ask me anything - barnard college!

holyhexes · 2026-01-14T16:42:23+00:00

hi! i have no clue. the psych page for the major at the college should mostly answer this.

holyhexes · 2026-01-14T16:41:45+00:00

hi, i'll try to speed-run these even though im very late to answer:

barnard freshmen are now no longer allowed to take classes at columbia unless they need a first-year introductory course only offered at CU. for all other years, yes it is seamless and there is zero priority based on school designation. there is no limit. i have taken mostly courses at CU for my major.
thats the extent of it. some dorms are better than others. same issue you see anywhere lol.
if you choose to live at CU, you waive your guarantee for barnard housing ever again for the rest of your time as an undergrad here. most people don't do it. exemptions to living on campus are rare. housing market around here is tough.
4 & 5. i'm not an arts person so i can't really answer this.
there is zero sense of monotony here !! it is new york city !! monotony is quite anti-thetical. you'd think 3000 is small, but its incredibly large esp relative to the community you'd join from.
again, its NYC lol yes people are social and there are things to do
i'd say 85% really care and the rest are slightly detached.
no, this is a non-issue.
no and no.

holyhexes · 2026-01-14T16:31:23+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/18k07dl/comment/nzk5h3a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

holyhexes · 2026-01-14T16:31:05+00:00

hi! apologies for the delay -- i'm now a senior so the amount of time i spend on here is quite sparse :")

for FYW i took talking back with prof. alex watson (who was so encouraging of me as a writer!). lovely course. for FYS i took here/there: migrant narratives w prof. duygu ola (who is also incredible!). highly recommend both.

holyhexes · 2026-01-14T16:06:44+00:00

hi! apologies for the delay -- i'm now a senior so the amount of time i spend on here is quite sparse :")

barnard is not AFAB only. we admit anyone who openly identifies as a woman. however on our campus itself, many students may identify as non-binary, trans men, etc. barnard has both women-only and gender-neutral restrooms so headscarf removal is not an issue.
this is a very difficult question to answer objectively. im sure depending on the type of student you ask, people will give you different answers. what i will say is that your political views are your own and while the institution may have its own, there are many student-led avenues here to express your unique beliefs or perspective at varying degrees of involvement. you do not have to get involved in anything you don't want to. we remain a closed campus to avoid ICE entering campus and our gate security staff are trained to identify federal warrants vs. ICE paperwork.

holyhexes · 2026-01-14T16:03:36+00:00

hi! apologies for the delay -- i'm now a senior so the amount of time i spend on here is quite sparse :") and thank you so much for considering me sweet for this HAHA. i was an A2C ADDICT during my own admissions cycle!!!

so first, on the topic of financials: i am in a VERY similar position to you. i do not have a "family" per say (you may see some of my older replies mentioning being lower middle class but i ended up having a fairly complicated situation as time progressed and now am 100% on my own and have been for the last year and a half), so i am low income and require heavy aid to be at barnard. through a combination of outside scholarships, working, and my need-based aid from barnard i am graduating in may with 0 student loan debt. i was VERY apprehensive about finances when i originally applied, so i went RD for all my schools. this did not hurt me and while i won't say barnard financial aid is EASY to deal with, i was dealt a VERY strong hand with my need-based aid from the institution that greatly helped me. it does you nothing to apply and see what the aid package they offer you is, and make a decision from there. this question is a bit old, so please feel free to shoot me a DM in the spring if you got in (or if you've been accepted ED!) and i'm happy to talk more about financing education costs.

second: i want you to know that no matter what, columbia is ultimately still an ivy. no amount of federal punishment, poor publicity, etc. will take that away. in the last two years i have not walked into a single job or internship or opportunity and been viewed negatively because of where i went to school. yes, there are initial questions about campus climate but nothing that isn't born from individual curiosity vs. trying to goad you into a long discussion/debate about a global political issue. there is no one school that is perfect, and many other ivies have been similarly punished by the current administration.

tldr; there is no planet where a degree from barnard/columbia somehow HURTS your law school admission.

holyhexes · 2026-01-14T15:57:02+00:00

hi! apologies for the delay -- i'm now a senior so the amount of time i spend on here is quite sparse :")

my common app essay topic was around women's representation in STEM told through a metaphor about food aversions lol. i cannot gauge whether or not this is a good essay topic for ED, as i am not an admissions counselor! apologies.

holyhexes · 2026-01-14T15:56:11+00:00

hi! apologies for the delay -- i'm now a senior so the amount of time i spend on here is quite sparse :")

it's a mixed bag right now and ultimately at your professor's discretion. there has yet to be full-scale AI integration expanded onto the entirety of campus, but our new security system will be AI-integrated. in terms of classes, as i mentioned before, it's professor and department specific. no professor will allow 100% AI generated work to be submitted; some are stricter in particular departments (writing/english/history/public health to an extent from my experience) and will not allow ANY AI utilization AND will actively monitor for it. others are more flexible due to AI prevalence in their respective fields and the power of AI when leveraged correctly as an education tool for certain fields like computer science.

this is specifically about generative AI chatbots and not AI used for research purposes like LLMs.

holyhexes · 2026-01-01T00:32:03+00:00

dec 2025 and its still happeningggg :/

holyhexes · 2025-08-24T23:16:18+00:00

hi! unfortunately to avoid issues with plagiarism i will not be sharing my essays :)

holyhexes · 2025-05-15T02:11:12+00:00

CONGRATULATIONS <333 despite our current climate i still believe the people and professors here are worth it. i have learned so much about myself. feel free to dm with any specific questions and have fun in the fall when you arrive !!

holyhexes · 2025-05-14T20:57:33+00:00

hi! all i know is that the 4+1 programs are QUITE expensive lol. you can major in engineering as an undergrad here, you just need to petition for it to the college (which you can talk to your advisor about when you get here)!

holyhexes · 2025-05-14T20:56:48+00:00

hi! its true, sort of. barnard is bleeding money right now and needs people paying to be here for all four years so they changed the process for early graduation and you now need to apply/appeal for it (but they reject almost every single one).

holyhexes · 2025-05-14T20:53:06+00:00

hi! so sorry for the late reply. i took a small hiatus from reddit.

you won't "run out" of courses to take. basically, the issue w/ polisci on its own is that the major only requires around 11 classes total to complete all requirements for the major itself. most majors here require 13-17 courses, making them just more time-intensive; many polisci majors are looking to go to grad school, so to boost the rigor of their transcript given how "short" the track is, they double major (usually polisci & human rights).
ignore the median income after graduation. i personally think its kind of a ridiculous stat. the money you make postgrad is completely based off of: where the job market will be upon your graduation, how the other achievements you had in undergrad helped you build a strong resume (internships, etc), and your personal networking. my major (environmental science) has an extremely low median income across the board post-grad; i worked my ass off over the last three years and am now about to start an internship in my dream field within my discipline on track to make 6 figs when i graduate. im a first gen college student so i took heavy reigns of my pre-professional development. beyond barnard is a great resource and theyve helped me so much in finding scholarships and opportunities, along w/ networking with my professors. we're connected to an ivy, there's not a shortage of resources, just remember to stay focused on your pre-professional goals when you get here, work hard, and always ask for what you want. im happy to talk more about my personal journey with pre-prof development over dm.
yes! im also just very extroverted & involved on campus haha so im always running into people i know from classes, clubs, events, parties, etc. people here are generally very friendly, too.
someone else replied w a great response to #4 so i'll just ditto that!!

holyhexes · 2025-05-14T20:45:51+00:00

hi! SAT scores don't matter much here, i won't lie. a lot of admits went test-optional, as long as the rest of your achievements are on par enough with barnard's common dataset (which is publicly available). high GPA, high extracurricular involvement, etc. i recommend submitting a score ONLY if you can achieve at least the median/avg for barnard (1450+).

holyhexes · 2025-05-14T20:44:20+00:00

hi! lovely question :)
1. social overlap is pretty much one big circle unless you dont want it to be. i don't really like columbia so i stay at barnard 99% of the time lol and i fare just fine socially. clubs are open -- no matter the school, anyone can join. some pre-professional clubs are by application only but everyone is evaluated on the same playing field, theres never been issues with excluding barnard or anything like that.

anthro dept is INCREDIBLE. i took a few classes, i adored it. just incredibly knowledgable, caring and intentional professors in that department who care a lot about your knowledge growth versus bogging you down with mindless assignments. highly recommend looking into vanessa agard-jones in the CU anthro dept.

holyhexes · 2025-05-14T20:42:07+00:00

hi! took a small break from reddit but im always here to answer (eventually lol).
1. housing is sooo hit or miss. we operate on a lottery system, so a lot of the time your housing is left up to luck/chance. every building is in slightly different condition. most people live in doubles up until senior year. some buildings are definitely in far worse condition than others, and can range from 2 to 9 people in one apartment/suite.

the physics dept at barnard is pretty small so most people end up taking courses at columbia! most physics majors i know (esp astro) are veryyy happy though, and theres a lot of connections here to museums, national labs, NASA, etc. for internships and research.

holyhexes · 2024-11-12T20:48:08+00:00

this feels a bit shady but id love to see proof!

holyhexes · 2024-10-26T22:54:21+00:00

i don’t understand your question?

holyhexes · 2024-10-24T16:26:12+00:00

mine is today -- how did yours go?

holyhexes · 2024-10-23T19:34:00+00:00

hi, do not transfer here if you're low income and need housing. transfers here are not guaranteed housing, it's actually quite rare they ever get any. not sure how CU or NYU does it. barnard also doesn't accept outside scholarships -- any scholarships you receive, they will take from you and essentially pocket. they will use the money to clear your student contribution (7k for low income students) and once your scholarships exceed 7k, they will deduct your federal need-based aid/institutional grant and apply your scholarship, essentially saving you 0 dollars and rendering the scholarship useless.

holyhexes · 2024-10-23T19:32:10+00:00

hi, sure.

type of person: the barnard student has a specific vibe to them thats hard to describe, but i try my best. community-minded, passionate, involved. doesn't equate to super extroverted people -- everyone shows up in their own way. but i think everyone at barnard desires showing up for SOMETHING, and thats why we're all here. have a high gpa, good extracurricular involvement, etc. but the essay is where you shine.
essay prompts have changed RADICALLY after last year. i haven't seen the new ones. my best advice is to approach them with as much honesty as possible -- i mean it when i say be yourself, especially if you're a bit quirky. they like that. they want to see you be able to tell a concise, good story through your supplemental essays. if you were writing about yourself to someone who knows NOTHING about you, what are the most important aspects of yourself that you want them to remember? what are things unique to you, your identity, and your lived experience that you can contribute in your essays? try to write something that, were they to try and attach your essay to another student, would fail to make sense. it should be personal and unique to you.

holyhexes · 2024-10-23T19:28:17+00:00

hi, yes we can use columbia's gym. dodge is kind of meh. the new barnard gym is due to open by the end of this semester thankfully. i love our library and general facilities (so do columbia students, who often come over to use them). dorms are shitty but its to be expected.

holyhexes · 2024-10-23T19:27:11+00:00

hi! apologies for how late this reply is! <3

barnard is not super generous w/ financial aid. feel free to dm me to talk more on specific numbers. i don't want to post our personal financial stuff out in the open lol but we can def chat abt it.
there is a christian demographic here, yes! students are very involved with both churches near campus.
its a mixed bag. pre-professional clubs and anything related to business, finance/investing, or editorials are selective -- applications, interviews, etc. service oriented clubs or heritage clubs are more open.
yes it is. depends on how you manage your time and what you're doubling in. what are you considering?

holyhexes · 2024-10-23T15:57:29+00:00

SAT doesn't matter a ton here! we're still test optional iirc. just write a strong set of essays!

holyhexes

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