Columbia University in the City of New York Top Questions

Diverse, independent, competitive, mostly career-oriented.

top performers

My classmates were independent people and self-starters, eager to carve out their niches in the city.

Dedicated and study-oriented students with very clear stated life position, overachievers in multipal areas of their lives.Moreover, as good as their best opportunities.

Most of the other newly admitted students that I have met so far were very nice, however, a little bit shy. Nevertheless, I am sure everybody will loosen up a bit once the school year starts.

The students for the most part are all very chill (at least with my experience). Love the mix of CC, GS, SEAS and the other schools here. They each bring something new to the table and makes for a diverse and interesting student body.

The students at Columbia University come from all backgrounds; the diversity extends beyond that of religion and race. Columbia usually has an incoming class with students from all 50 states and over 90 countries; each student brings unique talents and attributes to a particular class. Columbia is also very generous in its financial aid policies, allowing students with an underprivileged background to attend without going into debt. Each individual is able to learn a lot from his or her peers; the diversity at Columbia is truly astonishing and only paralleled by a few other colleges and universities.

The students at Columbia University come from all backgrounds; the diversity extends beyond that of religion and race. Columbia usually has an incoming class with students from all 50 states and over 90 countries; each student brings unique talents and attributes to a particular class. Columbia is also very generous in its financial aid policies, allowing students with an underprivileged background to attend without going into debt. Each individual is able to learn a lot from his or her peers; the diversity at Columbia is truly astonishing and only paralleled by a few other colleges and universities.

Columbia students are extremely diverse and extremely open-minded about race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. You can always meet someone new and, after a conversation with that person, see the world from a whole new perspective. You will meet people who think in a completely different way than you. Most students are extremely politically active, predominantly liberal.

Columbia students are extremely diverse and extremely open-minded about race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. You can always meet someone new and, after a conversation with that person, see the world from a whole new perspective. You will meet people who think in a completely different way than you. Most students are extremely politically active, predominantly liberal.

Crazy workaholics.

There is no "typical Columbia student". We are truly SO diverse in every way: race, ethnicity, socio-economic background, hometown, home country, religion, sexuality, personality, tastes, styles, etc. Columbia is a safe haven for anyone and everyone, especially those who felt marginalized in their high schools or hometowns. Many of my LGBT friends came to Columbia seeking an accepting community, and found it. I think unmotivated students might feel out of place at Columbia. Otherwise, as long as you're confident, independent, and genuinely interested in learning and experiencing college, you will thrive here. I think the majority of students come from middle/upper middle class backgrounds, but there is a good number of very poor and very wealthy. In terms of politics, Columbia always has been and always will be a predominantly liberal, activist school. Columbia students are high-achieving and expect themselves to be successful in every way in life.

You will find literally every time of student at Columbia - from all over the world, all racial and religious backgrounds, with a mix of socio-economic backgrounds, and much support for the LGBT population from most sides (although the conservative side is also very active). Everyone will find a place here! Money is very much a motivating focus especially for entrepreneurship and economics-studying students.

As I wrote before, you name it, we have it. Students who speak every language, who have fascinating stories to share, from every side of the political and religious spectra, it's all here. Admittedly, we do lack the sort of economic diversity that I was hoping for, but I think it's a direction that the University is trying to head in, to encourage students of many different financial circumstances to apply. The University's financial aid policies are top notch, and money should never be a reason for someone not to apply.

Although incredibly diverse in terms of background, ethnicity, and interests my classmates all share a passion for learning and a motivation to excel that I've never encountered on such a large scale.

Columbia prides itself on being the most diverse Ivy, which I believe is true. Our financial aid policy really promotes more socio-economic diversity than is readily apparent and I can tell you from experience our LGBT community is really committed to making some changes. A lot of students are from the tri-state area (read: Jersey) and California, a huge portion are Jewish, another huge portion Asian, everyone's liberal and no one (except for some Koreans) seem visibly Christian.

My classmates were people who had in high school gotten by on natural intelligence and lacked the ability to teach themselves and who were also resistant to working in groups on assignments.

As an engineer, my classmates are extremely pragmatic people who are very concerned with their future careers and success.

Intense, rich, but overall, friendly.

Very cut-throat, and very smart (in my engineering classes at least).

They are all incredible people.

My classmates are talented and diverse individuals interested in making something out of themselves.

They're smart and they're pretty much all going to be successful in some field, and they are all aware of this, which can make them stubborn, but for the most part they're really open-minded and a lot of fun to hang out with/go out with for a bunch of nerds.

My classmates are a diverse, driven, and competive assembly of the nation's top students, from every walk of life, and from every corner of the earth.

Friendly and enjoy working together

Columbia students are motivated, driven, and independent; often unsure as to what they want in life but confident in their ability to achieve their goals.

Columbia students are extremely intellegent, independent, but somewhat image conscious.

My classmates were friendly and a very diverse group of people.

Are used to being at the top of their school (whether it be status, g.p.a., popularity, difference making, etc.) and aren't satisfied with anything else.

My class mates are extremely focused on their academic successes whle still maintaining a healthy social life.

The student body is incredibly diverse. In my first year I've met people from China, Japan, Singapore, India, Romania, Germany, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Sudan, and every corner of the United States. I don't think anyone could feel out of place at Columbia, unless you're really socially conservative. As long as you're accepting of people form all walks of life, you'll be fine. Still, with so much diversity, there's inevitably going to be conflict. My freshman year (07-08) there was a great deal of controversy over swastikas and things being drawn on doors and other similar incidents. Personally I got into a major fight with my friends over racial things, though we managed to work it out. The different groups tend to interact plenty though. While in any circumstance you'll have people of similar racial backgrounds grouping together there is plenty of integration. The group of people I'm living with next year is black, white, hispanic, and asian. Financially, at any ivy league school there are plenty of people that have tons of money, though they tend to keep it quiet. Columbia's decent financial aid brings in plenty of people from the middle and lower levels of income too. There is no standard Columbia student in race or religion. The only thing most have in common is being politically liberal, but even that isn't a sound rule. So be prepared to meet people from anywhere and everywhere, of every different lifestyle and religion while at Columbia.

um...there are a lot of different people at columbia, and i know very, very few of them...that said, i have a largely negative view of the student body, but i might be too much of a hippy-slacker type to feel differently about them. pretty much everybody is the upper-middle class, douchebag-liberal type. me included. political activism...there was a hunger strike this year over issues that ended after 5 days with the university meeting all the strikers demands...look up "spectator hunger strike" on google if you want to know more. i think it was more about Activism than the cause itself...

Students are very friendly and helpful on campus and in class. Columbia definitely has its share of cut-throat competitive students, but for the most part students are willing to help other students and love to work in groups to lessen their load and feed off each other's information and knowledge. While I do know personally of 2 students who have had a bad experience/confrontation with another student in the context of race, religion, or another classification/belief, student to student direct issues are not a problem. There have, however, been multiple instances of bias and hate crimes at Columbia University as a whole, but in the fashion of crude writings on walls or other public displays of hate, never violence. The students here are very passionate about their beliefs which can be great or can be awful when those beliefs are unfounded and hurtful to others. Because Columbia is in the heart of New York city, the atmosphere is just as fast paced. I think that students from slower paced lifestyles, such as from the South or California, might feel out of place or overwhelmed and not used to city life. But there are definitely people from both areas who need to be here in order to remind everyone to chill out sometimes. Republicans may also feel out of place due to the extremely liberal city and campus, but they can join the College Republicans if they are in need of some solidarity. Again I stress that this is New York City, so the lifestyle is not as relaxed as elsewhere. In terms of fashion, students definitely know how to dress well. People take pride in their appearance on a daily basis in or out of class. Some people feel the need to take it to the next level, and some feel more comfortable rolling out of bed and going to class. I'd say its good to have a mixture of both to keep your sanity; respect yourself and take pride in your appearance, but wear a t-shirt and sweats whenever you don't feel like caring, no one will fault you for it, especially in a 9am class. The four main student types are SEAS, Stereotypical Ivy, Athlete, and More Relaxed. The SEAS students, who are typically Asian or Indian, are usually the ones in the library late at night, reading as they eat, and extremely stressed about classes. The Stereotypical Ivy Leaguers are the pretentious, competitive ones who either come from money or want people to think they come from money, and are really stressed about their future of making more money. The Athletes are dedicated to their sport, eat a lot to boost energy, loud and fun, but stressed out balancing practice and a full course load. The More Relaxed crowd is made up of the Frats and Sororities, Black and Hispanic students, Theater kids, and all others who aren't loners. The Greek students actually have a social life, the Black and Hispanic students are always full of life, loud, energetic, and know how to work hard and still have fun, the Theater kids are off being talented and artsy, and all of them combined with the others who are not loners are all stressed out because they are Columbia Students. (The loners aren't a separate type because there are few of them, but they're usually in SEAS) A lot of students are from the greater NY area. I here a lot of people say they're from Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas and the South, Midwest and California, and internationally from China, Korea, India, Europe, and the Caribbean Islands. I would guess that the majority of students are on Financia Aid or have some sort of grant or scholarship. Just in my group of friends theres one who struggles a lot with money, a few that somewhat struggle with money, a few that don't worry about money and are comfortable, and one that spends money like there's no tomorrow and can afford to do so. Even with such diverse backgrounds, most people are politically aware, and even international students are very aware of American politics, sometimes more so than American students.

Everyone is smart and wants to work hard, even the athletes. The only difference in people is that most of us are nerds who only want to study and a few of us are nerds who want to get drunk too. Though we have people from all backgrounds, the school is pretty segregated, but that's not true with every group. Though some of us are adventurous with our appearance, we do live Uptown and frown upon those who look like NYU hipsters. Most students are from New York, New Jersey, and California, and everybody's pretty wealthy (Columbia isn't cheap). The campus is pretty laid-back especially during the warmer months and people dress casually. Everybody's usually really nice, welcoming and open. Why wouldn't they be? We're all dorks.

Columbia's student body is quite diverse, but largely self-segregated because of the enormous range of student groups on campus particular to specific ethnic or cultural groups. For the most part, people seem to be friends with members of their own race whether through Asian communities, Indian dance or similar activities, or even Hillel. I've found that a great number of Columbia students are from the tri-state area and represent very liberal ideologies. People don't talk much about money though, unless its about being broke as a student in New York.

The campus is very nice (yes, we do have a self-enclosed campus, one that will probably be doubled in size during the next decade). The buildings are, for the most part, attractive and centered around the main quads, although the University has swallowed a lot of property in the neighborhood. Our libraries are amazing (over eight million volumes), and it's really easy to take advantage of the different resources on campus. Because Columbia has a distinct campus, it also has a strong sense of community/identity, especially given that it's an urban school. There are tons of student groups catering to all types, and this stems from the diverse student body. People come from all over (every state and many foreign countries), and our student body has the highest proportion of minority students in the Ivy League (between 40 and 45 percent). Most students exhibit a strong will to succeed, passion for their majors, and (for the most part) tolerance for different people (although most of us are liberal).

I've made a lot of great friends here. Yes, there are some arrogant types, but most people are highly intelligent, motivated, and friendly. I wouldn't call us the warmest student body, and traditional school spirit (sports/frats/loud, inane cheering) is not our strong suit, but Columbia is ideal for aspiring urban sophisticates like myself. I will say that everyone here loves the city, and, while some spend too much time in the library, most like to explore the neighborhood and Manhattan and Brooklyn. This doesn't mean that our campus is dead (that's a popular myth--after all, we do see each other all week in class and at extracurricular events, of which there are many, especially if you're into performing arts), but it does mean that people don't feel limited to hanging around Morningside all the time, especially on Saturday nights. Bottom line: don't come to Columbia if you don't want to explore New York.

Columbia is predominantly a left school, with most of the students coming from the Northeast, or Far West. Columbia is proud to boast its diversity, but it's more of a racial nature than a socio-economic. Most of the kids I've met went to private schools. I'm not saying everyone's rich, but they definitely make me feel poor. It's hard to say what Columbia kids dress like. Some sloppy, some classy, trendy, dated, etc. Regardless of how you dress, when you come out of the cuts with something unusual or especially nice, people will let you know. It's not rare to get compliments. In fact, that's one of the things I like best about Columbia. Almost everyone I've met has been nice. Not just friendly, but polite, empathetic, and fascinating to talk to.

Undergrads: The most insecure group of people I have ever met of any age at any institution. Somehow trying to be as smart as those at MIT while being as cool as those at NYU, when really, we're all the same dorks as those in the rest of the Ivies. Blessedly, there is a whole city full of college-age students to meet. You will eventually instantly smile when someone says their not a Columbia student. Ph.D grads: Lose the ability to act normal after moving into the dissertation stage of their program. Professional school students (MBA, Law, SIPA): hyper-competitive like everyone here, but also more grounded, more interesting, and just plain cooler than the above. Also, in the case of MBA, better dressed.

Student groups are very active on campus, especially the racial and LGBT groups (Columbia had the first pro-gay group in the nation, I believe). Anyone who is even marginally right-wing would feel very out of place in Columbia, and even ostracized. Columbia students are very liberal and are not afraid to lambast their opponents vehemently. Most of us are from New York, Jersey or California, but there is a fair amount of diversity and a ton of international students. Columbia students are certainly wealthier than the average college student (much to their chagrin), but the financial aid programs are fairly good.

overall i think students can be closed minded. we have a vocal and active campus although more liberal minded in politics. overall i think students like to ignore issues and dont really bother to take time to build a community.

Conservatives feel out of place at Columbia. Columbia and NYC are super liberal and people assume you feel the same way so they don't bother to ask and it can be quite offensive. Columbia is diverse, but there are also way too many students from the Tri-state area and California. Also, racial/religious groups like the Black Students Organization or the Jewish Hillel lessen the effect of the diversity because the groups are intimidating, selective, and very intense. Columbia is very competitive and career driven as well as very political. If you don't fit that, you probably feel out of place.

There are so many groups on campus, you can find a place for your interest and feel a part of the community

columbia is socially conscious, sometimes to a fault. but this is a good thing for the most parts. politically, students are primarily left-of-center.

Columbia is a very open social sphere. One of my favorite things about this campus is the fact that there are so many international students. The diversity of kids is really amazing. Financially however, there isn't so much diversity, and that could be something to work on (though we are revising our financial aid drastically which I think could make a big difference). Politically, people are generally very left but very concerned with money (interesting combo of democrat bankers). Students are often politically aware, but there's really just the same small group of politically active students who organize everything and sometimes other people get involved. If you want to be political at Columbia, you have to find that one group.

I've gotten very involved with the Greek system, which is a great way to plug into the Columbia community. I've also joined the French Club, and though I'm not technically a member, have run many races with Columbia University Roadrunner members. Students tend to stick to their groups here on campus- as much as groups intermix, there's definitely a personality to each of them.

racial/socioeconomic things- i don't really notice them. people are from all over the country here, which adds to diversity, which makes columbia unique, but i don't focus on it. honestly, that fact is not what made me come to this school.

Though some people are really intense about grades and spend their life working, there are also a lot of really fun and interesting people. Actually, i've met some of the smartest people i've ever met here. people are aware of the world that surrounds them and use critical thinking which is the MOST important thing. But there are definitly those who use no critical thinking and just read books or memorize lectures to get good grades, not to actually LEARN for themselves. So basically there are the workaholics, and then there are the partyish people. its a pretty good balance and i think everyone finds someone of their liking!

So some of the students here are a little socially awkward. I think some of them studied so hard to get in here that they haven't really had a lot of opportunities to interact with people. That being aid, not everyone is like that. No matter what you're interested in you'll definitely be able to find your niche. I was just surprised how many students were not exactly "street smart" when I arrived on campus. Also, because this is New York a lot of students do tend to dress for class. Not that many students come to class in their pajamas because not that many students want to walk across Broadway in their pajamas in front of everyone to reach their first class.

I would say that politically most of the students at Columbia are liberal. Students here are definitely politically aware. Not only this, but also the students tend to be very proactive and involved with whatever they are involved with.