Can someone tell me about Barnard College?

Question

like their campus, the Columbia affiliation, women's college, classes, NYC

Answer 1

The Barnard campus is urban, and is located right across the street from Columbia University in an area called "Morningside Heights." BC is part of CU, but it's a loose connection, and BC makes its own academic policies. The Heights is a very pretty area and there are other educational institutions nearby--Teacher's College (also part of Columbia), Union Theological Seminary, Jewish Theological Seminary, Banks College of Education, and Manhattan School of Music. There are tons of students in the area, which is very safe even though in the middle of Manhattan. School and neighborhood security is VERY good.

Barnard students can take just about any class at Columbia that is not offered at Barnard, and men also enroll at BC, but not that many. There are many groups you can join, and the best thing is the extensive alumni network, as many of the graduates stay in the NYC area, and quite a few (like Anna Quindlen) do come back to the campus for programs and activities.

There are dormitories, but not enough; most students get housing in the area (both through the schools and through places like Craigslist). There are TONS of small restaurants in the area--you don't have to go far to have a social life and get good food! There's a good-sized market one block from the campus.

Public transportation: the subway is right in front of the two campuses, and Broadway is a main avenue with bus service every few minutes. You can go anywhere in a matter of minutes, and the subway is fairly safe. There is even a public bus to get to LaGuardia Airport, so it costs $2 to get to the airport!

I hope this gives you a flavor of Barnard and the neighborhood. I lived in the area for 17 years and loved it. It's a great school, and the fact that you can cross-register in Columbia is really in its favor--small school feel with a lot of resources.