Barnard is a small liberal arts college located in the upperwest side in New York City. It is across the street from Columbia University, which the school is affiliated with. Initially, Barnard was the sister school to Columbia, with women attending Barnard and men Columbia. Once Columbia went coed though, Barnard has maintained its identity as one of the seven sisters; a prestigious womens college. Now Barnard is completely seperated in terms of admissions process, though Barnard women receive a degree from both Barnard and Columbia University.
Since Barnard is relatively small (approximately 2500 students) its a tight knit community where most people know the others in their class, or at least know who you are. There is tons of diversity as well, so there are a number of niches within the larger community. Alot of interest groups and cultural groups work together for a common goal. Overall, the environment is very inclusive. Also, Barnard girls have access to all the facilities and most of the classes at Columbia. So if for some reason Barnard doesn't have what you are looking for, Columbia probably does, and you can access it across the street. This is one of the reasons Barnard is the best of both worlds; it has a small college feeling, but is also within a large university.
Since Barnard is all-girl, the dorms are all single-sex. This is nice because it eliminates the whole hooking up with floormates that occurs in coed dorms...which can get very awkward. Also, Barnard and Columbia people can room together, but they have to choose the dorm depending on the ratio of Barnard students to Columbia students. The system would be better if all the students had access to both Columbia and Barnard dorms, but this would integrate the schools more than Barnard would like.
Since Barnard is in the city, where there are endless oppertunities and distractions, most students use the surrounding neighborhoods as places to socialize and hang out. Campus life is definitly not as big as it would be in a college town. There are still all types of events and parties on campus though, for those people who don't want to stray away from campus for the night. There is also a pretty active Greek life.
In terms of the administration, most of the deans and advisors are really helpful and there to help you make descions etc. You can usually always get in to see a dean, or they always are prompt regarding emails. Also, if you are struggling academically, the deans make an effort to reach out and help you to do better. My only qualm with the school is the price. The school is extremely expensive...more than 40,000 a year, and is always looking for ways to charge its students extra fees. There is a fee for almost everything: not registering in a specific time, changing your meal plan, leaving housing, its outrageous! This past semester I took leave from Barnard, and housing charged me $1000 for breaking my one year contract, even though they quickly moved someone else into my room, then charged them more for the single. Also, if you plan on studying abroad and your program is much cheaper than Barnard, you still have to pay the entire semester's price, which I don't think is fair.
Overall, Barnard women have alot of pride in our school. We are getting the best education money can offer, and even though it is really expensive, I would not have been happier anywhere else. You really come into your own here, and gain skills necessary to make a difference in the world.