Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming to Columbia

That the Core curriculum took as much time as it did, and that it was worth every second. You will spend two years fulfilling your core requirements, but you’ll be a better person when you’re done. And a lot smarter.

That Columbia is an intimidating place. A lot of kids have a hard time settling in at Columbia because there’s a feeling that everyone else knows what’s going on when you don’t. It’s a lie—nobody knows what’s going on at Columbia, everyone just makes it up.

That you can really do whatever you want at Columbia and New York, and as long as it’s not illegal, you can probably get away with it.

That New York is absolutely the most expensive place you could ever go to college, and fun has a pretty big price tag. Flip some extra burgers before the summer ends; you’ll need some cash lying around.

While Columbia is good about accepting up to 60 transferable credits, the administration is very picky about what classes live up to “Columbia Standards.” Double check with advisers to make sure that your transferable math and humanities classes fill Columbia’s specific needs. You don’t want to find out at the last minute that the Renaissance Art class that you took at another college is not considered to be good enough.

While Columbia is a safe place to live and go to school, it is important to let people know where you will be. Let a friend know if you will be staying out all night. While this may sound silly, it’s good to know that someone will know if you are missing.

Financial aid is readily available for those who need it. While an application process is required, it’s rather simple to get some extra help from the oft-generous Columbia offices.

Although there are two no-charge Citibank ATMs in Lerner Hall, the lines are excruciatingly long on Thursday afternoons and Friday nights. Get your cash ahead of time or be prepared for a long wait.

The Media Center in Butler Library is packed during midterms and finals. Reserve course materials are easy to come by at any other time of the semester, but not at finals time. If you need to watch a film for a class or read a book on reserve, make sure you give yourself enough time to access necessary materials. Waiting until the last minute is never a good idea during crunch time—procrastination is not an original idea.