Barnard College Top Questions

Of course not! Barnard is made up of every kind of girl on the planet, so of course there are a few who fit the stereotypes but the majority of students can't be classified in any particular way. And as for using Barnard as a "back door," it might be true that some girls originally look at Columbia, but most end up choosing Barnard for its own unique qualities, for the fact that it's a smaller, tighter school with a better support system.

Not for most people.

I think any sterotype is generally inaccurate for it does not (it can not) describe completely every student. Are there lesbians at Barnard? Yes. Are some classes easier at Barnard than at Columbia? Yes. Are some classes harder at Barnard than at Columbia? Yes. Do the classes that I consider easy (or hard) differ from what others consider easy (or hard)? Yes. The stereotypes describe sections of Barnard...but does not describe Barnard completely. The stereotypes exist for a reason...there is generally a little bit of truth to them...but the key word there is little...the rest of the stuff that make up stereotypes are generally over-embellished falsities.

Not in my opinion. Often I find that Barnard students put more effort into becoming involved in their classes, and many professors have commented on how Barnard students stand out from the Columbia students because of their interest and dedication. Also, I feel that Barnard students are generally more welcoming individuals and that they care deeply about their community at school.

There is a large divide in the socio-economic status at Barnard, the overwhelming majority are from well to do families however the remainder are heavily on financial aid. Barnard is definately mainly jewish being that it offers a joint program with JTS (Jewish Theologial Seminary). However, many girls who go to Barnard also got into Columbia; however, have chosen to attend a smaller liberal arts college that has all the benefits of an Ivy League institution (I was an applicant who was admitted to both Columbia and Barnard).

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.

NO! Well, at least not the ones from Columbia kids. Sure, I've met people who aren't that intelligent, and sure, I've met sluts, but those people exist everywhere (and on both sides of the street). Certainly neither group is a majority. As for rich, yes...a lot of people are rich. Welcome to a private school on the East coast. But you can definitely find quite a bit of income diversity if you look around. And there are plenty of girls in leggings, big sunglasses, with Coach bags, etc., but I wouldn't say that they're the majority either. No one's going to be offended if you just want to be yourself.

Most students have definitely not applied to barnard because they couldn't get into columbia. I mean obviously intelligence isn't determined by a standardized test or college acceptances, so the whole intelligence debate is idiotic.

Groups of girls that match the first, third and fourth stereotypes do exist, to be sure. I remember move-in day: there were normal girls like me, with suitcases and trusty father...and there were girls with mountains of signature Louis Vitton luggage and a moving team hired for the day. The vast majority of the girls I have met laugh about things like that. We also laugh about the slut stereotype--mostly propagated by Columbia girl who have lost out to Barnard girls in the past. The thing is, though, it works both ways, but because Columbia is co-ed we can't go around saying their school is full of sluts. And nobody I know uses Barnard as a backdoor. There are just as many Columbia students taking class at Barnard as vice versa, and there is a lot of cross-campus interaction. It's one of the beautiful things about going to Barnard. Nobody I know at Barnard wanted to go to Columbia College or SEAS in the first place. As for the classes, this is simply not true. There are easy classes on both sides of 116th, and there are really, really challenging ones.

there is a large jewish presence on campus, but far less of a lesbian presence than i had expected. overall barnard women are really really motivated - and are really so different there is not a cohesive theme.

There are a lot of JAPs here, but honestly, this is Manhattan. There are JAPs all over this city. Yes, there are lesbians here, but this is not quite the stronghold of lesbians that ignorant Columbia students like to think it is. There are plenty of lesbians at Columbia University overall - this is a liberal campus in New York City - what else would you expect. But in terms of numbers, the lesbian population at Barnard is insignificant and pretty minute compared to what you see at other women's colleges (and compared to the gay population you see at NYU downtown.) We get a Columbia University degree at the end of 4 years because we take COLUMBIA CLASSES for four years. Whether Barnard girls like it or not, there is cross-registration here at CU, and some departments are only at Barnard or at Columbia. So sometimes we HAVE to take Columbia classes. And what about the fact that there are more Columbia students taking Barnard classes than Barnard students taking Columbia classes? Moreover, the students in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences don't have to take the Core requirements, nor do the students in the School of General Studies. Do they not deserve the CU degree?

Obviously not. It's a ridiculous notion. A Columbia professor once told me that he can always tell the difference between the Columbia and Barnard women in his classes, because the Barnard students are more engaged, more involved, and better communicators.

The stereotype of Barnard does not give the college enough credit. Although Barnard is slightly easier to get into than Columbia, the courses are usually at the same level of difficulty. Also, most students enrolled at Barnard tend to take most classes on their own campus. As for the social aspect, there is some friction between Barnard and Columbia women; however, when standing next to each other, they are impossible to tell apart.

Of course not. To the chagrin of many Columbia boys, most Barnard students are not hungrily looking around for mating prospects- on the contrary, I've found the supportive environment to foster confidence, independence, and careful decision making among myself and my friends. Of course, I cannot speak on behalf of the entire student population- college is a time when people question, test, and figure out their ideas about their own sexuality, and I don't think it is too different here from any co-ed institution. As for the Columbia issue, nobody worth their salt actually believes this (or at least says it out loud). Everyone here loves Barnard for what makes it special (more on that later). For the record, I went on tours of both Barnard and Columbia and decided to apply early decision to Barnard, specifically because it was a women's college with a warm atmosphere and strong academics, not to mention it felt like home.

Yes and no. Those of the occidental opinion are far more accurate than Columbia College students who either feel they must compensate for some twisted superiority complex or just really hate Barnard. Of course there is a contingent of Barnard students who may have come here just to be in New York and don't really have a lot of intellectual capital, but for the most part Barnard girls are extremely well-read, talented, sophisticated, and intelligent. Any professor, either at Barnard or Columbia, will tell you that he or she would not be able to tell the difference between a Barnard or Columbia student in class, except maybe that Barnard students tend to be a bit more stylish.of Barnard students who may have come here just to be in New York and don't really have a lot of intellectual capital, but for the most part Barnard girls are extremely well-read, talented, sophisticated, and intelligent. Any professor, either at Barnard or Columbia, will tell you that he or she would not be able to tell the difference between a Barnard or Columbia student in class, except maybe that Barnard students tend to be a bit more stylish.