The Undergraduate Schools
What should I know about Barnard College?
Barnard College, founded in 1889, is a liberal arts college for women that is a partner of Columbia University. Named for the tenth president of Columbia University, Fredrick Barnard, the college provides women with an intimate liberal arts education with the resources of a major research university. While Barnard students get a Columbia University diploma (yes, it is in Latin), Barnard College has its own president (Debora Spar) and its own board of trustees (chaired by Anna Quindlen). Barnard first years all live in the Quad, which is made up of four connected residence halls--Sulzberger (the really big tower), Brooks, Hewitt and Reid Halls. First years are required to take a First Year Seminar and a First Year English course, as well as complete the broad distribution requirements of The Nine Ways of Knowing and a culminating senior project. CC and SEAS students can also use their many, many meals at Hewitt dining hall in the basement of Hewitt residence hall.
What should I know about Columbia College?
Columbia College was founded in 1754, and it remains the oldest part of the Columbia University system. In the early part of the century, the Core Curriculum was conceived as a synthetic approach to war and peace studies. Since World War I, the Core has been a distinguishing feature of the college. When they aren't busy studying the Great Books, Columbia College first-year students reside in Carman, John Jay, Furnald, Hartley and Wallach Halls on the main campus quad—overlooking South Lawn. Columbia's meal plans range from meal options in John Jay Dining Hall as a first-year to enjoying cuisine in Ferris Booth, Café 212, Uris, Hartley Kosher Deli, and other locations across the Columbia campus. Columbia College students hail from all fifty states and many foreign countries—they are united by their common intellectual experience in the Core.
What should I know about The School of General Studies?
The School of General Studies, also called GS, is the finest liberal arts college in the country dedicated specifically to top-quality, degree-seeking undergraduates who have had a break of one year or more in their education. The school was founded in 1947 to meet the needs of GIs returning from World War II. GS students range in age from 17 to 65 and represent every walk of life, from retired dancers and firefighters to military veterans and entrepreneurs. GS students take the same classes with the same faculty and earn the same degree as all Columbia University undergraduates. Their academic program is composed of a major, the GS Core, and electives. Most GS students commute to campus from all over the New York metropolitan area, while others, many of whom moved to the city from around the U.S., live in University residences. GS boasts 17% international students hailing from over 75 countries. The school has a joint degree program with List College of the Jewish Theological Seminary.
What should I know about The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science?
The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science was the first of Columbia's undergraduate schools to go coeducational. The Engineering School, known affectionately as SEAS, is the oldest engineering school in New York City. Included in the original charter for King's College, SEAS was established as a separate school, the School of Mines, in 1864. Graduates of the school have gone on to design the New York subway system, build the FM radio, and influence New York City and the world in increasingly important ways. SEAS students live in Columbia's undergraduate dormitories with Columbia College students and they frequent John Jay Hall for meals. Engineers have many, many exams and very few papers. Make sure you come out in support of SEAS during E-Weeks—an annual celebration of the Engineering School at Columbia.
What should I know about The Barnard-Columbia Relationship?
As an incoming student, you may have questions about the relationship between Barnard and Columbia. During your first days on campus, you will notice that students on both sides of the street participate in many of the same academic classes, activities, and clubs. So, with all these shared experiences, what is the formal relationship between these two schools?
Columbia University was founded by royal charter as King’s College in 1754 and renamed in 1784. Barnard College was established in 1889 as both an independently incorporated educational institution for women and as one of the four official colleges of Columbia University. Each institution has its own applicant pool and admissions process; is governed by its own Board of Trustees; has its own budget; raises its own funds; and builds its own endowment.
The partnership between Barnard and Columbia extends to many aspects of university life. Students from both schools participate in the NCAA approved Columbia-Barnard athletic consortium and compete in Division I athletics. Students may take classes on either campus and cross-registration for courses is seamless. Each campus benefits from the other socially because most clubs, organizations, and events are open to all students. The myriad advantages of this partnership are due to the fact that the resources, experiences, and abilities of each institution strengthen the other.
As a student at Columbia or Barnard you are part of the greater university community in Morningside Heights. This gives you the opportunity to not only enjoy the traditions of your own school, be it the School of General Studies, Columbia College, The Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science, or Barnard College, but to also participate in the greater community based on the collaboration of these four schools.