have small classes, engaged Professors, a great advising system that CC/SEAS still have not been able to recreate on their side of the street, strong relations with our alumnae, connections within the Sister School network etc. At the same time we are part of this top notch research university in New York City, all sorts of opportunities for lectures and visits form distinguished leaders and big classes and the occasional Columbia basketball game or football game, etc.

Students at Barnard are genuinely happy- happy to study, happy to be together, happy to be at Barnard. It is a self-selecting group, women who want to learn in a academic environment and learn from each other. It makes Barnard a pleasant and, moreover, inspiring place to be. We are all striving to see ourselves and our fellow women succeed.

I've loved the 3 years I've spent so far at Barnard, and I'm looking forward to another great year as a senior. Even though Barnard isn't perfect, for me the good has definitely outweighed the bad. Given the choice, I would choose Barnard again.

All of this is coming from someone who is introverted, somewhat socially retarded and who would rather spend a saturday night in watching a movie or reading a book. I resist change like a grumpy old man and perhaps did not have the smoothest transition possible. With all that in mind, I've found my own crowd of friends and I really do love it here. I dont regret coming to Barnard in the least. If I of all people can make it, I have no doubt anyone else can too.

Nice, a cool mix of people.

columbia with a diffent feel. barnard almost feels as a sorority. it's an amazing combination of a large school and small school setting. most people don't really know about barnard so when you tell them you go there most won't know, at least from my home. in new york, people regard you with much respect because they know barnard is a great school. i'm not sure what the reactions are from people around the US if they're not from the east coast. it's amazing to have a campus but at the same time have the freedom to explore manhattan. it's very well balanced in that way.

Absolutely not! We are whoever we are, and as for being not as smart, we definitely are. We are simply a self-selecting group, which is why our admission rates are higher.

Very good classes, I love my major (American Studies) and all of the classes that i have taken in that area have been great.

Some people see Barnard as the easy way to get into Columbia, but I think many people choose Barnard for other reasons. It's nice to have the large university, but I don't think that all Barnard students consciously choose to apply because they want people to think that they go to Columbia.

no

All women's housing is nice because it's a quiet atmosphere (and the bathrooms are always clean). First-years live in corridor-style dorms, where they tend to make some really good friends and have some friendly faces at the other end of the hall. Upperclassmen live in apartment-style housing on 116th st, 110th st, and a few other locations. Again, dorms are mostly used for sleeping/studying. If Barnard students are looking for a party, they go across the street to Columbia. Barnard doesn't have any sports teams, but a number of students play for Columbia teams. I don't think anyone ever goes to the games. Women's college = weird dating scene. If you're a lesbian, you could feasably date another Barnard student. Most people, gay or straight, end up dating Columbia students... or getting drunk and hooking up with them.

It's NEW YORK CITY. You will find all sorts of people in and out of campus. You have feminists, activists, people of all different backgrounds, from all over the world and country, all different gender preferences, different economic situations, GET USED TO IT. You wear what you want to classes, if you're a first year you have to live in the Quad, which are the residence halls inside campus, sometimes girls just roll out of bed and go to class in pjs if its a morning class. I don't recommend wearing an evening gown to class, but your style is you so whatever you feel comfortable in, just nothing trashy, please. You find the people you get along with. FOr me my motto this past year has been "Crazies attract the Crazies" basically because I find my close group of friends to be insane and I am too (not literally, but just in a carefree, fun, way insane). We're all loud and outgoing and somehow we all became friends on basically the same day.

There are a mix of students, however, they are predominately wealthy and white with some variations.

Yes, partially. Boys across the street.