Anonymous asked: Is it a good idea to apply to liberal arts schools (I'm mainly looking at the ones in the NESCAC) if I want to go to an Ivy for med school?
Definitely!
doilooklikeimdying asked: You have a quote about Vassar vs. Wesleyan that's attributed to me (Harry James Hanson), and I'm curious how you found it? I do remember saying something like that but I don't recall the context!
Had to have been along the Vassar tag, thanks!
You know you love me, xoxo.
Anonymous asked: Do you live in a single or a double? (I know Columbia offers singles to most freshmen) Which is better?
Siiiiingle. John Jay all the way, seriously.
If you’re looking to party, live in John Jay. You can always go to Carman to party, and then leave the party whenever you want. Let’s say your roommate is a stoner and wants to have people in his room all the time. Uh, when are you supposed to sleep / have private time / have ~private~ time?
If you’re looking for a quiet space, live in John Jay. Furnald is known as the “anti-social dorm” for a reason, but it’s eerily quiet. Plus, do you really want the chance of a bunkbed? Or a weird roommate?
If you’re looking for a nice family of upperclassmen, actually consider the LLC. It’s not that bad, guys!
Anonymous asked: What were Columbia College Days like? What did you do? P.S. Your blog is awesome, thank you so much for doing this!!!
I presume you mean Days of Campus. They were ‘iight.
One of the best things about studying at night (including pizza study breaks at Bart Mart and long naps) is the warmth of Harper.
(via university-bound)
Before & after: hiatus
Hello, college admissioners!
Of course, you should be finishing up all of your applications and whatnot (unless you were accepted early decision/action into your top choice, in which case, go you!). And, of course, a few weeks ago would have been the ideal time for this blog to be active, but, regardless, college life itself sucked me up and spit me out.
Nonetheless, I will be making a steady (but slow) return to having this blog actively running and helping out as much as I can. My inbox is full and my college review list is nowhere near complete, so I hope you are still expecting some sort of information to come out of this blog even though you’ve finishing applying. Even more, the class of 2018 can start looking forward to college applications, because, well, as we know, the process never stops.
However, I will be able to answer questions about Columbia University specifically since I just barely finished my first semester alive. Those I will be willing to answer first as they pop up in my inbox since the information is the most accurate, updated, and relevant in my current position of college admissions.
Overall, I hope you’ve all had a great holiday and college application season. Looking back, it’s nice to see that many of you found my article on Art Portfolios to be of the utmost assistance, as well as my reviews on Stetson University and University of Southern California. If any of you would like me to review a specific school sooner than later, don’t hesitate to drop a name in my inbox.
You know you love me,
College Advice.
Finding comfort in your community once you’re in college is difficult, which is why many of us worry so much about where we go and how much of a fit the school is (notice I didn’t say how we fit with the school). Sometimes, at certain intuitions finding a community is a difficult task in itself.
When I was interested in Columbia University, one of the main concerns from many students was this ‘lack of community’ presence on campus. However, one of my friends from Barnard College (the all-girls school across the street) speaks highly of Barnard and its community on her new blog, Barnard Future.
If you are interested in the following things, don’t hesitate to check out her blog and learn more about this school: distribution requirements, learning > memorizing, New York City, small campus, small student size, low student to teacher ratio, wide opportunities, and a strong alumni base.
Ps. It’s no surprise that I’m a big fan of Barnard.
when can i apply
‘what does 237 mean’
i actually dont know how to answer that question
after 175 years of trust this is what they achieved.
(Source: death-or-taxes, via broken-lampshade)
Just because Barack Obama didn’t read The Collegiate to get into Columbia doesn’t mean you don’t have to! (made on makr.io)
69 followers in less than 3 weeks
I think this is a huge achievement
Thanks guys, you’re all fabulous
Follow one of my favorite blogs — LiveBlogging The Common App 2013 (sorta a revival of fuckyeahcommonapp).
Ah, New College of Florida. My heart still softens every time I look at any pictures of the south Floridan campus, nestled on the outskirts of Sarasota - an “old-people town,” my friends would say. “A hippie school,” my friends would say. Well, whatever my friends said, New College still seems, to me, like a great school. It was my #1 for awhile, but it soon fell to my #2 when I was accepted to my other schools.
What It’s All About: NCF, as it’s shortened, is a liberal arts college that focuses on learning through the holistic process. Want a school with no academic requirements? Don’t worry, even if your credits don’t add up to a major, or “area of concentration” as they call it, you can claim yourself as a General Studies major. Want a school with no grades? Perfect, NCF likes to see your mind expand and critically think about what you’re learning about, rather than stress about your GPA. But — how about no sports teams?
What I Saw: A really cheap alternative to some of the best liberal arts schools in the country. In my sophomore/junior years, I was obsessed with Vassar College, but, when faced with expensive tuitions, brutal winters, and far travel to Poughkeepsie, I turned to New College. It’s a public state university, so the tuition is cheap, even for out-of-state students. (The school offers various scholarships meant for out-of-state students as well.) It may not be the prestige of a Vassar or a Wesleyan, but it definitely has the same “culture” — students who are a bit different, “hipster” even, and truly value learning just for the sake of learning.
Other Similar Schools: (in terms of student culture) Vassar College, Wesleyan University, Kenyon College, Grinnell College, Oberlin College. (In terms of academics) Bowdoin College, Williams College.
Did you apply, and if so, why didn’t you go there? NCF will always hold a special place in my heart. I applied, was accepted, and was offered a great financial aid package, but I found I didn’t really fit with the school’s students. Everyone was nice and supportive, but when I visited, the campus on a Friday afternoon, the campus was completely deserted - as opposed to booming with students outside, hanging out, or doing things. The school has a small student population, with an even smaller campus. It just wasn’t for me: a city-loving, academically-inclined gay boy from south Florida.
You Should Apply If You’re: (1) looking for a school where you can literally build and customize your own major, even though the courses and majors may be limited; (2) looking for a community rather than a college; unlike most liberal arts colleges, NCF has a definite commodity amongst its students, where you will know everyone and they will know everything about you; (3) want relationships with your teachers and peers, as well as one-on-one attention and dedication to help you succeed.
Want College Advice to review another school? Submit your schools in the Ask box!
yearningforthelanding asked: If people need inspiration for their personal essays, Tufts, Johns Hopkins, and I think U Chicago post successful examples. Just saying.
Anonymous asked: I'm starting my last year of IB, and was wondering if you, when applying to colleges got a lot of credit for doing the IB or if they didnt really consider it as much? I live in France right now, but I really want to go to college in the US so it could be good to know
IB doesn’t get as much recognition as Advanced Placement, also known as AP, which is the main curriculum in the United States. However, I think it stands to get at least some credit, seeing as it is an intensive program. Many of the more competitive schools (ie. Columbia, Princeton, Yale, etc.) know about IB, but I know one school I was considering had never heard of it (which was why I didn’t apply).
I think being an IB student is good for an international applicant and my reasoning is this: because you don’t have AP offered in your country and you have IB, which the U.S. also understands, a school like Columbia University would think that you were capable of handling the intensity of their school’s academics — as opposed to not doing any advanced coursework in high school. Does this make sense?
Oh, and good luck this year. IB nearly killed me.
