Columbia College Chicago Top Questions

#1: Politics, last Spring began #SaveColumbia, part-time faculty were being laid off and many students felt their voices weren't being heard. #2: Cost. There is no tuition cap which means that every year tuition goes up and going in, you don't know what you'll have to pay the next year, let alone senior year. The scholarships are also limited.

I think most students would agree, but the cost is probably the worst thing. It's an amazing school, but an education should not make a student in debt for years and years to come.

Cost, its expenisve

The worst thing about my school are the three hour classes. Three hours is a long period of time, and for the most part information either becomes confusing, or the student begins to tire, so much to that he or she cannot pay attention.

I think Columbia College is a good school. If anything, I wish that their non-art courses were more challenging. Just because you're going to an art school doesn't mean students don't have the capability to be strong science and math students.

The worst thing about Columbia is the one thing no one can control, the weather. In the winter because we are right off the lake it gets very cold and windy, but after living through it for two years I can honestly say its manageable.

I think that the worst thing about Columbia College Chicago is that some of the classes are kind of out there and not really easy for people that are not in the major (but are still required to take the class) to perform some of the tasks involved. I also think that some of these classes I could teach better than my teachers and that I have not gained a lot from some of my classes which disappoints me somewhat.

The worst thing about my school is that it is so expensive to attend as a student, and that the information that is needed regarding finances is hard to understand and to attain.

The worst thing about Columbia College Chicago, is you can't do *everything* at once! There are so many fun events and happenings, it's stinks that you can't be everywhere at once, and then you still have to find time to go to class!

The worst thing about my school would have to be the on campus living rules. We are only allowed to check in 2-4 people into our dorms, i understand the safety precautions and the need to do this especially in the city...but for collaborating on group projects it doesn't work. There is often too many people in a group to invite up to work on a project, this is espeically difficult in the film program if someone is shooting a scene in a dorm room and needs the crew there.

The worst thing is perhaps the amount of time and effort put into advertising for new students (too much!) And the open admissions policy.

I think that the school is great but it is pretty expensive so I would say that it would be the cost.

Columbia College, Chicago is a great school and I love it. There is nothing bad about the school, but I do feel that the cost of tuition and housing is somewhat expensive and has caused a financial challenge for my mom and I that is the reason why I am applying for grants and scholarships. I have an outstanding balance that is not being covered by financial aid, and it is a bit frustrating at the same time as scary. I really want to continue my musical education at Columbia College, Chicago.

The cost is probably the worst thing about Columbia. As an art college, the tuition's pretty high. Most people choose Columbia because it's not as expensive as most other art schools, but many students still struggle financially. Chicago is an expensive city.

I would say the worst thing is the tuition. My parents are paying the bulk of my tuition out of pocket. I feel bad because my sister is going to college soon and she will need money as well. The price of living on campus is also pretty high. I am commuting due to the high prices of on campus living.

What i consider the worst about my school is the financial aid help. I dont believe that columbia gives help to those who cant afford college. i am one of those people and thye dont give enough money that i need to attend the college. I believe it should be alot more help out there for Columbia College students.

I go to Columbia College , located Downtown Chicago. I just started my first semester at Columbia on January 25 ,2010 and its now January 26, 2010 so i was only there for two day. But I can speak on the oriention days and the two days I have gone there, I really dont have anything nagative to say about my school so fare I love it and the people are nice.

The worst thing about my school is, if you can consider this a bad thing, there are too many options for classes you can take. This sounds like a great thing but it makes it a little hard to be able to choose what you need not just what you want that sounds fun. Also with this it is hard to be a definite sophmore or junior or so on because you could just be taking awesome classes that do not pretain to what your majors in. When picking classes just be sure to really make sure you need it.

The worst thing about my school is that it doesn't have competitive sports teams. I think that this is the worst thing because when I was in high school and though about college I would always thought of a huge stadium filled with lots of crazed fans.

The tuition for Columbia College is very high, even for in-state students. Funding for financial aid has decreased since first attending Columbia, so I have had to look outside of government funding to pay for school, which has not been easy in our economy.

Being in the city environment, our school is mostly commuters, which makes it hard to meet people as a freshman.

This one is tough, but the only worst thing about my school I can think of is the cost. It is very expensive, but I love it so much that I find ways to stay.

Financial Aid, and a constant tuition increase.

I think the worst thing about my school is the help for incoming Freshman. The orientation process was very good, however after that man of us freshman were lost. Not knowing what classes to take , or knowing which classes stand what type of credit. I think that they could deffinatly improve on how they teach us to use all the tools that are available at Columbia. There are so many great tools that we have available, but the only way to find out about them is to stumble upon them accidentally.

Well since i am a current freshmen at columbia college chicago, It is extremely hard for me to locate the so many different locations of the university. The school is very big with 23 different building scattered amongst the downtown area. This is a good thing because there are so many different opportunities , but as a freshmen it can become overwhelming to find your right classes .

The worst thing about this school would be the cost. Columbia is highly expensive and the education received while at the school is seemingly mediocore. The amount of money put into tuition should be spent on providing a well-deserved education for students of all majors. Also, due to the high cost, many students seek financial aid/scholarships. At Columbia, there are about two scholarships awarded to four-five students each year for each major. The amount awarded through this scholarships is $4000 each year, not enough.

I don't think there is anything bad about my school.

The worst thing about going to columbia college chicago is the commute!

The worst thing about my school would have to be that the weather is horrible on campus during the winter. Chicago is the "Windy City" and in the winter, that wind can numb your whole body in a matter of seconds. Since the school's campus is stretched out by about a mile's radius, the walks to and from class can be painful during this time. However, all full-time students receive a bus/train pass during the semester that really helps out.

I suppose the worst aspect of my school I can think of is that it has an open admissions policy, as in everyone gets admitted. I understand that this type of admissions is needed because it is an art school and therefore needs funding-- but along with open admissions students who want the "easy way out" come to my school and do not focus on their studies. Their grades suffer and they cannot keep up with the demand for creative output. So I guess techniqually the open admissions policy is a great way to keep the dedicated students.

I feel the worst thing about Columbia College Chicago is that it is very under-acclaimed that it has a negative stigma attatched to it. I had planned at first for Columbia to be my fall-back and last resort if I was not able to attend the other schools I had applied to. After spending just one semester there I realize that Columbia has excellent programs, teachers, and students. I wish that Columbia was seen in a brighter light more often so prospective students wouldn't shy away from attending Columbia College Chicago.

At this point the worst thing that I consider about my school would be it?s price. Since I graduated from high school I have been attending community colleges where the price for a single class is less than triple what it would be at Columbia College Chicago. Having had done my research to take some of the same classes for a far more cheaper price leads to my minor unhappiness with my school.

The Price. It costs too much to attend this school...though it's a great innovative school that has a great mixing pot when it comes to culture. Tuition is overpriced and some of the buildings need to be fixed up.

The price; although you get what you pay for.

The worst thing about my school was the organization of communication. There were a few conflicts with financial services that wouldn't have arisen with quality communication. Other than that, I would say the meal selection. It was diverse in the beginning (i mean way better than the high school cafe). After a couple weeks the meals were predictable.

The worst thing about my school is that they let too many people in. The reason i believe that this is the worst part is because it takes away from the integtiry of the learning enviornment. This is seen in the different arts classes where there are people who seem to think they know what there doing when it comes to the arts, when in reality they do not.

I suppose the worse thing about my school is that it seems very insular. They hire very brilliant and connected teachers, however, there seems to be little to connect to the school to the Chicago community. This makes it slightly more difficult to find connections for jobs outside the school once you have graduated. The teachers themselves are great connections to use however.

It's ran like a business, the administrative end of things is very impersonal and often not helpful.

The amount (or lack there of) financial aid given.

I think one of the worst things about Columbia is that because some of the teachers are professionals in their fields they are not the best teachers. I've only experienced this with one or two teachers, however, just because someone is extremely qualified in their field doesn't necessarily make them a great teacher and Columbia should pay more attention to that.

There really isn't a strong community of students at Columbia. Departments are just too big for students to know people outside of their classes. Additionally, the lack of a central campus and limited student housing adds to the disjointed feeling of the school.

The only I problem I had with that school was during the winter. Its locaion was in downtown Chicago, right off of lake Michigan. When winter came that part of town received the brunt of the chilled winds coming off of the lake.

The worst thing about my school is that it can be a great challenge to have Christian morals and beliefs that are not challenged on a daily basis. Although there are many people who share my beliefs at my school, and many who don't and are accepting of those beliefs, I find that with such a liberal community (which I truly adore for the most part), many people are uneducated and callous towards my beliefs. Without trying, or even meaning to, other students have been very offensive. I believe that this school is quite tolerant, but sometimes difficult.

The fact that there aren't any greeks at my school I would say is the worst thing because I myself would like to participate in a sorority but I figure that my education is more important right now so it can wait until after I graduate.

the fact that its so expensive. but that dosnt really bother me.

The worst thing about my school is the lack of athletics and extra-curricular activities. My school definitely allows for a unique environment, and it used to boast that it had no sports teams and homecoming games. The school brings a sense of orginality for students who are looking for a different school setting, but I feel that people who attend Columbia College and want athletics get left behind. To me it seems as though something is missing. While there is more focus on the individual, which does have its benefits, I feel there is less school pride.

The weather. It's Chicago. It's either too hot or too cold to go outside.

The fact that no matter how many classes you take or what classes you take, every teacher acts as though there the only class you have. There is usually little time to get all the homework done as well as collaborate which is what this school is about. The teachers at this school make it even harder when they decide that you need to work in small groups and everyone in your team lives in completely different places.

the administration, they are very unorganized, and rude.

It is so expensive, and only the black inner city kids get any real financial aid/scholarships from the school.